by Dio Communications
The Questions We Ask
Reverend Stephen Black — September 17, 2023
In February 2011, Christchurch was struck by a string of severe earthquakes. Many of you can remember where you were and what you were doing. I was working on the waterfront in Wellington when we discovered what had happened. A couple of my team were from Christchurch, and almost all my wife's family lived there. It was a frantic time. Cell phone signals were limited, landlines were down, and the silence was deafening. Gradually, we discovered what had happened. It was devastating.
I had recently been ordained and was due to preach that Sunday. The Bible reading set aside for the day was: "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear." It seemed like a ridiculous task. Lives were lost. People were hungry and thirsty. Some had lost everything and only retained the clothes on their back. What was God saying?
At one level, it was a huge reality check, a giant opportunity to work through exactly what the priorities were. The kinds of questions that people asked changed instantly. They reflected the seriousness of the situation: "Do you know where your loved ones are? Do you have somewhere to stay? Do you have something to eat? Can we drink the water?" The questions addressed real priorities.
No one wondered whether they would have oat milk or soy in their latte.
In recent weeks, I have been working offsite and noticed many things, but one has stood out as especially significant: the questions people ask. On the first day, I overheard a discrete exchange between a teacher and a student: "Have you had breakfast? Do you have lunch?" The student said nothing and communicated everything. Within a few minutes, he had a parcel for which every subsequent teacher was grateful.
As you go through this day, I invite you to reflect on the questions that you ask. I pray that you can celebrate the luxuries you enjoy while giving thought to the difference you might make to those less fortunate. May we all find ourselves asking what difference we can make in the lives of others.
