Scripture: Habakkuk 2:1-3
I will stand at my watchpost, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint. Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.
Thought for the Day: I must confess to you that I’m tired and sick and angry and heartbroken about another mass killing in our community – six children and two adults. I can’t believe I am writing those words, yet as I do, the blogosphere has once again exploded with voices of utter nonsense who claim that one thing is the cause of it all. Well guess what, it is a complex problem and almost everything impacts it. And if you are tired of children dying just a few miles away from your home – or children dying in general because of gun violence – it is time for serious people to get serious. EVERYTHING must be on the table. Guns are part of the problem, and there is no way of suggesting otherwise. A culture that is obsessed with violence in movies and video games is part of the problem. A nearly nonexistent mental health system is part of the problem. An underfunded educational system is part of the problem. A social structure where children do not have good models and mentors is part of the problem. A spiritually empty society that places things above human life is part of the problem. A political system that is high on money and low on real problem-solving is part of the problem. Could I add more to the list? Of course, but I think I have made my point and ticked off half the population. Yet I am tired and sick and angry and heartbroken about another mass killing in our community. We are an educated and creative society that has dreamed big and found solutions to problems that seemed unsolvable.
I ask you to pray about what you are willing to put on the table, and more importantly, what needs to be put on the table. What are we willing to give up, change, modify, rethink or even sacrifice to dramatically reduce the number of people, specifically children, who are dying because of gun violence. As you can clearly see, I don’t pretend to have an answer. It is complicated, and for that reason, I don’t wish to derail real problem-solving by naively casting all blame on one entity or another. Let’s bring it all to the table — leaving only the consultants and pundits and lobbyists outside — so we can solve a serious problem.
Prayer: I stand at my watchpost feeling tired and sick and angry and heartbroken, yet I believe that you, O God, have a vision for how best to bring real peace to our communities. We wait for it, though impatiently, for we desire to see children doing what children were created to do – be children. Amen.
3 thoughts on “Ecclesiological Etchings: 08-10-15”
Bruce, I am in agreement with you about the feelings & events concerning your post today. It is a very complicated problem…easy to condemn, yet difficult to address from where I sit. The views about the educational system and underfunded mental health availability impacts all of us, whether we have children in school or have retired from it.
Amen!
Very powerful and well thought through.