God is not far away...A brief theology of suffering explained through rap music and a Swiss Reformed theologian...Yes, those two do relate.

We showed a great music video in chapel at By The Hand today by the Christian rap group "Lecrae" (yes, I do listen to Christian rap sometimes...who would have thought).

They wrote a song called "Far Away". The song talks about how sometimes God seems like He's far away. The video is set against the backdrop of Haiti, and Lecrae's message is that in the midst of struggle, disaster, and tragedy, God is not far away. Scripture says that God will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5, Deut. 31:6). View the video here.

Psalm 16:8-11 says:

⁸ I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,

¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

¹¹ You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

I know it's easy for me to sit here in my comfortable living room with my great roommates while planning fun wedding events and talk about how God is not far away. I do not have the slightest idea or understanding of what those in Haiti are going through. I cannot imagine the destruction, loss, suffering, and devastation that exists there and in so many places throughout the world.

Where is God in suffering? God is in the midst of it, suffering with us just as his Son suffered for us. He is not far away. God is promising that he will redeem all of humanity, creating a new heaven and a new earth. Revelation 21:3-4 says, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

We have hope in the day that the old order of things--the suffering, the pain, the loss, the devastation--will pass away and all things will be made new. We have hope in the new creation, when God will restore the earth and we will be able to spend eternity with him. We can have hope that this life does matter, but this life is also not all there is.

Karl Barth, a famous 20th century Swiss Reformed theologian wrote, "If we fix our eyes upon the place where the course of the world reaches its lowest point, where its vanity is unmistakable, where its groanings are most bitter and the divine incognito most impenetrable, we shall encounter there--Jesus Christ. On the frontier of what is observable He stands delivered up and not spared. In place of us all He stands there, delivered up for us all..." Understanding the depths of the suffering of God in Jesus Christ reveals the character of God.

God suffering with humanity is an essential theological theme to grasp if we are to wrap our heads around the suffering of the world and the suffering of Christ. The suffering God is the loving God. The suffering God takes up the broken state of humanity and fixes it. He does not remain distant but rather relates so deeply to the human condition that he became human. He addresses our suffering in reality. He relates to our suffering in time and space, in a way we can understand. He defeats suffering through experiencing it and overcoming it in the resurrection. "Christ alone can speak here as he along addresses the kind of suffering which ruptures language and meaning--not as the one who suddenly introduces meaning into stark meaninglessness but as the one in whom God enters into and takes to himself the very God-forsakenness of men and women, the very depths of Hell and the absence of God" (Torrance, "Does God Suffer?"). Divine suffering does not imply imperfection, instability, or weakness. Divine suffering implies a God who relates completely to his creation, heals the broken relationship between God and humanity, and remains ontologically and consistently love in Father, Son, and Spirit.

God is not far away.

Watch the Lecrae video here.

*For one (among many) helpful article on this topic, see Richard Bauckham's article "Only the Suffering God Can Help: Divine Passibility in Modern Theology". I have many other helpful books and articles if anyone hasn't fallen asleep by this point in my blog entry and is still interested. If we are to have hope in Christ, understand his death and resurrection, and live and minister in the midst of a suffering world, we MUST develop a doctrinally sound and practical theology of suffering.

"Ms. Sarah..."

Neyah: "Ms. Sarah, you don't talk like you're white.

Me: "Really?"

Neyah: "Yeah, you talk like you're one of us."

In graduate school, we call that contextualization. I take it as a compliment. :)

Why I Should Be President...

Ms. Anna from the Yellow Team (2nd graders with a few 3rd graders) at By The Hand posted this...I thought it was very entertaining. :)

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This month's literacy lesson theme (based off of the LEAP curriculum for after-school programs) is government and community. This week my 2nd/3rd graders were working on mini speeches to read to their team, and then they were supposed to vote on a "President" of the Yellow Team based on the speeches. Here's some of my favorites (with most spelling/grammar fixed):

"If I was president I would give the whole world cookies and milk"-- no name

"Why I Should be President: First, I would help my country. Then, I would clean my town. Finally, [I would] help people get off the street. Because I can get people off the street. And keep people safe. And have pizza day. Vote for me!" -- Tyevell

"Why I Should be President: First, I would clean the whole world. Then I would clean my town. Finally I would let people love everyone." -- Unique

"I should be President because I love Jesus and my country and team and Anna" -- Jamari

"Why I Should be President: First I would help my country, Then I would help the poor people. Finally I will get a big house." -- Justice

"Why I Should be President: First I will save Chicago. Then I will try to get people off of the street. Finally I will take a Nap. Thank you for listening to my speech." -- Shamar

*** And my all-time favorites:

"I promise I will make the day fun. I promise I will speak for people. If I was president I will give people food. I'll teach you Spanish. I will help people. I love people. My mom is going to be President. She is a good girl. My dad can be President. He is a good man. The end. By by. Have a nice day. Good job."-- Eddie

"I should be president of the Yellow Team because I am brave and not scared of anything, not even werewolves. So that's why I should be president of the Yellow Team. 1. I'm a girl. 2. I don't be bad. 3. I'll teach you Spanish. Gracias. Thank you for listening to my speech and vote for me."--- Nesitia

By The Hand needs your help!

Dear Friends and Family,

First of all, thank you so much for your continued prayer and financial support for By The Hand. God has blessed us through so many different people who have supported By The Hand in numerous ways.

With that said, I'm asking for your help in obtaining some supplies for our kids.

Every week, we have something called the "club store". Students earn points throughout the week by saying their memory verse, attending the club, doing homework, etc. They then spend these points on little toys and things at the club store. Unfortunately, we have not been able to offer the kids very much with the store, because we've had to cut down on the budget. We would love to make the club store really special for the kids so that we can reward them for their hard work.

If you would like to donate, we are in need of donations for our club store. Usually, we order little trinkety things from places like Oriental Trading and put those things in the store. It's just small toys and games and other things that would be fun for elementary school students to earn. There are a few ways you can donate. You can donate money and designate that it is meant to go towards the club store or you can order club store items yourself and just have them sent to By The Hand. Make sure that it's clear that you are meaning to donate to the club store so that the items go to the right place.

You can sent items to our director and the address you can use is:

Attn. Sarah James

C/O By The Hand Club for Kids

1000 N. Sedgwick

Chicago, IL 60610

If you live in the Chicago area and prefer to just give donations to me, I can make sure that they get to By The Hand.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you so much for your support and generosity!

Love,

Sarah

Pictures from Winning the Fall Fundraising Drive

Dreona and Janiece with a filled coin jug

The Green Team!