Many versions of this question have been asked and answered in light of the tragic elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, a few weeks ago. There are other forms of suffering we've heard about this year, from Syria to Hurricane Sandy, that cause us to ask the questions anew, for this day, for this time.
The answers are diverse, and frankly, most of them are entirely unsatisfying. Pundits and pastors comment on the nature of God, as if any of them could speak for the unknowable. There's an old saying, "Anytime you are absolutely, positively certain that God is on your side, it's time to get a second opinion."
In the end, there is precious little that can be said when we claim to speak for God or God's intention. In the wake of Newtown, I read a helpful commentary on triumph and tragedy as compared to the Virgin Mary's song, The Magnificat, by Luther Seminary Professor of New Testament Matt Skinner. Read it here.
When we speak of God and suffering, the only real and true and comforting words I find or offer is this: God came down. That's the message of Christmas: God came down to dwell with us, not to fix things but to be a loving, hopeful, saving presence. As Lutheran Christians, we believe that in the end, love wins, hope wins, light wins, even if it can't be seen now or in our lifetime.
On Christmas Day at Central, here's the image we used on the front of the bulletin, courtesy of Central member Sandy Mjolsnes:
The caption was a quote I found recently by someone named RW Griffin:
"We did not break into his light. He crashed into our darkness."
That is the message of Christmas and the response to suffering that gives me hope.
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