The Great Easter Vigil - Why God Suffers

This weekend I attended services held at St. James Episcopal Church for Easter. I listened to the story of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John on Good Friday. And on Saturday I participated in The Great Vigil of Easter as one of the lectors. I read the story of the flood (Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18, 8:6-18; 9:8-13), Psalm 46, Isaiah 55:1-11 and Canticle 9, The First Song of Solomon. The other lector read passages about the story of creation and Israel's deliverance at the Red Sea. I remember asking God while I was listening, reading, yawning and realizing how LONG the service was, what's the purpose - what lesson am I to receive from all of this?

The song, "A World to Believe In," by Celine Dion kept coming back to me and I felt my heart sing it as a love song to God. The lyrics begin: "I've seen the tears and the heartache * And I've felt the pain * I've seen the hatred * And so many lives lost in vain * And yet through this darkness * There's always a light that shines through * And it takes me back home, takes me back home * All of the promises broken * And all of the songs left unsung * Seem so far away * As I make my way back to you * You gave me faith * And you gave me a world to believe me * You gave me a love to believe in * And feeling this love * I can rise up above * And be strong, and be whole once again..."

And then it dawned on me... The lesson in these stories was the understanding why God chose to suffer through the one (Jesus Christ) and chose not to destroy so vehemently as He had done in the past. God had learned and understood what His creation needed to take the next step toward LOVE. And finally, God was showing us that it was through this suffering that creation was transformed and resurrected.

And then I also began to see why God allowed suffering. I began to understand why I and so many others, along with planet earth herself, had suffered and continue to suffer. It wasn't because God was a masochist or sadist. It was because God understood that destruction such as the flood - the almost absolute destruction of what S/He created -- caused more harm than good and did nothing to direct this creation toward LOVE.

Thus, God chooses to suffer through creation, the one, and the few, so that the many may take a step closer to LOVE. And thus, I can be rest assured that suffering occurs in one's life for personal growth and sometimes for the growth of others. And it's ultimate purpose - even if I do not see it in my lifetime - is to get God's creation closer to LOVE.

The song continues. "...And feeling this love * I can rise up above * And be strong * And be whole * Once again * 'Cause your love * Heals my soul * Once again * I can live I can dream * Once again * 'Cause you made me believe"

Amen.