And we don't know either. Why has a five-month-old baby with his life before him been crushed by a falling ceiling? Why are our screens and newspapers filled with pictures of sand and rubble and water?
In January at West we spent some time with Habakkuk, who lived in similarly desperate times, and in June this year we're going to spend a month with Job, an innocent man who lost everything, and whose friends were worse than useless in helping him make sense of tragedy. So I hope that there will be room for all of our questions this year at West, and we can help each other make sense of being human in this fragile world.
In the meantime, there are things we do know. We know that God in Jesus lived, suffered and died alongside us and understands our tears and confusion. And we know that God in Jesus Christ has opened up hope for us and for Christchurch, that this tragedy is not the last word.
May it be so for Christchurch, for Japan, and for each of us.