Boston, Bombs, and Bill

Boston, Bombs, and Bill

            All of us have been struggling to catch our breath in the midst of all the events of this past week.  It has been a whirlwind:  the bombing at the Boston Marathon, a manhunt, an explosion in Texas, floods in Chicago, poison letters in the mail, battles over guns, and oh by the way, a young and reckless leader in North Korea threatening to use his nuclear weapons.

            News anchors and reporters typically see it all.  Even so, I was taken back to see them taken back yesterday morning.  Today (Friday) they were struggling to find words to describe the activities in Boston.  They stumbled and just resorted to terms like “unprecedented” or “I’ve never seen anything like this before…”

            What do we do when the foundations shake?  Psalm 46 says:

“God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging…..Be still and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:1-3, 10)

            As most of you, I have been inspired by the pictures and the stories around Bill Iffrig.  He was the 78 year old runner that was knocked over by the concussion from one of the bombs just fifteen feet from the finish line.  The picture of his fall has gone viral and is on the recent cover of Sports Illustrated.  In an interview, he spoke how his legs suddenly went wobbly in the blast and he went down.  Some folks helped him up and despite the chaos he finished the race.  Many around him offered him a wheelchair, but he refused, preferring to walk the remaining six blocks to his hotel.

            What Bill did is what people of faith do.  Things do happen.  Things occur which knock us over.  Evil wins battles but never the war.  Things feel wobbly and many of us would like to quit.  But then, we get up.  People help us.  We catch our breath, and we continue our way to the finish line.  We do so, not because we are great and strong on our own, but because the foundation upon which we run is stronger than even the explosions that happen around us.  As such, as Psalm 46 states, “we don’t fear though the earth give way”.  We can “be still and know that (he) is God…”

            In all the tragedies, we have a choice.  We can focus on the bombers and the bombs.  Or, we can look at Bill and the thousands of incredible heroes and heroines who offered assistance, who helped Bill up, who go after the bad guys.  Sometimes, getting up depends on where we are looking.  If we look to the finish line, look to the folks around us who help, and not just as the bombs or rumbling earth, we may very well see the living God, who reminds us to be still and keep running. 

            Please join me in praying for all our friends in Boston, and all around us who are still trying to get up and finish this race God has offered us.  Let’s talk more about this in worship this weekend.  See you there,

In Christ,

Pastor Pete