Survivor

I don't watch the TV series "Survivor" and its "reality show" clones. There's something about voting folks off the island that grates on my nerves. I'm sure there are times when we'd like to have the power of such a vote to remove a troublesome or irritating colleague or neighbor or adversary. But the problem is, there are no doubt folks who would want to exercise that same vote in dealing with us!

But the whole concept of survivor has taken on new significance for me since the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Yesterday, two weeks after the quake, another woman was pulled from the rubble, still alive. Who could have imagined that possibility? We marveled when young children were rescued after many days under concrete and steel. We rejoiced when family members were reunited with a young man, and we couldn't believe it when an 84 year old woman was found alive. These instances of survival seem nothing short of miraculous, particularly since search and rescue efforts were formally discontinued days ago.

In that tragic land, the task of clearing away to build back is just beginning. It will be a test of survival on a massive scale. They must have help to do it.

The gospel is about new life, made possible in Christ. Life, in this sense, comes only from our relationship with him. This new life is not limited to our existence on earth, but extends to the reaches of eternity in the Presence of God. In Christ, we are more than survivors. We are heirs of the Kingdom of God.