Read: John 14 Biblical Mythbusters: God Needed Them
I never again care to hear the words, “God needed them.” Repeatedly in ministry, I have stood by grieving families as a well-meaning friend or family member has uttered these words. I try hard to not puke on my shoes. The words you just read are not strong enough to convey my disgust of this ill conceived, yet popular theology.
Our God never “needs” a child for a flower garden in heaven or “needs” a young dad for a heavenly choir. The God we serve would never kill or murder to gain fuller access to a life. What are we thinking when we say something like this? Oh yeah, we are not thinking. We are hurting, so we blame God. God did this. God is responsible. God is the heavy. This may also be a backward way of saying that regardless of our commitment to God, we all go to heaven. I do not find that idea in scripture, but it must feel nice to say something like this to someone who is broken in half with grief. Get real. God will be God in justice and in grace. God is not always pretty, but we can live with this kind of God because we know where we stand.
You can see my strong feelings about this topic and I am not very sure how the sermon is going to go. Guess it could be memorable to some. God have mercy.
The Good News is that God loves us and offers a just and graceful freedom into our lives. This complete and honest freedom means that sometimes awful things happen. Miracles also happen and they are a mystery of God; a blessed mystery. When we understand that God weeps with us, walks the lonely path with us, and grieves with us then we find a friend in Jesus like no other. God accepts us.
This is why it is so important to find Christ now and live into the grace of God today. Tomorrow the freedom of God’s grace may find us in a wrong place at a wrong time. It happens every day. Get with God. Bring your family to Christ. Share God’s love with your neighbors. It is all about life and death.
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