by The Rev. George F. Borghardt III
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
A construction crane falls and two die in New York. That’s two deaths too many. Cranes are used in every city to do work every day. We see them without thinking that they are dangerous. They aren’t supposed to fall. They just aren’t. What happens when they do? Why did this one fall?
Sin. Fall. Adam. Eve. That blasted fruit that they ate and shouldn’t have eaten. That’s where sin and death originated. They took what wasn’t given to them. Today, we sin too – daily and much.
Events like this should cause us all to pause, mourn, and pray for salvation. Your sins and my sins are the reason these things happen. As the Psalmist says, “ Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight “ (51:6) With all my sins, it’s a wonder the stars don’t fall down on me! One day, they will.
And here’s the real kicker: We are born into this sinful world where things fall, and the evil that befalls us is because of our own Fall. With that truth in your mind, who would even want to get up in the morning? Why doesn’t God do anything about this?
Step back. Contemplate the Cross of Jesus Christ. God has done something, He has saved us – despite us – in the giving up of His Son. He buys us back with all our sins by having his Son die in our place. Christ takes upon Himself our suffering, all our falls, our death, so that we might have life in His Name.
There are no accidents. Not really. Our lives, our days, our years, are in His hands. There are no guarantees in this world – not even that the sun will come out tomorrow. Which leads to a valid question, “Why don’t all cranes fall?”
God’s grace. That’s what keeps everything from falling down around us – even the stars. His kindness and loving mercy for us in Christ.
What He does, He does for our good. What He allows, He allows for our sake. He calls us to repent. He enlivens us to faith. He comforts us in our suffering.
And when our last hour comes, whenever that may be, it is not because He is angry with us. No, He gave up Jesus for that. So, when we fall asleep and one day do not wake up, or when the stars themselves fall on us, at that moment we will most know what it means that Christ died for us.
Then, as certainly as Christ has risen from the dead, we too shall rise in Him. We already have – in our Baptism.
Consider that: He’s most our God, He’s most our Savior, at the point in which it all falls down around us. That’s the love God has for us – even us – in Christ Jesus. Until that day, dear Lord, preserve us and keep us.
“Lord, please comfort the families who saw their loved ones and won’t see them again until the Last Day. Thank you for this day. Thank you for safety. Thank you for your grace in another day to serve you by caring for those around us. In the name of Jesus. Amen.”
The Rev. George Broghardt is associate/youth pastor for St. Mark Lutheran Church in Conroe, Texas, and is the Conferences Executive for HT. He is fearing the reputation of “The Disaster Pastor,” as he has published articles on the Virginia Tech tragedy, preached at For You in North Carolina about the Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis, and addressed other issues of disastrous nature.
