tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915617830446943975.post9083770750728375353..comments2024-03-29T17:55:30.203+13:00Comments on Anglican Down Under: God Like A Rapist?Peter Carrellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09535218286799156659noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915617830446943975.post-54786085302237961282011-03-17T15:07:48.570+13:002011-03-17T15:07:48.570+13:00'In the face of evil, this God invites us to t...'In the face of evil, this God invites us to trust him, not dismiss him'. I confess there have been times when I've thought, why would anyone want to trust him? <br /><br />I guess there is an intrinsic problem with focussing on the 'why' ... what kind of answer could we ever hope to recieve that would make up for the loss or heal the devastation? It sounds so neat and tidy and clever of our Press correspondent to pose these questions and thereby to position him/herself in some kind of morally superior bubble, but what does it actually do? Whose pain does it lessen? <br /><br />I can't find any help in the 'why did God / why didn't God' questions, they lead me to despair. But when I think about Jesus, it's different. He shows me a whole different idea of God, but not one that can be neatly boxed and presented unfortunately. In the incarnation, and throughout Scripture as well, God is revealed as leaping over every barrier to come to us and be with us. Our sin and suffering don't keep him away, they draw him to us like a magnet. He doesn't just stand with us, he takes the fall for us... and I'm forever grateful.Lucyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18112344910285525993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3915617830446943975.post-3579368315341033332011-03-17T10:06:16.978+13:002011-03-17T10:06:16.978+13:00Suffering is part of life, a consequence of the fa...Suffering is part of life, a consequence of the fall.<br /><br />In the modern world we think of it as an anomaly, we shield ourselves from it. You could tempted to think from the press releases that come from the Department of Health etc that we could live forever if only we didn't smoke, drink and eat McDonald's and for women to have regular pap smears. But that is a fantasy, we all die.<br /><br />And despite all we do bad things happen to everyone without exception.<br /><br />The scale of the disasters in Christchurch and more particularly in Japan make us take notice - but everyday we are surrounded by suffering even in the best of times. We try to ignore it usually. Eat drink and be merry and try not to think about it. But surely it is there, the stroke victim who has lost power of speech, the homeless schizophrenic, the parents who have lost their child to leukemia.......<br /><br />And unless we are directly connected we pass by and pretend not to see. Perhaps the more spiritually mature of us offer up a silent prayer.<br /><br />This is a reminder that nothing in this world is permanent and that we must prepare ourselves for the next one through prayer and repentance.Andy Snoreply@blogger.com