Where's God?

On a September morning in 2001, Frank Silecchia laced up his boots, pulled on his hat, and headed out the door of his New Jersey house. As a construction worker, he made a living making things. But as a volunteer at the World Trade Center wreckage, he just tried to make sense of it all. He hoped to find a live body. He did not. He found 47 dead ones. Amid the carnage, however, he stumbled upon a symbol-a 20 foot tall steel beam cross. The collapse of Tower One on Building Six created a crude chamber in the clutter. In the chamber, through the dusty sunrise, Frank spotted the cross. No winch had hoisted it; no cement secured it. The iron beams stood independent of human help. Standing alone, but not alone. Other crosses rested randomly at the base of the large one. Different sizes, different angles, but all crosses. Several days later engineers realized the beams of the cross came from 2 different buildings. When one crashed into another, the 2 girders bonded into one, forged by the fire. A symbol in the shards. A cross found in the crisis. “Where is God in all this?” we asked. The discovery dared us to hope. “Right in the middle of it all”.

Many times things happen and we ask where God is in all of this. I am sure that St. Mark’s facing the end of their days as church have asked the same question. Why do churches fail? Where is God? As Max Lucado notes: God’s ways are always right. They may not make sense to us, they may be mysterious, inexplicable, difficult, and even painful. But they are right. This devotion is taken from Mocha with Max.

September is now a month burned into our souls with the 9-11 tragedy. But in all of it, there was a sign of hope. As we close St Mark’s this month, it will live on as partnership of area Lutheran churches, awaiting new birth. Emanuel will continue to worship on Sunday. Sonset Café will continue on Thursdays and be restarting at Abiding Christ on Wednesdays this month. Please consider joining us for closing worship on September 27th at 1PM in the afternoon. Reservations will likely be necessary, so watch this space and the social media for upcoming information.

Blessings, Nancy Trimble LSIM Deacon