Saved in the midst of Chaos

Imagine Disneyland with the crowds, but none of the joy.

This last Sunday, along with 54 people, I got to visit the holiest place in the world. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre where Jesus was crucified.

You would think that a place like this would be peaceful & prayerful, but it was far from it.

It was chaotic and it was difficult to find peace.

We woke up early to line up to see the tomb of Jesus and to touch the spot where Jesus was crucified.

Other groups were rushing us to keep moving even though we couldn’t move anymore.

Our pilgrimage coordinator was called many bad names including one that starts with a “b.”

She did her best to be patient while keeping other groups from cutting in line.

Problems began to escalate when two people cut the line to go see the tomb of Jesus. The priest in charge of the place kept telling these people to leave & go to the line but they refused. Eventually the priest had to call security to escort these two people out.

In the midst of this craziness I said a prayer to God to help me see this chaos in another way.

I heard God say “I came into this world, in the midst of chaos, to die in this chaos for you.”

I was reminded that Jesus came into this chaotic world and died in this chaos.

Jesus did not die in peace, but he died in the midst of chaos & craziness.

It was easy to focus on the craziness in all the noise and fighting. God was reminding me to focus on what was important. Jesus died for us in this craziness.

I grew in deep appreciation for what Jesus did for all of us.

I was reminded that I am not called to run away from the chaotic world, but to enter into it with the hope that Jesus died to save us from this messy world.

I suspect that because each of us are human we all face some type of chaos. That could be fighting within your family. Sudden deaths. Terrible suffering. Hopelessness. Anxiety. Addiction.

Do not be afraid of the chaos, whatever it may be, because we have a God who understands our human condition & he has died for us.

Jesus came into our mess to save us from our mess. Keep moving forward with God.

I love this verse from Romans 8:35:

“What will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?

In all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor present things, nor future things,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Pray for me and I will pray for you.