Hurricane Irene, which had downgraded to a tropical storm, came through our area (Scranton, PA area) yesterday bringing a deluge of rain and high winds. We are a little over two hours west of New York City. Some areas lost power and there was minor wind damage in the form of tree limbs downed. However, at my house the lights flickered once and nothing significant happened. We are grateful for this but join those who mourn for lost loved ones due to this storm.
When I got up this morning, the sky was crystal clear, the clearest blue I have ever seen. It is as if God used Irene to wash the sky. It has been a beautiful day.
Last week in chapel at Baptist Bible Seminary I spoke on “God and Calamity” in light of my church’s summer ministry doing tornado relief work in Alabama. It is part of my gearing up to deal with the apologetics question of how a good God could allow such things as tornados that kill people. Later that day was the earthquake on the east coast. Now with the hurricane, my students don’t want to see me preach in chapel any more!
The content of my sermon was based on Jesus’ statements in Luke 13:1-9 which seems to push believers to consider more important matters. The audio of my sermon “God and Calamity” is available online at http://www.bbc.edu/chapel.asp. Let me know what you think.
