The Earthquake and Tsunami That Stunned Europe
Luke 13: 1-9
Third Sunday in Lent
March 7, 2010
If today’s sermon seems too serious or too morbid, please bear with me. During the season of Lent, the Scripture readings are very serious and people in today’s culture would consider the Scripture themes dark. But for those who trust in Christ, no matter how bleak a subject matter is, there is always the light and life of Jesus and His Easter Resurrection that predominates. With that said, let us proceed.
We don’t ordinarily associate earthquakes and tsunamis with Europe. Earthquakes and tsunamis take place in Indonesia, Japan and Chile, not Europe. But there was a gigantic trembler which occurred in Europe which shattered the whole continent, not so much physically but psychologically, philosophically, and spiritually. Many bright and intellectual scholars say that Europe was never the same after the Lisbon earthquake.
How Europeans responded to this earthquake and tsunami is related to the message Jesus shared in this morning’s third Scripture reading from Luke 13.
Background
At the time of Jesus, there were at least two devastating events that people often talked about. They were not earthquakes but they were alarming for the region around the Sea of Galilee. One horrific event was the time when Governor Pontus Pilate put to death a number of Jewish patriots and mixed their blood with the blood of the animals offered as sacrifices to God. The other fatal event took place when a tower of stones fell killing 18 people in a section of Jerusalem called Siloam.
Apparently one of the major beliefs among the people was that the persons who died must have been really bad sinners or such an atrocious event would not have befallen them.
Jesus then goes on to explain that this was not the case. The people who died at the hands of the brutal Pontius Pilate and in the collapse of the building in Siloam were no greater sinners than anyone else.
Now back to the largest earthquake and tsunami on record to hit Europe.
The Largest Earthquake in Europe
Of the 20 most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in the world, Europe has only one, and that took place in Lisbon, Portugal on All Saints Day, the day after Halloween, November 1 in 1755 about 20 years before the birth of the U.S.A.
At about 10 am an estimated 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck the city of Lisbon, Portugal. An 8.7 is about the same size as last Friday’s earthquake in Chile. Because in those days before electricity, even at 10 am in the morning people had their fireplaces on or maybe even their oil burning lamps in dark rooms, and so when an earthquake strikes lanterns fall or wood burning stoves topple and fires start. Fires raged through Lisbon and so people fled to the ocean where there is lots of water and therefore would be protection from the fire. Except when people ran to the ocean, a series of huge tsunamis hit and thousands drowned. No one knows for sure how many died from the earthquake, fire and tsunamis. The low estimate is 10,000 but most historians say it was between 50,00 to 80,000.
All of Europe was in shock over what happened in Lisbon.
Considered by many to be one of the smartest persons in all of Europe at that time, a fellow by the name of Voltaire from France, was just stupified by the Lisbon earthquake and tsunams. He could not get over the loss of innocent lives.
How did people especially scary smart people respond to the Lisbon earthquake?
Their lessened their faith in God.
They became more cynical and embittered with God. Isaac Newton-trust nature and universe, Leibnitz “the future is so bright that we will need to wear sunglasses” France “tout est bien” philosophy “everything is good” (it’s all good—a phrase that was used 10 years ago)
They questioned God’s fairness and God’s power.
Based on the Word of God, not on human reasoning and not even on the most brilliant philosophical minds, this is how we look upon disaster.
1. Victims of disaster are no worse sinners than you and I.
Regarding the casualties of Herod’s executions, Jesus says in Luke 13:2,
“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way?”
Regarding the casualties of the tower that fell in Siloam, Jesus says in Luke 13:4,
“. . . Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?”
2. When disasters like an earthquake or atrocities like 911 occur, based on the word of God, there are two outcomes.
For the believer in Christ, the disaster or atrocity is the way God calls His good and faithful servant home to heaven.
For the person who rejects Christ, the disaster or atrocity is the way God brings about judgment.
In today’s reading from Luke 13: 6-9, Jesus tells the parable of a property owner who has a fig tree planted. But like some tangerine and mango trees in Waikoloa, the fig tree after it had matured did not bear fruit for three consecutive seasons. The property owner is fed up and so he says to his worker to cut down the tree. The hired hand says, “No, give the tree one more year. I’ll fertilize it and nurture it. However, if nothing happens after one year, you can cut the tree down.”
When any disaster occurs, for some or many, this event truly was a judgment. They were given their time to repent and produce figs. God is fair.
Yet we are not the judge. We do not know and don’t need to know who were those who were given their summons. We also need to remember that there may be some or many for whom the disaster or atrocity was not a judgment. In God’s unexplainable will, the disaster or atrocity was the means by which God calls the servant in Christ to heaven.
Jesus never says in today’s reading from Luke 13 that only the evil persons are casualties in a disaster or atrocity.
Yes, he does say that horrible events can be a judgment for unrepentant sinners, but he doesn’t say that only unrepentant sinners die in such calamities. In other words, there may be faithful and genuine persons who die in tragedies or brutalities.
God though is still fair. Those who trust in Christ are not condemned. They die but are not cast out. Just the opposite. They are embraced into His Kingdom.
Hence, this gives us hope when we have loved ones who lose their lives in crimes, accidents, or disasters. God is just and for the sake of the servant Jesus Christ who pleads for every fig tree, the faithful in Christ have a peaceful future. For them it is truly “tout est bien.” Everything is good.
Conclusion
The All Saints Day Earthquake in Lisbon in 1755 soured the spirits and minds of many Europeans. We pray that no earthquake, no terroristic attack, no traffic accident, or no medical condition will ever cause us to be surly and skeptical of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We trust in our good and all powerful Lord who takes no delight in the death of anyone but would rather give life to all through His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Majority Doesn't Always Rule
Majority Doesn’t Always Rule
Jeremiah 26: 8-15
Second Sunday in Lent
February 28, 2010
Like all or at least most of us here this morning, I firmly believe that democracy is the best form of government whether it be in running a nation, state, county, church, Lions Club or Cat Lovers Society. Faulty as it may be and considering all the alternatives, making decisions based on majority rule is the fairest and most effective way to get things done.
In general a majority of people in any proper sampling get it right most of the time. About 10 or maybe it’s been 15 years ago before or around the time of Survivor and definitely before American Idol anyway, there was a television show called “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.” In that show, if a contestant was stumped, he or had a lifeline. She or he could “Ask The Audience” or “Ask A Friend” for help. According to Yahoo, the audience was right 92% of the time. Ask a friend was right 66% of the time. Someone commented that the reason for the high accuracy rate for the audience was that contestants called upon the audiences in the early stages of the game when questions were less difficult. In any event the majority of people in the audience usually knew the answer.
Yes, I too agree that a majority of people can be relied upon. For many things I go along with the majority. Along with a majority of people whom I have spoken to, the Civil Defense was right yesterday in enforcing evacuations for the tsunami even though the tsunami was a tiny one. I go along with a majority of people who say that UFO alien sightings are a hoax.
Yet there are some matters where the majority are wrong, and in this morning’s Scripture lessons we read of instances where the majority was incorrect. Let’s focus if you will on the first reading from Jeremiah chapter 26.
Here’s a little background of this reading.
Setting
Jeremiah lived around 600 years before the birth of Christ. At the time of Jeremiah, the nation we today call Iraq dominated Israel. In 721 BC troops from northern Iraq called Assyria back then swooped down and conquered three fourths of Israel. A hundred yeas later troops from central Iraq called Babylon took over the final fourth of Israel still standing.
Jeremiah 26: 8-15
Second Sunday in Lent
February 28, 2010
Like all or at least most of us here this morning, I firmly believe that democracy is the best form of government whether it be in running a nation, state, county, church, Lions Club or Cat Lovers Society. Faulty as it may be and considering all the alternatives, making decisions based on majority rule is the fairest and most effective way to get things done.
In general a majority of people in any proper sampling get it right most of the time. About 10 or maybe it’s been 15 years ago before or around the time of Survivor and definitely before American Idol anyway, there was a television show called “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.” In that show, if a contestant was stumped, he or had a lifeline. She or he could “Ask The Audience” or “Ask A Friend” for help. According to Yahoo, the audience was right 92% of the time. Ask a friend was right 66% of the time. Someone commented that the reason for the high accuracy rate for the audience was that contestants called upon the audiences in the early stages of the game when questions were less difficult. In any event the majority of people in the audience usually knew the answer.
Yes, I too agree that a majority of people can be relied upon. For many things I go along with the majority. Along with a majority of people whom I have spoken to, the Civil Defense was right yesterday in enforcing evacuations for the tsunami even though the tsunami was a tiny one. I go along with a majority of people who say that UFO alien sightings are a hoax.
Yet there are some matters where the majority are wrong, and in this morning’s Scripture lessons we read of instances where the majority was incorrect. Let’s focus if you will on the first reading from Jeremiah chapter 26.
Here’s a little background of this reading.
Setting
Jeremiah lived around 600 years before the birth of Christ. At the time of Jeremiah, the nation we today call Iraq dominated Israel. In 721 BC troops from northern Iraq called Assyria back then swooped down and conquered three fourths of Israel. A hundred yeas later troops from central Iraq called Babylon took over the final fourth of Israel still standing.
The Big Catch - Not For A Touchdown, But Fish
The Big Catch
Luke 5: 1-11
5th Sunday after the Epiphany
February 7, 2010
Today is the biggest day of the year for two cities, New Orleans and Indianapolis. More huge than Mardi Gras or the Indy 500.
A colossal event took place, too, in today’s Scripture reading from Luke chapter 5. For a commercial fisherman named Peter, something more exciting than the Super Bowl took place in his life. He had a catch of fish that was probably record breaking for a boat his size.
Before we look at his miraculous catch, here is a little background of this event.
Setting
Jesus has been a full time rabbi for about a year. He hasn’t recruited many disciples yet. In fact, he at the time when Luke 5 takes place, Jesus only may have had Matthew on board. Others had still not fully made the commitment to give up all things in order to be a disciple of Jesus.
Jesus concentrates his work in Northern Israel especially in the region around the Sea of Galilee which is really a lake.
Lake Galilee is not as big as Lake Michigan or Lake Superior, but it’s not a pond either. It is eight miles wide east to west---from here to the Waikoloa Resort hotels on the shoreline and 13 miles long north to south—from here to Hapuna Beach.
Back in Jesus’ time, the Jewish historian Josephus wrote that the Lake of Galilee supported a thriving fishing business. Josephus recorded that there 230 fishing boats that worked the waters of Galilee. One of those boats was Simon Peter’s.
Lake Galilee has 23 varieties of fish of which the most sought after are the fresh water sardines and tilapia which looks like a bluegill.
We don’t know what kind of fish Simon Peter caught with Jesus on board, but there surely was a mess of them.
This then brings us to a few points from Luke 5.
Sometimes A Fishing Boat Is Not Just For Fishing
Please turn to Luke 5: 1 – 3.
“On one occcasion, while the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.”
Only Jesus could do this. A whole crowd of people are pushing in on him, and so he sees two boats, but instead of asking permission first to get into the boat, he jumps right on one of them, and then asks the owner Peter to take him a little offshore so that he can speak to the people without them stampeding over him.
Try that at Kona’s Honokahau Boat Harbor and see what kind of reaction you get. The probability that the captain or owner of the boat will throw you overboard is very high unless you knew the owner very well. In Jesus’ case, he was acquainted with Peter or Jesus was of course the Son of God and He knew Peter would oblige.
Either way Peter’s fishing boat becomes a speaker’s platform for Jesus. Christ doesn’t always create things out of thin air to do his work. He could, but he chooses rather to use “fishing boats” for purposes other than for fishing. He often uses what has already been created by Him. He is the ultimate recycler.
The lesson for us is that we may have a car for our own personal use, but Christ may jump into it one afternoon and say, “Drive this car to visit your friend who is going through a rough time.”
We may rent or own a house and one day Jesus pops in and says, “Invite one of your neighbors over. I want to have a talk with her or him, and you are going to be my spokesperson.”
We may have a cubicle or office at the place we work and one morning Jesus drops in and says, “Call over one of your fellow employees over here. He or she is under acute stress, and you need to talk to him or her.”
We all have “fishing boats” and don’t be surprised when Jesus jumps right in it and says put it out a little from land so I can do some work.
Work All Night With Nothing To Show
Please follow along with Luke 5: 4
“And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!”
Some of us can relate to Simon. We may have worked on our marriage for decades only to end up with nothing. We may have toiled for 40 years at our job only to be laid off. We may have labored for years in raising our children into adulthood only to see them wander away from the values we stand for.
Working all night and having nothing to show is a symptom of the human condition. Because sin has infiltrated every component of life, there are constant obstacles and interferences to overcome.
Jesus understood the frustration of not getting results. He worked for three and half years as a rabbi to teach the people of Israel the word of God and how he was the fulfillment of it. Many at first received his teaching with open hearts, but then most of his followers deserted him, including his own 12 disciples when he was died on the cross.
Yet He triumphed on Easter Sunday which gives us reason to have hope when all our efforts into our relationships, our jobs, or our health all seem to sum up to zero. Because Christ ultimately was victorious, there is at least one thing that we can be certain of and that is his love and everlasting blessings which begin right here on earth.
Faith To Do What Seems So Worthless
Please refer to Luke 5:5.
“And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing. But at your word I will let down the nets.”
Those who fish with nets in Lake Galilee say that the worst time to set your nets is in broad daylight when the nets are easily visible. The best time is on a moonless night when it is darkest.
Yet Jesus says to Simon Peter to set his net down in the brightness of the day. The likelihood of catching even one fish was next to impossible.
Simon Peter in faith obeys Christ’s command and behold a massive school of fish swim right into his net. There is more fish than Simon’s boat can handle and so he yells for James and John to bring their boat to help him. When they arrive and unload the fish, both of their boats begin sinking because of the poundage of fish.
A typical boat at that time was about 15 feet long. Maybe 15 adults in a small boat like that would cause the boat to sink. 15 times an average of 150 pounds equals 2,250 pounds. That’s about 1 ton. Two boats sinking. That’s one ton in each both. That’s a lot of Filet of Fish.
Sometimes God asks us to do things that seem worthless and unproductive such as saying good morning to a person at work who is trying to get us fired. Or helping the needy when we ourselves are in need. Or not giving up in praying for a friend who doesn’t believe in Jesus.
In situations like these we ask the Holy Spirit to grant us faith to respond as Peter did who said, “But at your word, I will let down the nets.”
When God Assigns Us A Task, He Gives Us The Resources
Please ponder upon Luke 5:11.
“And when they [Peter, James and John] had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.”
Peter, James and John retired from their fishing careers in glory. They left their nets and their boats holding probably the lake’s record for most fish caught in their boat size category.
A number of Bible scholars have noted that the money which Simon Peter, James and John made from their catch of around 2 tons of fish probably eased some of the financial obligations they had.
With money made from the catch. they may not have had to say to Jesus, “I’ve got a loan to pay on my boat. I’ve got some relatives who are going to need some adjustment time to get financial help since I won’t be fishing anymore.”
Some of us during this economic times are praying, “Lord, I want to share with others. I want to volunteer more. But I am stretched to the limit now.”
Be assured that if the Lord is assigning us to do specific tasks, he will provide the means. He did so for Peter, James and John.
The Great Catch Is A Signal
The amazing catch of fish that almost sunk two boats is just a hint of the great catch that is going on in the world today as Christians all over the world are being caught by the Holy Spirit and coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ. We ask that God would give us the excitement in being part of this catch as we carry out our chores in the lake that God has place us in.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Luke 5: 1-11
5th Sunday after the Epiphany
February 7, 2010
Today is the biggest day of the year for two cities, New Orleans and Indianapolis. More huge than Mardi Gras or the Indy 500.
A colossal event took place, too, in today’s Scripture reading from Luke chapter 5. For a commercial fisherman named Peter, something more exciting than the Super Bowl took place in his life. He had a catch of fish that was probably record breaking for a boat his size.
Before we look at his miraculous catch, here is a little background of this event.
Setting
Jesus has been a full time rabbi for about a year. He hasn’t recruited many disciples yet. In fact, he at the time when Luke 5 takes place, Jesus only may have had Matthew on board. Others had still not fully made the commitment to give up all things in order to be a disciple of Jesus.
Jesus concentrates his work in Northern Israel especially in the region around the Sea of Galilee which is really a lake.
Lake Galilee is not as big as Lake Michigan or Lake Superior, but it’s not a pond either. It is eight miles wide east to west---from here to the Waikoloa Resort hotels on the shoreline and 13 miles long north to south—from here to Hapuna Beach.
Back in Jesus’ time, the Jewish historian Josephus wrote that the Lake of Galilee supported a thriving fishing business. Josephus recorded that there 230 fishing boats that worked the waters of Galilee. One of those boats was Simon Peter’s.
Lake Galilee has 23 varieties of fish of which the most sought after are the fresh water sardines and tilapia which looks like a bluegill.
We don’t know what kind of fish Simon Peter caught with Jesus on board, but there surely was a mess of them.
This then brings us to a few points from Luke 5.
Sometimes A Fishing Boat Is Not Just For Fishing
Please turn to Luke 5: 1 – 3.
“On one occcasion, while the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.”
Only Jesus could do this. A whole crowd of people are pushing in on him, and so he sees two boats, but instead of asking permission first to get into the boat, he jumps right on one of them, and then asks the owner Peter to take him a little offshore so that he can speak to the people without them stampeding over him.
Try that at Kona’s Honokahau Boat Harbor and see what kind of reaction you get. The probability that the captain or owner of the boat will throw you overboard is very high unless you knew the owner very well. In Jesus’ case, he was acquainted with Peter or Jesus was of course the Son of God and He knew Peter would oblige.
Either way Peter’s fishing boat becomes a speaker’s platform for Jesus. Christ doesn’t always create things out of thin air to do his work. He could, but he chooses rather to use “fishing boats” for purposes other than for fishing. He often uses what has already been created by Him. He is the ultimate recycler.
The lesson for us is that we may have a car for our own personal use, but Christ may jump into it one afternoon and say, “Drive this car to visit your friend who is going through a rough time.”
We may rent or own a house and one day Jesus pops in and says, “Invite one of your neighbors over. I want to have a talk with her or him, and you are going to be my spokesperson.”
We may have a cubicle or office at the place we work and one morning Jesus drops in and says, “Call over one of your fellow employees over here. He or she is under acute stress, and you need to talk to him or her.”
We all have “fishing boats” and don’t be surprised when Jesus jumps right in it and says put it out a little from land so I can do some work.
Work All Night With Nothing To Show
Please follow along with Luke 5: 4
“And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!”
Some of us can relate to Simon. We may have worked on our marriage for decades only to end up with nothing. We may have toiled for 40 years at our job only to be laid off. We may have labored for years in raising our children into adulthood only to see them wander away from the values we stand for.
Working all night and having nothing to show is a symptom of the human condition. Because sin has infiltrated every component of life, there are constant obstacles and interferences to overcome.
Jesus understood the frustration of not getting results. He worked for three and half years as a rabbi to teach the people of Israel the word of God and how he was the fulfillment of it. Many at first received his teaching with open hearts, but then most of his followers deserted him, including his own 12 disciples when he was died on the cross.
Yet He triumphed on Easter Sunday which gives us reason to have hope when all our efforts into our relationships, our jobs, or our health all seem to sum up to zero. Because Christ ultimately was victorious, there is at least one thing that we can be certain of and that is his love and everlasting blessings which begin right here on earth.
Faith To Do What Seems So Worthless
Please refer to Luke 5:5.
“And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing. But at your word I will let down the nets.”
Those who fish with nets in Lake Galilee say that the worst time to set your nets is in broad daylight when the nets are easily visible. The best time is on a moonless night when it is darkest.
Yet Jesus says to Simon Peter to set his net down in the brightness of the day. The likelihood of catching even one fish was next to impossible.
Simon Peter in faith obeys Christ’s command and behold a massive school of fish swim right into his net. There is more fish than Simon’s boat can handle and so he yells for James and John to bring their boat to help him. When they arrive and unload the fish, both of their boats begin sinking because of the poundage of fish.
A typical boat at that time was about 15 feet long. Maybe 15 adults in a small boat like that would cause the boat to sink. 15 times an average of 150 pounds equals 2,250 pounds. That’s about 1 ton. Two boats sinking. That’s one ton in each both. That’s a lot of Filet of Fish.
Sometimes God asks us to do things that seem worthless and unproductive such as saying good morning to a person at work who is trying to get us fired. Or helping the needy when we ourselves are in need. Or not giving up in praying for a friend who doesn’t believe in Jesus.
In situations like these we ask the Holy Spirit to grant us faith to respond as Peter did who said, “But at your word, I will let down the nets.”
When God Assigns Us A Task, He Gives Us The Resources
Please ponder upon Luke 5:11.
“And when they [Peter, James and John] had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.”
Peter, James and John retired from their fishing careers in glory. They left their nets and their boats holding probably the lake’s record for most fish caught in their boat size category.
A number of Bible scholars have noted that the money which Simon Peter, James and John made from their catch of around 2 tons of fish probably eased some of the financial obligations they had.
With money made from the catch. they may not have had to say to Jesus, “I’ve got a loan to pay on my boat. I’ve got some relatives who are going to need some adjustment time to get financial help since I won’t be fishing anymore.”
Some of us during this economic times are praying, “Lord, I want to share with others. I want to volunteer more. But I am stretched to the limit now.”
Be assured that if the Lord is assigning us to do specific tasks, he will provide the means. He did so for Peter, James and John.
The Great Catch Is A Signal
The amazing catch of fish that almost sunk two boats is just a hint of the great catch that is going on in the world today as Christians all over the world are being caught by the Holy Spirit and coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ. We ask that God would give us the excitement in being part of this catch as we carry out our chores in the lake that God has place us in.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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