The
heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can
understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind,
to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”
Jeremiah 17:9-10
Some of the pain is wearing off. The pain of what happened in Newtown, Connecticut
is turning over to a bit of resigned detachment. At least for me. I can’t imagine the pain that families in
Newtown are experiencing; so because I can’t imagine it, I have become, not
unconcerned, but resigned to the situation I guess.
For all my friends that are so passionate, well, good for
you. If you feel tightened gun laws will
make things better, go for it. There was a time when I would have quickly
joined you in the effort. On the other hand, if you feel that relaxed gun laws
are the ticket, that the thought that someone might be packing is going to be a
deterrent, well, go for it. I understand
that it works well in the right situation.
There are statistics that back up that point of view.
I’m not a gun owner, but I have no passion for any legal
or political debate or action following the atrocity in Connecticut. Because all of the debate misses the
point. Humanity, at its core is
damaged. Yep, we are damaged goods. Always have been and nothing has
changed. Don’t believe me? I ran into an article yesterday afternoon
that talked about the worst U.S. school massacre ever. Nope, didn’t happen Friday; didn’t happen in
last 10 or 20 or 50 years. It took place
way back in 1927 when a man bombed a school killing 45 including 38 children.
I’ll include a link to wiki article below.
The point is the problem is…people. We are damaged goods. Jeremiah knew it way back when… He writes, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
Then he adds, “I the Lord
search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man
according to his conduct, according to what his deeds
deserve.”
That my friends, is a frightening thought. If the Lord only knew what was on my heart
sometimes… Well, the problem, he does
know what is on my heart. All the time. That is why Jesus could say things like, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not
murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But
I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject
to judgment.” (visit Matthew 5:21-22)
Jesus knew what we are like…deep in our hearts.
But ultimately Jesus was about grace. And that is why we so need Jesus today. As I told my congregation on Sunday, such
acts of violence cannot be rationally explained or theologically
dismissed. But the need for the grace is
stronger than ever and Jesus is the answer.
If ever there has been a time for Jesus, it is now.
Grace for me for being numb. Grace for all of us for
having ‘deceitful hearts.’ Grace for
thinking that the answer lies in changing politics and laws. Grace, because
Jesus is the way through all this. He is
the one who can, not just forgive hearts, but change them also. The answer for our hearts is Jesus. Always has been. Nothing has changed.
Thank God.
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