As creation groans, there's still good news

So, we had a hurricane.The strange thing, as my pastor pointed out at church last week, most of our community got some rain and wind. But for those who live near the water, the storm surge devastated them.

He said while driving to church after a few days of helping people who had flooded homes, he was thinking of the song, “Is He Worthy” that starts out:

“Do you feel the world is broken? (We do)

Do you feel the shadows deepen? (We do)

But do you know that all the dark won’t stop the light from getting through? (We do)

Do you wish that you could see it all made new? (We do)”

Every year the hurricanes are increasing in number and intensity, and it’s exhausting, the waiting and the not knowing.

Sometimes my husband and I talk about moving away from Florida, but there really isn’t any place where creation isn’t broken.

Floods and tornadoes and bomb cyclone blizzards and wildfires and earthquakes — all creation groans.

And yet, as my pastor also pointed out, the church is uniquely equipped to bring the healing love of Jesus to our hurting, groaning communities.

“To be the hands and feet of Jesus — it’s the mission of the church. It’s what we were created for,” he said.

My church, and many others across the community, have been out in full force helping wherever they can.

But beyond the practical help, the mopping up of flood water and the pulling up of soggy carpets, when the church goes out into this broken world, along with mops and buckets and chainsaws, we carry with us good news:

Through the Cross of Christ, God has reconciled himself to humanity and he has promised that he’s making all things new.

The gospel is really quite simple. I’ve heard it explained like this: “I can’t. God can. I think I’ll trust him.”

Even if I wanted to obey the law of God, I can’t. Jesus not only wanted to, he did. Then, because he wanted to, he died in my place to secure my pardon.

And God raised him from the dead.

All God requires of us is to acknowledge our helplessness and need, admit that we can never be good enough, and trust that Jesus was and is sufficiently good enough for anyone who comes to him.

At church this week we sang, “Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall, grace has redeemed us once and for all.

“Once for all, O sinner, receive it. Once for all, O friend, now believe it; Cling to the Cross, the burden will fall, Christ has redeemed us once and for all.”

I can’t. God can (and did). I think I’ll trust him.

Good news: That’s all it takes — all it takes to loosen the grip on the things of this life that are so easily taken away in an instant, all it takes to take away the sting of death.

Good news: If Christ has redeemed you, even if you lose everything in a flood or fire, you will still be OK.

Good news: Nothing can or will ever separate you from the love of God, not even death itself.

Even as creation groans, the good news remains: “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6).