“Everything Happens For a Reason” by Pastor Carl
Another phantom scripture that (spoiler alert) doesn’t exactly exist… But many have said it, always with the best of intentions, based on being convinced of God’s sovereignty in spite of our inability to make sense of brokenness or tragedy that enter our lives or the lives of those we love. But while intentions are always good, the problem is it’s often less than helpful and sometimes hurtful for the recipient of those words. Furthermore, I will contend, the very idea of everything happening for a reason is based on questionable or even faulty ideas of who and how God is.
So let’s spend some time together on Sunday wrestling with the tensions that exist behind and around this phantom scripture to see what we can learn. And we’ll look at other scriptures, including two excerpts from Paul’s letters that seemingly contradict each other, to see if they bring us to new understandings and deeper trust in the God who is Love.
In the meantime, read and ponder Philippians 3:7-11 and Romans 8:28 and see if you feel the tensions they present.
Sit with the tension and reflect on what comes up for you in the words of these passages.
Do we feel a need to resolve the tensions, or are we able to hold the tension in a way that deepens our trust?
Looking forward to Sunday!
Carl
