The prophet Jeremiah tells...
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The prophet Jeremiah tells the people of Israel that their mourning will be turned to gladness and give comfort and joy instead of sorrow. There are times when, like Israel, we feel that God has abandoned us, but he has not!
Travis Franklin, in the November-December 1996 issue of Preaching, relates a story of two American soldiers on a battlefield during WWII. Along with their companions they left their foxholes in a frontal attack on the enemy, but they were repelled and forced to scramble to back to their foxholes. Looking back on the scene they had just escaped from, they were horrified to see lifeless bodies and the dying screaming out for help and in pain scattered across the open field. One of the men turned to the other and asked, "Where in the hell is God?" as they continued to watch and listen to the popping of the guns and the blasts of the grenades. In a short while they saw two men running through the area with red crosses on their helmets and arms indicating they were medics. As they watched, the medics stopped and began to load a wounded soldier on their stretcher. Once loaded, the medics began to work their way to safety. As the scene unfolded before them, the other soldier boldly responded to the questioning soldier, "There is God! There is God!"
As the prophet Jeremiah tells the children of Israel that God has come to turn their mourning into gladness and to exchange sorrow for comfort and joy, so God's people of the twenty-first century need to know that God is here. He has not abandoned us. We need to know that on the heels of Christmas, the baby Jesus has come to save us from a world gone mad with all of its terrorism, hatred, and strife.
Travis Franklin, in the November-December 1996 issue of Preaching, relates a story of two American soldiers on a battlefield during WWII. Along with their companions they left their foxholes in a frontal attack on the enemy, but they were repelled and forced to scramble to back to their foxholes. Looking back on the scene they had just escaped from, they were horrified to see lifeless bodies and the dying screaming out for help and in pain scattered across the open field. One of the men turned to the other and asked, "Where in the hell is God?" as they continued to watch and listen to the popping of the guns and the blasts of the grenades. In a short while they saw two men running through the area with red crosses on their helmets and arms indicating they were medics. As they watched, the medics stopped and began to load a wounded soldier on their stretcher. Once loaded, the medics began to work their way to safety. As the scene unfolded before them, the other soldier boldly responded to the questioning soldier, "There is God! There is God!"
As the prophet Jeremiah tells the children of Israel that God has come to turn their mourning into gladness and to exchange sorrow for comfort and joy, so God's people of the twenty-first century need to know that God is here. He has not abandoned us. We need to know that on the heels of Christmas, the baby Jesus has come to save us from a world gone mad with all of its terrorism, hatred, and strife.
