What in the World is Going On?

5/18/22 Glenda Simpkins Hoffman

Like so many, I was devastated to learn of yet another mass shooting on Saturday, this time in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.  Then on Sunday, there was another shooting at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California, as a Taiwanese Christian church gathered for a lunch after services. So many dead. So many injured. So many grieving the loss of loved ones. So many in these communities now suffering trauma due to racism, hate, and violence. What in the world is going on?  

The war in Ukraine continues. There is so much destruction, devastation, and death. So many grieving. So many separated from their loves one. So many now living as refugees in other countries. So much physical, emotional, and spiritual trauma that will linger for generations to come. What in the world is going on?  

 And it’s not only Ukraine that suffers. The people of Russia are as well. Sweden and Finland, neutral counties for so long, are now looking to join NATO because this war heightens their own sense of threat and vulnerability of their own borders. Many other nations are at risk as this war hampers food distribution from this breadbasket of the world. I am mindful of this as I daily pray The Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.” What in the world is going on? 

There are still other areas in the world that are of great concern. The situation in Afghanistan is still dire as people there live in fear and without enough food and other needed resources. There are so many suffering in places like Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Haiti—just to name a few. What is the world is going on?  

The idiom “What in the world is going on?” has come to mind many times in the last year.  

The question and concern has led to a lot of prayer for the world, people in particular places of concern, world leaders (including those in our own country), and for the problems of hatred, racism, and violence. The truth is I don’t know “what in the world is going on.” But I am grateful that I know the one who does.  

This week in our study of The Apostles’ Creed, we are exploring the phrase “I believe in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord.” This phrase makes clear that Jesus is God, the second person of the Trinity with a unique relationship with the Father. We will hear more about this on Sunday.  

I write about it today because with all that is happening in the world, it is good to remember that “Jesus is Lord.” A lord is someone with authority, control, or power over others. To say that someone is “lord” is to consider that person a master or ruler of some kind. In Jesus’ day, the word lord was often used as a title of respect toward earthly authorities. 

When the phrase is applied to Jesus, it reaffirms that he is the God who is in control of all things. He is “our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 1:4). As Jesus himself proclaims in Matthew 28:18, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Jesus is in fact the “King of kings and Lord of lords” as “Hallelujah Chorus” from The Messiah proclaims (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14).   

The Letter of 1 Peter was written to a suffering church in the first century, but it contains good words for us to today: “ But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect. Maintain a good conscience so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil.  For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:14-18). 

I thank God for our mission partners in Ukraine who are in the midst of suffering. They are taking this moment to proclaim the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ in word and deed to those in need. The same is true of our mission partners in Haiti, Bulgaria, and other places. The Lord Jesus uses his people to continue his ministry to bring help and hope to those around them.  

We may not be in a war zone, but we too are surrounded by hurting people who need to experience the love, grace, mercy, and kindness of our Lord Jesus. Are we sanctifying Christ as Lord in our hearts? Are we ready to make a defense to anyone who asks us to give an account of the hope that is in us? 

I am in awe of the courage of Dr. John Cheng who tackled the gunman in the California church allowing other parishioners to subdue him and tie him up with extension cords. He literally followed the example of our Lord Jesus by laying down his life to protect his friends. He is certainly a modern-day hero. Most of us won’t face that kind of situation, but we can speak the truth in love in difficult and uncomfortable conversations as we reflect the love, light, and goodness of the Lord Jesus. 

In saying, “Jesus is Lord,” we commit ourselves to obey him. Jesus asked, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:45). To confess Jesus is Lord with our mouth is to submit to his authority in lives. As God, he absolutely knows what is best (because he’s the smartest person who has ever lived). As Lord, he has every right to tell us what to do. But we are not left to do this on our own. The only way we come to this understanding and willingness to submit to Jesus is clear: “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). 

This is the truth, whether or not people acknowledge the fact. Jesus is not only the Savior and the Messiah (or king), Jesus is the Lord of all. Philippians 2:9-11 makes clear that someday all will submit to that truth: “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  

While we may not understand all that is going on in this crazy, broken, sinful world, what we know is that Jesus is the risen and reigning Lord. Whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, let’s believe, proclaim, and live the truth: Jesus is Lord!