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March 29, 2023

Monday’s shooting and killing of 3 children and 3 adults at the Covenant School in Nashville, TN is terrifying and evil. Shootings are commonplace, but they are not normal. Like a soldier who is regularly exposed to the horrors of war, familiarity with shootings comes at a great cost to us. In our church, we have teachers, principals and many students. We all tremble at the possibility that this could be one of our own. One of the children killed was the 9-year-old daughter of the pastor. I find it difficult to even write this or about it. My heart is torn and my mind is very distracted. A good prayer to pray is: Even so come, Lord Jesus!

But this I know. When Satan entered Judas Iscariot (John 13.27), Judas was an agent of evil, hell bent on destroying the One Satan hated. In this sense, nothing has changed. Satan hates God with an intensity that we cannot grasp. Satan cannot destroy God, so he attempts to hurt, maim or kill everything and everyone that God loves. This killer was like Satan (and Judas). She was full of evil and if she could have, she would have fired her guns at God. Unable to do that, she went after those whom God loves.

There are times in this life when evil seems to get the upper hand, when violence seems to be our terminal diagnosis and grief our insufferable symptom. Like the witnesses who watched Christ died, we can’t make sense of it all and find it hard to go about our day since we are in a fog. But, evil, murder and death have an expiration date. One day, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21.4) One day we will see, we will sing, will shout, we will love, we will embrace, we will relax, but not yet.

Beloved, our brothers and sisters in Nashville are not okay. We are not okay. I cannot promise you safety and health in this world. No, in this world you will have tribulation (John 16.33). But (Jesus said) take heart, I have overcome the world. Then he rose again from the dead to help us understand the power of that promise. You know what this means? It will be okay. The former things will pass away. Let us pray for our brothers and sisters. This evil has done too much already. Let us guard our hearts that we not lose sight of what matters.

This coming Sunday, Maundy Thursday night and Good Friday night I will be preaching a series of messages from John’s gospel as part of our Resurrection Season Focus. Our Thursday evening service will be in the Gathering Space (7p) and will be a lot of scripture reading, singing, praying, and a message. The Good Friday service will have more of that, but with the choir, orchestra and communion. I pray that these gatherings will be fruitful. In the past couple of days, the need for Christ is painfully evident.

Grace and peace,

Bob

Sunday’s Text: John 12.1-8

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