Ancient Job Relevant to Loss Today?

On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy took the lives of nearly 150 people and destroyed or damaged 650,000 homes in and around New York City and New Jersey. So, preoccupied with our own grief and loss today, what relevance would the ancient story of Job have? In December last year, in fact, professional actors used Job to stimulate interaction around the anniversary of Hurricane Sandy.

Zach Grenier from The Good Wife and 24 assumed the lead role of Job, with Kathryn Erbe of Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and David Strathairn of The Bourne Ultimatum and Lincoln assisting. The actors gave a 30 minute reading, then invited members of the audience, many of whom were first responders, to join the discussion relating their experience to the poem of Job.

Actors_Read_Biblical_Book_of_Job_to_Commemorate_Sandy_Devastation_-_Red_Hook_-_DNAinfo_com_New_York-2

“Job is a righteous and upstanding human being who, in the span of a few hours, loses everything,” said Bryan Doerries, artistic director of Outside the Wire (http://www.outsidethewirellc.com/), a social impact theater group, who staged the performance. The company performed “Job” in several communities impacted by Sandy, including Far Rockaway, Massapequa, and Staten Island.

Ancient Job may be more relevant to us than we think.

Have you experienced the loss of someone dear? Have you endured a natural disaster? How did you survive? When did you last read Job’s story? In what ways does your experience relate to his? What questions would you ask him?

[Source: Nikhita Venugopal, 12/9/13 DNAinfo.com/newyork/       Photo: Outside the Wire.com]

About Grose

Gordon Grose loves most to write, speak, and preach on the message of hope from the book of Job. Using drama, video, and PowerPoint, he has preached and presented this message of hope to churches around the country. Grose pastored three congregations 25 years, then served 12 years as a pastoral counselor in a Portland, Oregon counseling clinic. He now serves with Good Samaritan Counseling Services, Beaverton, OR. A graduate of Wheaton College (IL), Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Brandeis University, and Boston University, he comes from a rich and varied background in theological and counseling training. In 2015, Gordon published Tragedy Transformed: How Job's Recovery Can Provide Hope For Yours, a book about turning to Job for hope after tragedy. If you have experienced life challenges or personal tragedy, visit his Transforming Tragedy (gordongrose.com) blog to learn more. TragedyTransformed.com provides a sample of Gordon's speaking as well as an opportunity to purchase copies of his book.
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