This past week has been an interesting week. We have all dealt with the event at Virginia Tech in different ways. There has been a lot of finger-pointing and blame, but most of all many were asking, “Where is God in all this?”

Today’s sermon was more a collection of thoughts than anything else. I offer it in its outline form, not a polished manuscript.

“Where is God in my suffering?” This is a good question to ask. God does not mind honest questioning.

This morning, instead of hearing people’s words, we are going to let God’s Word speak. We are going to let God speak for himself. We are going to look at three scriptures from the book of Hebrews to answer the question and find out what our response should be.

Hebrews 4:14-5:10 (New Living Translation)

14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. 2 And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses. 3 That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as theirs.

4 And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was. 5 That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him,

“You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.”

6 And in another passage God said to him,

“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

7 While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. 8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. 9 In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. 10 And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

The writer of Hebrews says that we have a great High Priest in Jesus who can identify with us. He went through everything that we did. We often have difficulty in making Jesus human. The Christmas carol “Away in a Manger” has the line, “But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.” Do you think so? He was a baby in human form just like we are. He experienced life just as we did. I’m sure as a boy, he had many experiences with cut knees and bruises. Mary and Joseph had to change his diapers. He experienced pain when his followers didn’t understand. Jesus can identify with what we are feeling this morning. God gave his only son to die for our sins. If that is the case, do you think that He can identify with our suffering and our pain? The scriptures say yes, God can identify with us.

It was interesting to watch the blogosphere this week. One of the best writings I saw all week was from fellow blogger and Wesleyan pastor Rod Pickett. Here is what he wrote:

• God created a good world in which his creatures were given the freedom to submit to his authority or to rebel against it.
• Because God made humans in his own image and granted them a degree of freedom, they have the ability to make real choices with real consequences that affect others as well as themselves, for good or for ill.
• Yet in the midst of this creaturely freedom, God remains in control.
• He accomplishes his purposes in human history without fail.
• He showers his grace upon even those who are rebellious and temporarily protects them from the ultimate consequences of their choices.
• He even uses the very acts of disobedience and rebellion to accomplish his purposes.
• God does not remain distant and detached from human suffering, saying “I told you so.”
• Rather, he participates in our suffering, offering comfort and healing.
• Earthly life is about more than just “getting signed up for heaven.”
• God opposes evil in every form in which it appears and calls his people to do the same.
• Our choices really matter. They affect us and the people around us.

God has given us an oath and promise that there is hope.

Hebrews 6:16-20 (New Living Translation)

16 Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. 17 God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. 18 So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. 19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. 20 Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

The scriptures tell us that God has given us an oath and a promise. This is a double binding. It is impossible for God to change it, because God does not lie. God’s oath is binding – God can be and God is our refuge – God is our anchor – God is our sure thing. God has given us a sure thing in Christ – Christ is our high priest – He leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary – Christ gives us direct access to God – Christ gives us hope.

So? — What difference does that make? What is our response as believers to those who have gone through suffering?

Hebrews 10:19-25 (New Living Translation)

19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Let’s see if we can pull all theses thoughts together:

• Because of the price that Christ paid for us – he identifies with us.
• How do we identify with the hurting around us?
• Because Christ went to the cross – we have full access to God through Christ.
• How can we be Christ to those around us? Do the people that we come in contact every day have full access to God through us? Let’s make sure that we are meeting the needs of those around us.

Where is God when it hurts? He is right there with us, he identifies with us. When it hurts, here’s what we must do so that we can be Christ to others.

• We must hold tightly to the hope of Christ – there is a world out there that desperately needs hope. The only hope that they have is Christ – We need to go out among them and give them that hope.
• We must think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. – This is putting our faith in action. James tells us that our faith without action is useless – so let’s help each other do this.
• Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do – continue to be the church in the midst of trials – but encourage one another – this is the purpose of the church – Spirit FM has done a great job with this over the past week – they have been a great source of encouragement for me – that is what we need to do – that is what the church is here for – especially now that the day of his return is drawing near – We need to be at the work of building Christ’s Kingdom.