Jesus in the Rubble 

Following the attack on the World Trade Centre on 11th September 2001 Frank Silecchia was one of the volunteers working his way through the wreckage hoping to find people still alive. As a construction worker he made his living making things, but in his search as he found forty-seven dead bodies, he was just trying to make sense of it all. Then he stumbled upon a symbol- a twenty-foot steel beam cross in a chamber created by the collapse of Tower One. The cross stood, independent of human help, upright in the chamber with numerous smaller crosses surrounding it lying on the floor. They later discovered that the beams of the large cross came from two different buildings, forged together in the fire. It stood as a symbol in the shards; a cross found in the crisis. At the time someone commented; “We asked, where is God in all this? The discovery of the cross dared us to hope that He was right in the middle of it all.”

Can the same be said about all our tragedies? Where is God when the storms of life crowd in on us? Matthew gives us the answer. The disciples had been alone in a storm on the Sea of Galilee for about nine hours. Had you been one of them you would have been forgiven for asking; “Where is Jesus, is God anywhere near?” From within the storm Jesus answers, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."(Matthew 14:27) Matthew discovered what everyone from Moses to Martha had found; that the living Christ is with us in all the storms of life. Frank Silecchia saw Jesus in the rubble, Matthew saw him in the waves and as we look closer, we too, will see him right in the middle of our current situations and circumstances. When the storms of life strike God is with us. At that moment, it’s what happens in you that will determine what happens to you. At the first sign of a storm, remain calm and maintain your trust and confidence in God’s ability to see you through it. Jesus bids us to trust in Him and find courage. It’s a gentle nudge reminding us that we are never alone, and His presence can render our fears powerless!

This month we will be starting our new preaching series as we look at different characters in the Bible and how they found courage by trusting God as they faced various challenges. The series will help each one of us to “take courage!” as we trust Jesus in all the circumstances we face!

Keith Saynor 1st March 2025.