Love and Hate

1 John 4:7-21
Like many of you, I’ve been reading news reports about the bombing in Boston on April 15, 2013. While the news is tragic and heartbreaking, I have been disappointed as well by comments left on various websites concerning the role of religion or politics in the event, even though no suspect or motive have been identified. As people of faith, we must take seriously the charges being leveled against us: that we are led to violence by our God; that our faith is one of hate and vengeance which––as one writer claimed––has overseen far more deaths than were caused by Hitler and Stalin combined; that were there no religions the world would be a better place. We need to hear these words not as truth, but as assumptions too often based on the acts of those who claim they believe in the God of Jesus Christ.

And when we have heard these words, we need to read from our epistle lesson for today: “We love because [God] first loved us. Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also” (1 John 4:19-21). Granted, to some these are just words on a page which is why we must learn to share God’s love unambiguously and without qualification. We must let the world know, to the best of our abilities, that God is love and that it is because of God that we are capable of showing love for one another even in the face of greatest evil.

One glimmer of hope to appear in the midst of yesterday’s turmoil is the renewed use of a quote from Fred Rogers, a man of faith who dedicated his life to enriching the lives of children. His mother’s advice to “look for the helpers” in scary times has resonated with many. You can find the original video of this quote at:

http://pbskids.org/rogers/parentsteachers/special/scarynews.html?guid=5dcfab82-485d-40e4-b398-6a8ed4eae64e

Rogers is not claiming that all helpers are people of faith, simply that there are always those who will show compassion in times of distress. Our job, as Christians, is to make sure that we are among the helpers, those who renounce acts of violence to embrace ministries of hope and reconciliation. This may not lead others to share our faith, but it will serve the will of a loving God and will help to push back the darkness of evil with the light of life.

Prayer: Lord, we pray for all those who are victims of violence and ask your peace to be upon all people this day, in Boston and around the world, so that all may enjoy your gift of abundant life, now and forever. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Sin Is Always a God Thing

Psalm 51

Today we learn of the horrific events that took place in Aurora, Colorado over night. The shock and anger that we feel in the wake of such violence leads naturally to questions about faith and the reality of God. While some questions cannot be dealt with easily, scripture offers comfort and insight at all times. One of the morning psalms for today makes a profound point: “Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight…” (Psalm 51:4). To believe in the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ is to accept God’s presence in our midst. The psalmist suggests that all sin is committed against God; when we wrong a neighbor or a stranger, when we damage our covenant relationships with others, when we fail to meet our obligations, when we disregard the needs of the poor or the hungry, in every case we are acting against God whose presence in the world makes God a target of all unrighteousness.

This puts God squarely on the side of the afflicted: with the friend who has been cheated, with the loved one who now faces a lack of trust, with those who needed our love and support but did not receive it, with those to whom we offered no care or compassion. But this means that God is also there in the midst of the gunfire, and in the loss of innocence, and in the death of loved ones, and in the chaos of a world that sometimes seems beyond hope. God is with us, so close in fact that God alone becomes the focus of our sinfulness even as God becomes a source of strength and hope.

Most of us will never commit such acts of violence as have taken place in Colorado (or Bulgaria, or Syria, or elsewhere), but we all sin and fall short of God’s will in a variety of ways. The good news is that God is steadfast in love and patience. Far from leaving us on our own to suffer, God stands with us in the hour of need. And now is one of those hours. Lord be with us!

Prayer: Lord God, be a comfort to those who suffer this day and especially those who have encountered violence firsthand, wherever they may be. For it is in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen.