Thought for Today
Psalm 17:4 As for what others do, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.
Proverbs 3:31 Do not envy the violent and do not choose any of their ways;
Micah 6:8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Matthew 11:12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
I never expected to have to endure a pandemic in my lifetime. My parents and grandparents lived through the Influenza pandemic of 1918. I foolishly thought ‘Never again!’
I never expected to have to endure the 1960s again during my lifetime. Once was more than enough . . . for many reasons. Several news commentators mentioned during the news coverage Saturday and Sunday the similarity between the political climates of the 1960s and of today.
Is violence an inherent aspect of human life? Should we accept the idea that for some, violence is an acceptable solution to disagreements? Irrespective of whether or not you agree with the political agenda of someone, violence is never an acceptable way to resolve the disagreement.
Recently we witnessed demonstrations and violence on many college campuses between supporters of the opposing sides in Gaza. Rather than civil dialogue, violent rhetoric and even occasional physical violence were presented as acceptable ‘proof’ of the righteousness of one’s beliefs.
Similarly, we have witnessed physically violent clashes at political rallies and demonstrations. On more than one occasion cars have been driven into crowds, gunfire has erupted.
Antisemitism is on the rise in our nation and elsewhere around the world. Some of the perpetrators even claim to be Christians, evidently forgetting that Jesus was a Jew, a Semite. Antisemitic Christian is an oxymoron and I question the intelligence and the faith of anyone claiming to be an antisemitic Christian.
If you are not shocked and deeply disturbed by the events of Saturday afternoon, you should be. Greta and I were watching the news coverage of the rally as the attempted assassination took place. I am still deeply troubled by what we witnessed.
How have we come to the state where anyone could truly believe that justice or righteousness can be achieved at the end of a rifle or pistol? How have we come to the state where anyone can believe it is acceptable human behavior to drive a car or truck into a crowd?
I am a Reformed Protestant Christian. I know the history of my faith and the violent conflicts that erupted between adherents of both sides during the Reformation. Christian fought Christian, sometimes even tortured and killed the faithful of the other side. I know that even in recent history, Christians have fought other Christians. During ‘The Troubles’ in Ireland, bombing school buses full of innocent children who happened to worship in the ‘wrong’ Christian church was considered an acceptable solution. How did we even sink so low?
And now, once again, someone has attempted to kill a President. Sadly, this was not the first attempt and regrettably may not be the last time. The President serves the entire population of the U.S.A. and represents the entire population. He (maybe someday she) is chosen by a majority of us and stands for and before us. As our current President so eloquently reminded us yesterday, in America we settle our political differences not with bullets but with votes.
There is no doubt in my mind that when Jesus said, “I am gentle and humble in heart,” he was not thinking about a rifle or a pistol. There is also no doubt in my mind that anyone who resorts to violence to settle any dispute will never “find rest for your souls.” We can and must do better! We can and must learn from our past.
Stay safe, be gentle and humble in heart, love God,
Pastor Ray