Boston: A Picture of the Church by Randy Robison

Believe it or not, the Boston Marathon bombing revealed a picture of what the church should be. Seconds after the explosions, emergency workers, medical personnel, and ordinary people rushed in to help those maimed by the blasts. Nobody asked the victims, “Are you Republican or Democrat? Are you straight or gay? Are you rich or poor? Do you have any unconfessed sin in your life?” No workers asked those around them, “Which medical school are you from? Are you really qualified to help?” (We saw the same thing again on Wednesday night, as volunteers and neighbors pulled together to help each other in the small Texas town of West.)

This should be the attitude of Christ’s church. We must help those in need. There are devastating “bombs” going off every day – divorce, illness, tragedy, and other damaging attacks. As God’s “triage” on earth, the church must rush to meet the needs of those emotionally and spiritually maimed by the enemy’s insidious devices. Those rendering aid on the streets of Boston did so immediately, unquestioningly, and purposely. They got people through the trauma of the attack so that they could get to the hospital. The same is true spiritually. Healing takes time, but the need to rescue is urgent. We must rush to those whose lives are in danger, then tend to them until they are healed.

The scene in Boston split into three basic groups: those who needed help, those who could help, and those who ran from the confusion. The death toll would have been far worse were it not for the preparation of the medical and emergency personnel on the ground. Granted, they expected more dehydrated runners than shrapnel victims, but they were ready and willing to help in any way needed.
  
As the church of Jesus Christ, we must be anxious to give the Gospel to those in need. Amidst the confusion of this world, we must not be caught up in the chaos. We must “be prepared in season and out of season,” as 2 Timothy 4:2 put it, with the urgent compassion of Christ. We know who the enemy is. We know his tactics and objectives. But we also know the Healer. We must rescue as many people as possible and carry them into His presence.