PR for God?

It's been a challenging two weeks. Chris' sudden and unexpected death has dominated most of my awake hours...and a few of the others.

I really liked him.

He was my friend.

That doesn't always follow when you're a pastor. (Sorry for the shock that might be for some.) He used to phone me up and ask how I was doing. He prayed for me on the phone. He lent me gardening tools and was gracious when I broke his chainsaw. Come to think of it I still have his petrol strimmer in my garage....

And then there are the questions....and I have so many questions. I say that even as a convinced Calvinist who gets excited, comforted and challenged by stuff like unconditional election and irresistible grace. I say that too as one who doesn't think God owes him anything and certainly not explanations. But I do wonder where he was when Chris most needed him.

I wonder too how to speak about the wonderful God we worship, the Jesus who can meet our deepest needs etc etc, to men and women who at the best of times consider the whole thing to be a load of old nonsense for themselves ("but if it works for you.....oh......it didn't work for you....".) Not easy.

I've felt, wrongly I know, but I have felt like God's PR guy in this, a kind of Max Clifford, who's got to spin the story of how God fell asleep on the job. I guess I'm feeling it becasue the Chris thing has come hard on the heels of a few other issues around the place that have made Jesus and his sufficiency look, well, sub-optimal to say the least.

I don't need to justify God but I sure as heck would like Him to present himself a bit better.