I was reading some recent statistics that suggest that less than half of the great British public still believe in God. And of those that do, only about 20% claim to be practicing any kind of religion. That’s all a bit worrying don’t you think? Especially in my line of work!
Roughly speaking then, 80% never engage with God, at least on a regular or organised basis. God to them is either remote or distant or perhaps he’s not there at all. He’s certainly not got much to say, or if he has, it’s really not that important to them.
But the question is – are they right? Is God up to anything? Is he really there at all? And if he is – what has he got to say for himself?
When it comes to growing things I’m not much of a gardener. But this year we’ve managed to grow a few things in the garden. One of our more successful crops has been our potatoes.
And all you gardeners out there, what’s the best bit about growing your own veg? Not digging the garden or even planting the seeds. Not tending to them, weeding them or watering them through the hot summer. No –the best bit for me is definitely harvest time. Sticking the fork into the ground and seeing what’s there! And seeing the results of your labours makes it all worthwhile doesn’t it?
Picture the scene if you
will: it’s the day before Christmas Eve and the young couple return to their
home. Pulling up on the drive they sense something is not quite right. The
front door is ajar – not quite closed as it should be. And heading tentatively
inside they discover their worst fears. Their home has become a crime-scene: a
burglary has taken place. In the front room the dresser has been turned out and
the TV cabinet has been wrecked and the contents removed. Christmas presents
have been unwrapped – some taken, others thrown to one side. Out in the
kitchen, cupboards are open, the contents litter the floor. Upstairs in the
bedrooms, drawers are tipped out, the wardrobes are open and clothes lie all
over the place. A bookcase is tipped over and a jewellery box has been emptied
out. Back downstairs they discover a back window smashed and footprints on the
draining board. Someone has burgled their home and left it in a complete mess.
If
you were anywhere near a TV set in the 1980’s then you can’t have missed that
TV series called Fame! Remember it? It was set in New York, in a school for
performing arts. Full of athletic young dancers: Bruno and Coco and Danny and Doris and Leroy. Full of energy and life and vitality. And not forgetting of course: those
stripy leg warmers to die for!
But
remember what they used to sing? “Fame! I’m gonna live forever! I’m gonna
learn how to fly.”
And
in singing that theme tune - they put into words what every young person
thinks: I’m gonna live forever. It’s one of the signs of youth isn’t it?
Thinking we’re invincible. Knowing about death but refusing to face up to it.
And even when we get a bit older. We still think that dying is something that
happens to other people.
In
our passage today, we see what happens to King Hezekiah when as a young man he
comes face to face with death.
If there’s a God, why doesn’t he do something? If there’s a God, where is he when we need him? That’s one of the big questions behind this little book – “Where was God on September 11th?”
In the book – the author, John Blanchard, thinks about this whole question of evil and suffering, hardship and pain, and asks why it is, that in these terrible circumstances, at first glance at least, God seems to be absent.
So where was God on September 11th?
Where was God in the 1940s as Hitler was creating his reign of terror against 6 million Jews. As the son of one of the victims wrote, ‘If the God of the Bible actually exists, I want to sue him for negligence, for being asleep at the wheel of the universe when my grandfather and uncle were gassed to death in Auschwitz.’
And where was God on Tuesday this week, as three Christian prisoners were executed in Indonesia? Supporters say they hadn’t received a fair trial and appeals for clemency had fallen on death ears.
If there is a God, why didn’t he – why doesn’t he do something?
