These Are The Consequences

It’s now 1:24 am… and I can’t sleep.

Yesterday was a horrific day. You probably heard about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a very popular and polarizing young conservative activist. And of course, in our day and age, it was caught on camera and will most undoubtedly show up in your feed. You also probably heard about another school shooting in Colorado on the same day.

All of this comes on the heels of a week that also saw a viral video of a Ukrainian refugee stabbed to death on a train in North Carolina… and yet another school shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis. And that’s just the violent viral headlines in the US of the past few days. However, we all know that violence is happening all over the world at any given time.

And yet on Sunday, we preached that God is good. Now, that’s a pretty audacious claim in light of everything. Why in the world did a good God (1) create a place for us to live that left the back door open for evil to creep in and (2) allow it to spread and grow?

My honest answer right now is… I have no idea. I don’t know why God allows this. But I do know I am not innocent of contributing to it. Maybe you see a world, like me, where our selfish, sinful, prideful, fearful, rage-filled, uncompassionate hearts and actions have consequences.

It’s time we own it.

It’s time to stop, reflect, pray, mourn, seek forgiveness, lay down our swords (or guns), and with whatever amount of faith we have left in a good God, trust that He can change us and make a way through this.

A lot of people on both sides of our politics right now are thankfully, and rightfully, condemning violence… especially the murder of Charlie Kirk. But it cannot be ignored that we’ve all contributed to the violently charged culture that led us here.

Sure, we say we don’t want something evil to happen, but how dare we be surprised when our hateful and divisive treatment of each other has caused that same evil thing? Frankly, I think we’re ok with contributing to an attention economy where rage is currency, dismissing ideas and identities of others without listening to their story is standard, and removing what is uncomfortable from our lives is happening at the expense of human souls. We thought it would be safer to pick the winning side and look where it’s led us.

These are the consequences of our actions.

So is God good? He better be… because it doesn’t seem like we are.

If there is hope then, it is in trusting that God did not leave us to be consumed by our sin. God tells us He is not distant… His Spirit is near, constantly healing what we’ve broken, and saving us from ourselves. I have to believe that - sometimes I feel it’s all I have left.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:38-48…

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

So yes, it is good to condemn violence… but it is better to love your enemies. Please don’t end this week saying you condemn violence with one side of your mouth and speak evil and unloving things out the other side. It’s not “good.”

And if we can do that, then maybe God is good. Because He has saved us from ourselves.