Many people will gather in Coogee and Malabar today to remember the Bali bombings. It seems like a long time ago when the news broke of a terrorist attack on that small and friendly island. I remember rewriting my sermon for church on Sunday in order to address the problem of suffering. 202 people lost their lives in the bomb blasts. 88 were Australian, and 20 of them came from the Eastern Suburbs. There is a large memorial in Coogee, and a smaller one in Malabar.
It must have been a horrible place to be when the bomb blasts ripped apart those two Bali night clubs. A holiday paradise became hell on earth. Chaos, carnage, confusion. And it is not long ago for some. Memories are vivid. The nightmares go on. Fresh flowers are regularly placed at the Malabar memorial. Some I suppose look forward to the execution of the terrorists.
The Apostle Paul encourages us to mourn with those who mourn. We are to come beside people and help in practical ways, listen to their hurts, pray for those in need, and share the hope of Christ’s return.
One of the things that God does through these times, is to remind us of our own mortality, and urge us to get ready for his return. We are not innocent.
Death is like an army roll call. In death, our name is called and we will have to give an account to the judge of all the earth.
The great news of the gospel, is that Christ has taken away the curse of death. If we are in Christ, our sins are washed away, and rather than an angry judge, we have loving heavenly Father.
Let us pray for our neighbours, that they might know of the hope of Christ, where evil is destroyed forever, and death is swallowed up. Pray that they will know Jesus as their saviour, and be guaranteed eternal life. (Andrew).
(Andrew)