Violence has cast a long shadow
over Easter 2016. The bombs in
Brussels, the trial of Radovan Karadzic with images of his atrocities, and the
murders in Clydebank and Shawlands have served to remind us of the dark side of
human nature. It is difficult enough
to face all of this but perhaps more so when we are people of faith. After the Dunblane tragedy a man said
to me: ‘This is a hard time for
fellows like you.’ I suppose he
meant that it is difficult to confront such horror and bring a message of hope. And he is right. We should all recognise the challenge
of faith in the midst of tragedy and suffering. Sometimes it is hard to believe that at the heart of the
Universe there is a God of love and justice who is in control. But this is one of the great assurances
that arise out of the last days of Jesus life on earth. Even in the depths of the darkness that
engulfed our Lord God was working for the renewal of all humankind.
I recently visited the grave of a
friend who died last year. He had
been living with cancer for six years, enduring the most debilitating of
treatments, before the disease eventually overwhelmed him. On his headstone are the words:
‘Nothing will ever separate me from the love of God.’ This is from a passage of Scripture in which the
Apostle Paul reflects on the worst things that could ever happen. He speaks of ‘trouble or hardship or
persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword’ and against these things
he places a question: ‘Is there anything there that will ever be able to
separate me from the love of God?’
His answer? ‘There is
nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of
God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’
(Romans 8: 35-39)
I have no doubt that Paul had
questions. The extent of
suffering he endured throughout his life was beyond anything that most people
go through. But still he was
convinced of the love of God and His good purpose in his life. I believe that
this can be explained by the centrality of the Cross in Paul’s faith. He saw the love of God working in and
through the death of Jesus. On the
surface it was a ghastly spectacle but Paul came to believe that this death
opened up the opportunity for forgiveness and renewal for the whole of
humankind. The confirmation
of this was in the Resurrection of Jesus when the light from the tomb scattered
the darkness around the Cross and the followers of Jesus understood what had
been achieved through His suffering.
The questions will always remain but reflection on the Cross and the
extent of Jesus’ sufferings can bring the hope that even in the worst of
circumstances the love of God is present and His good purpose is
unfolding.
