麻豆约拍

Good morning 鈥�

Fifty years ago today marks one of the darkest days in Welsh history. The Aberfan disaster, involving the collapse of a colliery spoil tip in the Welsh village of Aberfan, resulted in 40,000 cubic metres of debris covering the village in moments. Tragically 144 people lost their lives, 116 of those being school children.听 As a father of four children, all of whom attend Primary school, the thought is unbearable.

As we remember the pain of that day and the many lives lost, we are also acutely aware of horrific tragedies taking place all around. Hundreds of lives lost in Haiti as a result of Hurricane Matthew; the plight and suffering of the people in Aleppo, Syria, leave many of us angry, asking the question why? There are no easy answers.

I have found the Psalms to be a wonderful inspiration in learning to process and articulate pain, anger, fear and questioning before God.听 A 4th century theologian said, 鈥淢ost of Scripture speaks to us; the Psalms speak for us.鈥� The cries of despair, songs of lament, prayers of anguish allow us to voice our emotions before God. We may never understand why life journeys as it does, but we can find hope in a God who knows the pain of suffering. A God who doesn鈥檛 stand aloof and removed from our agony, but is ever present. A God before whom we can bring our tears, knowing that he too wept.

Lord we pray for all the families who suffered in the Aberfan disaster.听听 Comfort and strengthen them. Today as we think of our world we pray, Lord have mercy. Amen.听

听