'Jesus began to weep'

Amid tragedy it’s hard to keep our eyes on hope. And what can anyone say that would make us grieve any less for the great losses in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama due to Hurricane Katrina? What could be said to make the members of the congregation I serve, House of Prayer Lutheran, Harvey, La.? What can be said to make me feel better about losing my home, my church?

Could someone say, “This was all part of God’s plan. It’s all for the best?” Would that make anyone feel better?

Is it part of God’s plan to destroy lives and homes with the great force of a hurricane or with the rushing floods of a levee breach? Is it all for the best that we should continue to live our lives without the great historical influences of New Orleans or the Gulf Coast communities? Is it part of God’s plan to have the poor die, to have thousands displaced?

I have to say, if that’s part of God’s plan for us, if that’s all for the best, then I don’t want to have anything to do with God.