Last Sunday as we worshipped here at Countryside, a most heinous act was taking place in a small town in Texas. A young man walked in and mercilessly shot and killed 26 people and wounded 20 more. Almost every person sitting in worship that morning was either killed or wounded and all in a small town (less than 1,000 people).
Churches used to be a place of safety. In fact, there have been multiple times in our nation’s history where people actually sought refuge in a church. Churches were a safe place but not so much anymore. Back in the Old Testament, synagogues were places where people could legally seek refuge. That has gradually changed over the centuries and today, it is illegal for churches to harbor criminals (although many churches will still do just that). The Catholic Church actually kept sanctuary rule as part of their Code on Canon Law until 1983. My question is simply this: what has happened to the morals of our society when one person walks into a church during Bible study or Sunday morning worship and opens fire on innocent people? Hate is a strong emotion and hate causes people to lose track of what is just and right and moral. We may never know the real reason for the senseless murders in Texas, but I can assure you of one thing – until the people of this great nation have a change in heart, things like this will continue to happen. We can place blame on guns but what about the man who rented a truck recently in New York City? Truth is if someone wants to kill lots of people, they will find a way! What then can we do, as individuals or as a church to get things straightened out? First, we can pray and in that prayer we should ask God to give us the courage to “go make disciples!” If we, as Christians could be as enthusiastic about telling the Jesus story to others as we are about, say cheering for our favorite college football or basketball team, could we change the world in which we live? Amen. Comments are closed.
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This blog consists of reflections written by the minister each week for the Sunday bulletin. We hope that you enjoy the musings! Archives
January 2020
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