wfn.org | UMNS# 05085-Commentary: Tsunami raises 'where, ' not 'why,

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Commentary: Tsunami raises 'where,' not 'why,' question about God

Feb. 9, 2005	 News media contact:   Tim  Tanton * (615) 7425470*
Nashville {05085}

NOTE: A photograph and audio are available at http://umns.umc.org.

A UMNS Commentary
By Bishop Judith Craig*

To ask about God's presence in the face of the tsunami that struck Asia
and Africa is to ask a good question. It is not a "why" question but a
"where" question.

We are long past the time when we think natural occurrences are the
direct act of God - whether they are apparent interventions that spare
us harm, for which we give thanks, or disasters like the tsunami that
cause inexpressible sorrow and loss. We know such events are the result
of the physics and forces of a natural world where shifts of tectonic
plates cause the earth to tremble, and in this case, huge waves to cross
the ocean's surface and crash into land.

Did God do this? Certainly not! The universe is orderly, even in its
disorder, with the laws of its nature being the guidelines for its
behavior.

No, we would be naïve and ignorant of natural forces to blame God for
this tragedy.

But asking the "where" question puts us on an avenue to the heart of
God. For God is surely in the midst of all that has occurred, watching
the devastation of those made in God's image and surely reaching out in
the energy of Godly love that surpasses all other sources of hope.

God is in this event - in the tears of those who mourn, in the joy of
those who survived, in the numbness of those who wonder about the
future, in the anguish of those who try to get through each day.  God
surely is in this event in the hands and feet of those who carry the
stuff of relief - medicine, food, shelter.

God is in this event in the presence of those who work to clear away
rubble and gently care for the bodies found and over which they weep.
God is in this event in the touch of healers and the listening of
counselors, and in the prayers of religious people of all faiths.

God is in this event in the prayers and generous outpouring of financial
giving and networking of relief agencies through councils of churches
and private associations that turn the money into the good necessary for
life and health and hope. God is in the midst of this event in more ways
than we can imagine.

It is very important to ask the right question. The "why" question is
imponderable, and it is as old as human kind. An answer that blames God
rises out of a culture and time that did not know all that we know about
how the natural world operates.  It is now a scientific question, not a
faith question. The faith question is the "where" question, recognizing
that nothing in all creation - not even a tsunami - can separate the
created order and all human creation from the love of its Creator.

And so I pray: Loving, grieving, present God, wrap your eternal arms
around your precious globe called earth and hold tenderly all who
tremble in the aftermath of the tsunami. Let your children of all ages,
races and beliefs know of your presence. Keep our hearts tender and our
souls generous as we remember that surely as you note the fall of a
sparrow, you have noted the perishing of each person made in your image
and have gently noted and cared for their beings as only you can.

Remove from our thoughts all judgment or smugness or pride of religion
or place, that we may offer the healing energy of our prayerful love for
those who struggle to rebuild their lives in safety and with hope.
Thank you for those who labor with those who live, and for the human
structures that make possible the binding together of those who give in
one distant place and those who receive in another.

# # #

*Craig is a bishop in residence and visiting professor of church
leadership at Methodist Theological School in Ohio in Delaware, Ohio.
This commentary is part of a special DVD/CD resource developed by United
Methodist Communications to help individuals, groups and congregations
address questions related to God's presence amid tragedy. Details on the
"God, Why?" project are available at www.umc.org.

News media contact: Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

********************

United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org