Thought for Today
Isaiah 11:9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
Jeremiah 31:33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the LORD," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
I still cannot shake my concerns expressed yesterday about our descent into a stark darkness of violence . . . and this morning’s newspaper headlines and the lead stories on the television newscasts are not providing me any surcease. Both of the recent mass shootings are still prominently being featured. Here in New England and possibly elsewhere, the conviction of Brian Walshe is still frontpage news. Violence upon violence.
Much of the attention remains on gun violence. I heard a newscaster last night comment that Australia has some of the most restrictive gun regulations in the world. Yet, evidently the guns used in this recent terrorist attack were legally purchased and owned. I believe the issue of gun ownership and regulation is separate from my greater concern. I am still horrified by the angry and violent rhetoric I see daily in the news, by the glorification of anger and violence in all entertainment venues and even in politics.
I asked yesterday, “Is violence always wrong?” Obviously, there are issues and occasions which demand an angry response. I do not understand how any Christian can see the evidence of any of God’s children going hungry or without shelter and clothing and not be angry. I do not understand how any Christian can see the evidence of antisemitism, racism, war mongering and all of the other evils in our world and not be angry.
I am particularly disturbed by what I have read and heard about the Brian Walshe trial. It is unimaginable to me that anyone, upon finding his or her spouse dead, would conceive of the idea of butchering and disposing of the body. I try to eschew ever saying that were I confronted with the unimaginable, I would react in a certain way. Experience has taught me that I can only reliably testify on how I have reacted to the various experiences in my own life. As a Christian, I can only hope that my first reaction, upon finding Greta unresponsive, would be to dial 911. I pray that I would have at least that much presence of mind. But to first do an internet search of how to dispose of a body is just unthinkable.
I’m not sure who or what is to blame for our current state of affairs. We see and hear various ‘experts’ pontificating that this idea or that practice is to blame. Television first became commonplace in my youth. I remember hearing a lot of discussion about its potential use for mass communication and for education. Even the earliest children’s programming I remember had a strong learning content. That is no longer the case.
Is television to blame for all the violence? Video games? Social media? Is it like that last choice on all of the multiple-choice exams I took, ‘d. all of the above?’ I do believe that our societies are in the midst of a paradigm shift in the use of technology. We are struggling with not only the use of technology, the inclusion of advanced technology in consumer products, but also the impact of all that technology on our societies.
In my youth there were numerous social organizations available which helped stabilize our society. We had a social framework of groups like the Masons, Elks, and others. Our youth had the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, the Rainbow Girls, the Campfire Girls. And, all ages had the Church. Not all were Christian. I lived in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood and many of my friends were Jewish. We all understood the differences in our faiths; as children, we did not care.
Technology has changed much of all our social network. People today have numerous ‘friends,’ none of whom they have ever met in person. Every organization I remember from my youth has declining membership. Even Sunday morning is no longer a sacred time; the youth soccer fields are more crowded than the churches.
The vision of the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah seem far distant. But, we are in Advent. We are in the season of anticipation for the arrival of the Son of God into our world. This Advent, let’s pray that we all remember God’s command, "Mark 9:7 This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!"
Stay safe, listen to the Son, trust God,
Pastor Ray