Responding to the Reality of Evil

This past Friday our nation was struck again by the reality of evil. This time the evil was directed primarily at innocent and precious little children. This tragedy is heartbreaking, and we mourn with our fellow Americans in Newtown, Connecticut. This is the time to weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15b). This is not the time for spiritual platitudes. We must feel this as a people, taking comfort from the shortest but perhaps most telling words that describe our Savior's response to death: "Jesus wept" (John 11:35).

The reality that Friday's massacre reminds us of is that this world is broken, not right, unjust, and in disrepair. Our own hearts and consciences testify that there should be another way and that this is not the way the world should be. Why is that? Because intuitively we know there is a standard of goodness and justice that ought to rule the world but does not ... at this time in history.

2000 years ago another town (Bethlehem) grieved the loss of innocents when King Herod ordered the slaughter of all boys under the age of 2 in an attempt to destroy the Christ Child (see Matthew 2:16-18). Despite the evil that occurred that day, Herod failed to destroy Christ and the hope He brought to the world. 33 years later that Child, now a Man, was Himself murdered unjustly. He did not escape the reality of evil either. Then 3 days later, He rose from the dead to demonstrate that justice can and will prevail, goodness can and will win, and death does not have the final say. The words to the third verse of "Joy to the World" offer a timely reminder:

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

The curse manifested itself once again in Newtown, Connecticut as it has all over the world and all throughout history. And so we mourn and we cry. But "as far the curse is found," the hope and joy of Christ prevails. This is why we ARE the church, this is why we must BE the church, this is why we must LIVE the reality of a hope that evil cannot take away ... so that people will ask us the REASON for the HOPE that we have (I Peter 3:15).

In deep hurt and hope,

Matt