Every generation identifies with some tragic event. For my generation it was the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986. For my parents’ generation it was the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. And for the younger generation it was the September 11th attacks in 2001.
There are also regional tragedies that draw a collective resonance. Certainly the Camp Fire of 2018 will always be that way for Hillary and me. And back where I came from, the Topeka tornado of 1966 was an especially formative event. (It was before my time, but people sure talked about it.) And personally, I can remember the 1981 Hyatt Regency disaster in Kansas City. Two walkways collapsed over a crowded hotel lobby, killing 114 people and injuring over 200. I was 11 at the time when it broke on the news. With all of these, there’s both the tragedy itself, and then there’s the collective memory that develops. There are at least two spiritual dangers that come with this:
1) Pilate’s temple massacre was something like the violent crackdown at Tiananmen Square in 1989. Pontius Pilate lashed out violently against a group of Galilean protesters in the Jerusalem temple. It was an act of premeditated violence. And 2) The collapse of the Siloam tower, which killed 18 people randomly when it fell, may have been a bit like the hotel walkway collapse in Kansas City. It was a completely random accident. So one of these tragedies was man-made and the other was an unplanned tragedy. But Jesus’ response was the same for both of them… First, He refuted the people’s judgmentalism when He told them that the people who died weren’t any worse than they were. It’s not good to make theological assumptions about other people’s suffering. When it happens it usually reflects the prejudices of the accusers more than any real truth about God or the situation. God is not honored when people make such statements about Him (cf. Job 42:7-9). Second, Jesus twice redirected His hearers to think about themselves: “Unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Luke 13:3,5). It sounds harsh and polemical, but it’s easy to lose sight of the opportunity that grace provides. For one, there’s opportunity in repentance. Repentance literally means a 180-degree turn. You’re turning from sin and turning to God. It means you’re going in a new direction. And the message of the gospel is that it’s never too late. Christ died on the cross for our sins. We put them behind us as we look ahead. And there’s also opportunity in not perishing. A few years a back I heard a woman share her testimony about being raised in a Hindu culture in India. She appreciated that religion, but she converted to Christianity after someone gave her a little Bible that highlighted John 3:16. She saw the words “should not perish” and that got her excited. That was what made her decide to become a Christian. She thought to herself, “I don’t have to perish!” It’s always exciting when that happens. God bless you, Pastor Andrew McHenry First Congregational Church of Oroville
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Andrew McHenryI am a husband, a Congregational pastor, and a native Kansan currently living in Thermalito, California. In the past I have also been a prison chaplain and a youth pastor. Interests include reading, railroads, prog rock, KU, and the KC Royals. Archives
March 2024
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