Riverside/Benoni Bulletin - 02-24-08

"Where were you when. . .?"

Where were you when some of the stupendous events of this present age took place? Where were you when on "D-day" in 1939? The British prime minister solemnly announced on "wireless" that Germany had rejected the ultimatum to withdraw from Poland so a global conflict was in the offing. Where were you when the hara-kiri-driven Japanese pilots flew a deadly sortie that briefly incapacitated the powerful American naval force in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1941? That act of infamy hurtled America into the heart of the conflagration. Where were you during the tension-provoking Cuban missile crisis in 1962? Where were you when the first men gathered moon-dust on our nearest planet? Where were you when that relic of the "Iron Curtain" philosophy--the notorious Berlin Wall came down? Where were you when one of the most famous landmarks in the world, the Twin Towers in New York City, was reduced to rubble in 2001? The catastrophic events of our century have been mind-boggling, haven't they? And some of our number can still remember what they were doing or where they were when those historic events came down.

Where were you when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in that fatal Dallas motorcade in 1963? Some new information has just been released that hints at a conspiracy theory once again.  It was November 22--the day before our daughter Lisa's sixth birthday. We were conducting an evangelistic campaign along with twelve American Christian College students in Dar-es-Salaam. "Dar" was a densely populated city 500 miles east of our Bible training school--the Tanganyika Bible School. (President Bush has been in this city this very week). Donna and our ladies were meticulously planning the mid-day meal for the "multitude." The young American College students had gone into the city early that morning to cash some traveler's checks. We were anticipating their return around noon. Before ten, we heard the familiar roar of the Jeep engines--they were back. Why? Was this a public holiday that we had missed?

They came racing through the door like an angry bull elephant was pursuing them. The wild look in their eyes anticipated their incredible story. It was hard to learn what had happened. They all talked at once. "Everything in the city is closed." "Flags are flying at half-staff." "The banks are closed--we couldn't cash our checks." Then the fateful news came out--"President Kennedy was shot in Dallas today." There was chaos in the living room of the cottage we had rented for the campaign. Everyone was speaking at once. Questions, speculations, anticipations added to the cacophony until finally everyone lapsed into a chair and an eerie silence settled over the room. Maybe someone day, Donna will tell you what she said to break the silence, but for now it will remain classified!! As Maurice Chevalier once said, "Ah, yes, I remember it well!"

The question in the title of this article was once posed by God. "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? . . .Who marked off its dimensions . . .while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?"  Job 38:4-7. Shortly after man's creation, God returned to Eden to fellowship with Adam and Eve. He found that they had fallen. The guilt-ridden couple had hidden themselves from His immediate gaze. God called out, "Where are you?" Genesis 3:9. They sheepishly presented themselves, but they presented more excuses than explanations. After Cain killed his brother Abel, God came seeking the whereabouts of the slain victim, "Where is your brother Abel?" Genesis 4:9. Cain tried to avoid the question with an evasive question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" He should have asked, "Lord, where were you when I murdered him?" The first question is rhetorical. The second is a matter of accountability. The third is a matter of confrontation. 

Where were you when Jesus died? Who represented you at the foot of the cross? Would you have been found among the Jews who wanted him dead? Would you have been among the Romans who mindlessly complied with their wishes? Would you have been numbered among those who betrayed him (like Judas) or denied him (like Peter)? Would you have melted into the shadows like his cowardly band of apostles? Would you have been among the courageous women, who could not be frightened away? Where would you have been?  Where would I have been? Your actions today are tell-tale signs of  how you would have acted then. Betrayal, denial and desertion are still in vogue today unfortunately. But your choice and mine decides our place among the characters of history. We can stand among those with hearts courageous. . Then one day, when someone asks, "Where were you when. . .?" the answer will not embarrass you or me. Let's stand together for the cause of the Lord. Evangelize! Invite! Stand ready to answer His call!

Love you all,

Al --"The Horne of Africa"

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