The Dean

Insurance companies have the dubious knack of describing disasters and catastrophic events as “acts of God.” This seems most unfair when they fail to ascribe to God the 99.99% most wonderful, creative and life giving events with which we humans are blessed but take for granted. Even death can be included in the last category as we see life and death as essential components of the cosmic created order.

On Good Friday in St Christopher’s Cathedral we were reminded of the moment when Jesus, nailed by his hands to the cross, selflessly commended his mother into the care of his close disciple John, and John into the care of Mary. (John 19:26-27). Jesus turned their gaze from his suffering to look at, and consider, each others’ needs. In some way (and we are not sure how) God in Christ shares our suffering and ministers to us and through us where there is human pain and anguish.

On Easter Day, following the resurrection of Jesus we encounter those hands of Jesus outstretched once again as he shows his disciples the place of the nails using them as an accompanying visual sign of the presence of his peace among them (John 20:19-20). At this point too in St John’s Gospel Jesus breathes on his disciples bestowing the Holy Spirit. Later those same hands are displayed to doubting Thomas with the command “Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:26-28).

After Pentecost, when the presence of God is with his people in a new and dynamic way, for always and everywhere, the disciples respond by stretching out their hands in equally generous measure towards each other. (Acts 4:32-36) “There was no needy person among them.” From their own God given resources they met the needs of everyone.

At the end of March one of those terrible unthinkable tragedies hit Bahrain when the Al Dana dhow sank with the loss of 58 lives and the accompanying suffering of the survivors and bereaved families. Insurance Companies might describe this as an ‘Act of God’.

Not my God! The God I know and serve was out there in the community bringing support, compassion, comfort and relief through the hands of friends, neighbours and supportive communities.

The scars will take a long time to heal, but so did the scars in the hands of Jesus. But through those scarred hands comes the peace and ‘at-one-ment’ with God as his people go on bringing comfort and healing, and we continue to uplift them all in prayer both now and in the future.

Alan Hayday