Silver lining?

Just imagine what it would feel like if a massive explosion in the old Weymouth ferry terminal devastated a large part of the quay and sea front. That's what happened in Beirut. Can anything good come from such an appalling tragedy?

Photo credit: @fdia_art

The answer is yes. On a small scale, a Lebanese artist Fatima Dia has auctioned this picture to raise funds for those in need. It focuses on the explosion and loss of many lives, yet it speaks of hope through colour and possibility.

There are other signs too. For years those in power have shown contempt for their electorate, and been blatant in corruption. A trickle of resignations led to the government relinquishing power. This creates new opportunities for justice and peace in a beautiful cosmopolitan part of the world.

The blast may be a turning point, rather like a trail of dominoes knocking each other over. Do pray and give for healing of the individuals and wider communities involved, that there will be real silver from such a ghastly cloud.

www.darrenscherbain.com

 

It's the 75th anniversary of two other horrific blasts: Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Not fertiliser but atomic bombs. Some have argued that it brought World War II to an earlier close, and thus saved lives. Others have said that the opening Russian front was what actually made the difference, and peace would have been signed without those bombs.

Either way, who would have believed that America and Japan would become such close allies. Apparently post Brexit Britain is seeking to muscle into that relationship too.

Where does Christianity fit into all this? It's fundamentally about new beginnings through forgiveness, and new life when all seems to have failed. That's Easter.

It's also about hope, even in the ghastly times. The Old Testament book of Lamentations pulls no punches about the utter despair of being under siege. Yet it also holds out hope, even in such desperate times. So let me quote chapter 3, verses 19 to 23:

The thought of my suffering and homelessness

is bitter beyond words. 

I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss.

Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.

Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.