Thought for Today
Genesis 4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out to the field." And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him.
2 Samuel 11:1 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle
John 13:34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
John 15:9 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.
While we were away, our trees began to bud and many of our flowers are emerging from their winter slumber. We have daffodils already flowering. There are robins frolicking in our yard. We awoke this morning to a crisp (+29oF), clear day. Irrespective of whether or not it is meteorological spring or ‘officially’ spring, today promises to be a spring day.
Sadly, once we turned on the television news, I was reminded of those words above from 2 Samuel. Yesterday, in my closing paragraph, I wrote “Now, if we could just learn how to get along with each other. If humankind could work together, we might even find a way to cure the ‘common’ cold. Our vistas are almost without limit, other than our amazing capacity to disagree on even the most trivial issues.” Sadly, our capacity to disagree on all sorts of issues and events does seem limitless.
Even more sadly, humanity does not seem to have changed much since Genesis 4:8 other than our technologies of destruction. Presumably, Cain bashed Abel over the head with a rock or used some similar technique. We have advanced far beyond that today . . . although rock-bashings still do occur. We have advanced (?) to the point where battle is possible year around. Although the heroes of the Battle of the Bulge and the Siege of Bastogne suffered through one of Europe’s most bitter winters, the battles raged on. Our destructive capacities have advanced (?) greatly since WWII.
How sad that on a beautiful, clear day like today, our television news is dominated by stories centered on the war in Ukraine, the war in Gaza and the conflicts on our university campuses over those wars. Despite the horrors of the Holocaust and the lessons learned (?) by WWII, anti-Semitism is on the rise across the globe.
The U.S.A. is engulfed in political struggle and conflict. Even our Christian denominations are enmeshed in internal struggles over disagreements about doctrines. We pride ourselves on the separation of church and state . . . and yet some of the issues of conflict among us span across both church and state. Politicians shamelessly use religion as a tool to garner votes and church leaders line up in support of politicians on opposing sides.
I cannot help but wonder what Jesus makes of all this as he sits “at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,” remembering the rest of that line from the Apostles’ Creed, “from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.” When that judgment comes, will we be asked, “Which part of ‘love one another’ did you not understand?” Or, maybe, “How did what you did bear any resemblance to abiding in love?”
I do not totally despair. Greta and I just returned from a wonderful trip. We traveled with our son, daughter-in-law and grandson. I am comforted by a firm conviction that the next generation and the generation after that include intelligent, loving and caring people. We see in our own family, our children and grandchildren great hope for the future. Our eldest granddaughter is far away pursuing further studies focused on the environment and sustainability. Our 2 youngest grandchildren are completing high school and anxiously anticipating college. All 3 are emerging young adults, filled with the enthusiasm of youth and imbued with Christian faith and love.
It is far too beautiful a day to focus on war and conflict. There is far too much cause for hope and optimism that the next generations will continue the march toward the goal for which so many Christians regularly pray, the time when God’s will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We all just need to work a little harder toward our goal.
Stay safe, love one another, trust God,
Pastor Ray