Sermon to myself (re: Newtown, CT shooting)

[Once_Eagle-Always_Eagle]

There has been an abundance of talk after the unspeakable horror of what transpired in Newtown, CT on 12/14/12. Most of the talk since has been around solutions or blame. I've listened to various sources over the last 5 days and a non-exhaustive list of things I have heard includes:

 

Solutions:

We need to allow teachers to carry guns.

We need armed/trained security guards in schools.

We need to ban semi-automatic weapons.

We need to prohibit or greatly limit violent video games.

We need bullet proof glass/locks that would prevent a gunman from breaking in.

We need a better way to keep guns away from criminals.

We need a better way to help the mentally ill.

 

And blame...

It's the mother's fault because she didn't keep her guns locked.

It's the parent's fault because the trauma of divorce was too much.

It's the media's fault for giving 'fame and attention' to the murderer.

It's Hollywood's fault for glamorizing violence.

It's the government's fault for removing God from the schools.

It's God's judgment on Connecticut because they allowed gay marriage.

 

For the record, I find that last statement on judgment repugnant! Anyway, God didn't ask us to find solutions or to blame. He called us into relationships with others (more on this in a minute). Until then, there are some things I believe everyone can agree on regardless of your political or religious ideology. They include:

Families of those innocent murdered children and teachers need significant sympathy and consolation right now.

The young man involved was deeply troubled (to greatly understate it). To call his actions evil or say "Evil visited Newtown" was accurate. Regardless, the person that committed these unspeakable acts needed a different spirit than the one that controlled him.

During this Christmas season, peace, joy and hope was taken from Newtown. These three principles though are not limited to a period of time at the end of the calendar year. They must endure year-round and saturate our lives. They are needed by all people at all time.

Placing blame or assigning fault does nothing to bring the children back nor does it lessen the pain of those so filled with grief right now. Looking at preventative measures (more guns, locks and laws) fails to address the root cause. At best, they mitigate the impact of evil.

 

So what is my conclusion to all this?

As Christians, we know who has overcome this world. We know who has conquered death. We know who Him who will conquer evil. We know the true source of peace, joy, hope, compassion, sympathy and love. We know the healer that is able to quiet the anxious soul. We know the one that has authority and power over demons. Let's stop going day after day keeping this light 'hidden under a basket' or at best commiserating in our holy huddle. Let us unashamedly and with renewed vigor take our message to a world that has shown it needs answers. Let's take the message of the Gospel to a world that clearly needs Jesus.

(This message has been edited by once_eagle-always_eagle)

[Tampa Turtle]

Amen.

[packsaddle]

OEAE, Sadly, I too have heard some (Beavah's term is 'nutters') speaking that part about this being God's judgment on a sinful society. I shudder at the thought of Phelps and his followers showing up for some of the funerals, but it wouldn't surprise me.

[WAKWIB]

Very well said, Always Eagle!

 

[SSScout]

 

Thee speaks my mind, friend. If you have no objection, I will pass your thoughts on to some others .

 

Now, when do we get the Faith and Chaplaincy forum established?

[Tampa Turtle]

I 2nd Faith and Chaplaincy.

[qwazse]

OEAE, thanks. I always thought of Christmas as a bit of a dark time. Maybe that's because when I was a kid, I got the part of Herod in the Christmas pageant. Something got to me about a guy so powerless to get his hands on his usurper' that he clears a village of infants and toddlers.

 

The only reason the angels said "peace" was because most stories have them appearing before the witness dies. But I suppose that if ruin and destruction usually come before you, the best thing someone can hear from your lips is "good will toward men".

 

Maybe it's the same way with us. We take peace for granted, but we need to practice it. Our children need to learn how to let peace, not destruction, go before them. To do that there's a lot of lessons about grace and forgiveness and mercy that need to be ingrained in every mind. Without that, it's a miracle every day that destruction is avoided.

.

And maybe that's the point of Christmas.

 

Oh, and let's forget F&C. This thread is exactly where it needs to be.