I Have A Dream!

 

I've missed you, Brother Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. For many years I attended celebrations of your life with many faith communities but recently I've become disconnected and so have missed out on this most important part of our annual celebrations of American Life. Today I got back into the swing of the important things in life by attending a celebration of your life and purpose with others who have held you in their hearts as I have. The event was at the First United Methodist Church of Port Huron and a couple hundred like-minded Christian people gathered to remember you. Psalm 133 (which is one of my favorites) was read and the point was made that the Body of Christ is meant to be One and not disjointed. When one hurts, we all should hurt. When one has a celebration in life, we all should celebrate.

  

Psalm 133

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹ How good and pleasant it is
    when God’s people live together in unity!

² It is like precious oil poured on the head,
    running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
    down on the collar of his robe.
³ It is as if the dew of Hermon
    were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
    even life forevermore.

 

Jesus prayed that we would be one "even as He and the Father are One". I don't remember how many denominations Andrew Seppo said were present there this afternoon but there were a lot! A demonstration that we may be divided on specifics within our practice of religion but in the basics we are in agreement that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of the world and that He honors our gathering together for events like these.  I was truly blessed to be part of this celebration and am making a commitment to myself to participate more fully in the activities of Operation Transformation among the churches of St. Clair and Sanilac Counties. I'm going to try to drag myself to the weekly early morning prayer meetings and share the love of Jesus Christ with all that the Holy Spirit prompts me to.

Welcome 2023

 That's basically all that I have to say. 2022 was a difficult one; 3 surgeries, the passing into glory of several friends, alienation of church members due to theology and political stances and a myriad of petty things that tend to divert our focus from the important things in life. I am so grateful for the knowledge that God still loves me despite my failings. I'm also thankful for a wife who has stood by me through it all. I'm thankful for health insurance without which we would be in the poor house.

I am looking forward to this new year and discovering all of the things that our Creator has in store for me and for my family and churches. Great changes are on the horizon.

As my favorite Vulcan used to say, friends: Live long and prosper.

Watch for more activity here.

Pastor Don

CHRISTMAS IS OVER

 Unfortunately, that is the case for many of us. He came, we saw, commercialism conquered. Now let’s put Him away for another year.

I hate to sound jaded but that is basically all the celebration of the birth of the Christ-child is to many who claim to be followers of Him.Many people are worn out by all of the preparations they’ve felt necessary in order to have a “fulfilling” Christmas experience. But what about the day after Christmas? Are you going to be like Jesus’ mother and treasure all of these things in your heart? Or are you going to pack away the spiritual along with the temporal until next Yule season? If you are, you have missed out terribly in your observance of the Nativity. The entrance of the Son of God into our place in the universe was monumental and if we treat it as such, it can begin (or continue) a journey that should ultimately bring us to our knees as we arrive at the events of Good Friday and finally - the Resurrection of our Savior! Have you taken that journey yet? It’s so important that you do. For with the acknowledgement of the Incarnation, Sacrificial Death, and Resurrection, a place was reserved for you in heaven. All you have to do is invite Jesus to be #1 in your life and seek to do His will in all that remains for you to do in this life. Jesus said, “come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” After the hectic Christmas season, that’s what many of us are looking for - rest. Some actually take vacations leaving their homes to resorts, or cabins, or cottages (or even cruise ships in normal years). But unless we include God in our attempt at rest and relaxation, we will have just changed venues while retaining the burdens of the world in our hearts and minds. Make a conscious decision to take Him with you; and then, spend time with Him every day by engaging Him in His Word - the Bible - and getting to know Him better. God told Joshua, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Joshua 1:8) “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

I seldom know where I’m going to go when I begin one of these entries but this is where I felt God to lead me this morning. Greet Him in the morning when you arise, spend time with Him throughout the day - especially in the Bible - and thank Him at night for where He took you throughout the day and ask. His forgiveness for your failures.

Christmas may be over but the impact of it on your life doesn’t have to be.

VLogging +/- ?

I've been encouraged by a nephew to do a video blog on YouTube vs. this print blog which I've not done a very good job of keeping up (It's been over 2 years since my last entry. Which format do y'all feel would be more effective in expressing my thoughts?

I do a live Sunday worship service on our church FB page now and get pretty good attendance not only from current church members but previous church members as well as friends now, Does anyone feel that they would benefit from weekday video input during what I believe to be our last days? My scholarship as well as my thought processes are sometimes a bit sketchy but I would be happy to share them with you with a little more encouragement. Regardless of your responses, I will pick up on making regular entries here. May God bless each and every one of you and give him all of the glory.

FAREWELL,BROTHER - REV. BILLY GRAHAM

Just a quick thought this morning.

Billy Graham has gone to take his proper place with the Father. Can you imagine the reception from all of the saints who came to the Faith through his preaching? What an inspiration! Farewell.

SCHOOL SHOOTING

When I titled this sermon earlier in the week Peaks and Valleys, I intended that it would refer to the peaks and valleys that believers experience based on Noah, Peter, and Mark’s life experiences resulting from their interactions with God – either as the Creator or our Savior, I had no idea that the focus of Americans, and especially people of faith, would lead to question “why?” later in the week. Why is it possible for 17 lives to be snuffed out by an angry former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida? Why aren’t “assault weapons” forbidden to ordinary citizens? Why wasn’t “if you see something, say something” followed up in the case of students and faculty members in their response to Nikolas Cruz’s actions in society and on social media?

Many are prone to blame the gun that he used – an AR-15. The haters think that AR in the gun model’s name refers to assault rifle when the truth is that it refers to Armalite Rifle named after the company that developed the AR line of rifles in the 1950’s. Why does a citizen need a weapon used by the military? I respond simply with “the 2^nd Amendment” to the Constitution of the United States. If you want to have a deeper discussion about that subject, see me during the week.

Before we go on, if a madman wants to kill innocent children, he will find a way. Killers don’t need guns to kill people. Timothy McVeigh used fertilizer. 9-11 terrorists used box cutters and airplanes. The Nazis used cyanide gas. Taking guns from innocent people will not protect innocent people. The problem is not guns; it is a Godless society.

Back to the question of “why?”. 

I believe that the answer to why is “the Christian Church”. Edmund Burke once stated that The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. In the case of Nikolas Cruz, good men and women were warned but did nothing.

I’d like to amend Edmund Burke’s statement just a bit to say, The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for Christians to do nothing. How different might Nikolas Cruz’s life been if God were still allowed in schools? It has now been 55 years since prayer and religious instruction were banned from public schools. Just three years after the court decisions that threw God out of the schools, the first atrocity took place on the campus of the University of Texas. Like this past week, 17 souls lost their lives. In the 55 years since the decision to ban God, 197 people have lost their lives on High School and College campuses. Do you believe that the presence of firearms in our country is the reason for all of these killings? I don’t. I believe that the reason is the work of Satan which means the presence of evil in our schools.

AND IT’S OUR FAULT!!!

Yes, I believe that the Body of Christ’s failure to evangelize our world is ultimately the reason for our grief. The Gospel of Mark tells us that “¹⁵ [Jesus] said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

¹⁹ After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. ²⁰ Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Of course, we’re all familiar with the Matthew 28 instruction to “Go into all the world and make disciples”. 

How are we doing? I contend that we aren’t doing very well.

Do you remember the attack on our country on 9-11-2001? What did our churches look like for a few months after that? Many were filled to capacity for a while. And then …
Why? What were those people looking for when they showed up at our church doors? Comfort? Courage? Encouragement? Answers? Faith?

And how did the church respond? Did we provide what those hurting neighbors were looking for? Obviously not because they aren’t here anymore. They’ve decided to try it on their own because the church didn’t look any different than the other community clubs. 

We were delighted to welcome new faces into our sanctuaries but didn’t have a plan to keep them. One hour on Sunday morning once or twice a month isn’t enough for most non-believers to grasp the truth of the love that God holds out to each one of us that are willing to receive it. 

As hard as we try, 15 minutes of listening to a preacher expound on God’s love isn’t enough to keep most coming back EVERY week. It takes a change in our mindset as the Church. We need to take an interest in the people that enter these holy spaces every week. We need to get to know them. We need to find out their likes and dislikes. We need to pay attention. We need to love them. The Secret Sister is an example of how we should be treating everyone who walks through our doors – but not only secretly but also outwardly.

Nikolas Cruz was lost. Nikolas Cruz was hurting. Nikolas Cruz was angry. How different might he have turned out if the Christian community had noticed him and taken him under our wings? There are Nikolas Cruzes in our lives every day that we leave the comfort of our homes, folks. Anyone who reads the local news knows that there is a potential Nikolas Cruz in our elementary school right now.

How many have read that news of the disruptive student in the Sandusky Elementary school who was disorderly to the point of violence? Or the 2^nd grader who showed up with was suspected to be cocaine? Prior to 1963 people in the church might have gathered together to pray for these students, their teachers and their families. Often right on school property. Today prayer before school sports is being banned all over the country due to a claim that that sort of activity violates the supposed separation of church and state policies. 

I contend that this failure to impact our communities is because we are only the Church of Jesus Christ when we gather within these four walls. Once we exit these doors we become individuals who don’t look any different than the world that is dying without Jesus. It is our fault that God was expelled from school. It’s our fault because we didn’t speak up. It’s our fault because we allowed it to happen.

Joy Behar on the TV show The View declared that people like our Vice President, Mike Pence, are mentally ill if they believe that Jesus talks to them. What are we going to do about it? Will the cross imprinted on our foreheads this morning stand for anything or will it simply be another religious activity that bears no fruit?

¹⁸ Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

Is this what we want for Christ’s Church, folks?

Physical Exam Outcome

His doctor declared him physically and mentally capable of performing the duties of the office of President of the United States. Get over it!

Don't you find it at all curious that only the news outlets find him physically and mentally unable to hold the office of president. Never in the history of this country have so many people worked so hard to reverse the outcome of an election.

Politics From the Pulpit

I hope that I can communicate this clearly.

So I was informed yesterday that one of our church members no longer comes to worship and has stated that he will not be back until I'm gone. His stated reason is supposedly that politics don't belong in the pulpit. His absence started just before the 2016 elections so I suspect that there was something I said before the elections that gave him the excuse that he was looking for to stay away. I'll start by assuring everybody that I have never supported a political candidate nor a party from the pulpit. I have, however, emphasized the importance of exercising our responsibility as U. S. citizens to vote and to inform ourselves about the candidates and the issues.

"Politics don't belong in the pulpit"? I'm going to try to be as clear as I can without alienating any of my readers - if I do, I apologize in advance. It is my belief that most political issues are also religious issues; issues of morality. To me, they are two sides of the same coin. Some coins are legitimate and some are counterfeit. Some can only be spent out in the open marketplace and some should be spent only through the underground. The issues in my moral compass are: abortion and assisted suicide (both are murder and therefore against God's law in ALL instances); sexual orientation (again, it's addressed in God's Word); Constitutional issues (especially those contained in the Bill of Rights); illegal immigration (we have laws and avenues of entrance into this country); race relations (all men and women have been created in God's image and are worthy of respect); the right to work (no one should have to give up a portion of their paycheck in order to feed their family. I supported my family for 32 years on straight commission. The way that I got an increase in my pay was to work harder and sell more); health care (the government has no business in my life nor in how private industry transacts business). Have at it, folks! Yes, I believe that the church and its members should be involved in politics and be informed on political issues.

Welcome Back (to me.)

It's been so long since I last blogged here, I've probably lost all of my followers but I'll TRY to be more faithful in the future. Warning: I am extremely political and most of my writing will show that. So if you don't want to hear politics, you probably don't belong here.

I'll start out my thoughts today by confirming that I am delighted with the election of Mr. Trump as president of the United States (a little late on that declaration, aren't I?) and pray for him regularly. He may be rough around the edges and different from what we are accustomed to in this country but I believe that he is who we need at this time in our history. The Liberal Left is trying their darnedest to make him ineffective but he is no fool and continues to work around their efforts. Even if you're not happy with his election, there's nothing that you can do about it except wait for the 2020 election cycle and vote for your candidate. Resisting the GOP efforts at this point will only hurt our nation. Nothing was accomplished during the last eight years except to cause rifts in the fabric of this country and I hope to see better in the coming years.

Yesterday (January 14) was a wonderful day as I was invited to be the guest speaker at the Right to Life of Sanilac County Mini -March for Life. It was the best turnout that I can recall in the five years that I've been involved with RTLSC. What a blessing! I'm going to keep trying to figure out how to attach the audio of my message to this blog.

Keep in touch with me here and I'll try to be more faithful. Pray for me.

Bloodshed fills headlines, confronting public with anxiety

I simply don't know how to respond to the events of these past few weeks. With a truck used to slaughter 84 people in Nice, France; the assassination of 5 police officers in Dallas, the assassination of three more police officers in Baton Rouge; apparently senseless shooting of a man ( Philando Castile) during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights, MN; another supposed armed citizen (Alton Sterling) outside of a convenience store in Baton Rouge; the slaughter of 49 people in a night club in Orlando; an attempted military coup of the Turkish government in which nearly 200 people died; in America alone over 3000 unborn children are slaughtered in the womb every day. Our world seems to be exploding and it is so difficult to remember that God really is in charge at a time when evil is everywhere. I don't know how to pray. I don't know what to preach. What I do know is that God has selected me (like so many others) for such a time as this. I'm reminded of God's instruction from Paul's letter to the church at Philippi: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

That is our recourse, Christian friends; prayer. Notice that Paul says that if we will resort to prayer in those anxious moments, we will experience peace.“Peace is not the absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition of benevolence, confidence, justice.” Baruch Spinoza (a Dutch philosopher of the 17th century)

Turn to your Bible to see what God has to say to you and then pray with all your heart that God will heal not only our land but also the faithful lands across the world. "... if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

Won't you pray with me? "

Our Father who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us of our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil. 

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory,

for ever.

Amen

 

 

THE WAY THAT LEADS TO PEACE

I have struggled in my thoughts and in my prayers for a response to the outrage that has and is taken/taking place in Syria and the appropriate words just wouldn't come to me. My bishop's response pretty much sums up the results of my own reflection so I would like to share Bishop Kiesey's response with my followers:

Take the way that leads to peace

Dear Friends,
Once again my heart is breaking as I have watched with horror and sadness the reports and pictures coming out of Syria. As I have seen the rows of the dead – men, women, and children – I hear the words of Jesus saying, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)

And I admit that my first reaction – a very human, emotional, and understandable reaction – is one of retaliation.

How else can we make it clear that this kind of incredible violence against some of the most innocent among us is wrong and cannot be tolerated? How else can we stop this kind of senseless killing?

And then I remember other words of Jesus which say, “You have heard that it was said, ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’. But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” (Matthew 5:38-39)

And I realize, once again, how Jesus’ message still turns the wisdom of the world upside down. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, seems to make sense. You took from me, and now I take from you. And yet, Jesus understood that a world where retaliation and revenge are the norm, can only breed more violence – more retaliation – more hatred – and more brokenness. And the cycle of killing and violence continues.

So – once again – I have been forced to dig deeply into my own faith and beliefs, and to consider how I must live out the words of Christ in a world that constantly pushes me to do otherwise.

And my faith tells me this: violence cannot be the answer. Christ came to this world as the Prince of Peace. I am not wise enough, nor politically savvy enough, nor educated enough to know exactly what the answer will be, but I do know that there must be another way. A way that leads to peace. A way that brings us closer to the vision of a world at one, as we read in Ephesians:

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace. ... So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” (Ephesians 2:13-14a, 19)

So friends, as Christians and as followers of the Prince of Peace, let us do all we can to be peacemakers – in our lives, in our communities, and in our world.
Let us pray constantly and deeply:
For the people of Syria, whose loved ones have been killed or injured, and whose lives are most deeply affected by this time of violence;
For the leaders of our nation, and nations across the world, that their wisdom will guide us to a better future and a world at peace;
For our families and loved ones who put their lives in harm’s way everyday, as they defend us and do their part to keep our world safe;
That the vision of a world where there are no more dividing lines – no more strangers – no more “us and them” – might become a reality.
In the words of the Gospel of John - the 14th chapter:
"Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you."

May it be so, dear Lord – may it be so.

With you in the Work of Christ –

Bishop Deb

The Sadness of Oklahoma Is the Burden of All Americans

  

 

This could happen to any of us in the Midwest but it didn't. It happened in the small town of  Moore, Oklahoma.

Moore, Oklahoma (CNN) -- Kids screamed for their parents and parents hollered their children's names, walking and searching in panic in the parking lot of Briarwood Elementary in Moore, Oklahoma. The tornado that wrecked their town had just left. The sky behind them was still dark. Rain fell in a light mist.

"Caleb! Caleb!" one woman could be heard screaming, as another woman, bloody-faced, walked zombie-like through the crowd, holding a young boy's hand.

"Step over the wire!" someone shouted. Adults and children zig-zagged past each other. One man went to a little boy standing alone whose face was just then cracking into a full-out cry. The man put his arm around the kid and they both looked out into the chaotic parking lot, both apparently searching for the boy's parents.

One mother who spotted her son sitting with his teacher on a curb, gently grabbed the boy's hands and stood him up and then leaned her whole body over him, hugging him. She cried and then laughed and cupped his face.

The teacher said, "He was so brave!"

The mother then embraced the teacher. "Thank you," she wept, "thank you."

How are we to respond to such tragedy as we watch it unfold before our eyes on the TV screen as if it is another program to distract and amuse? Do we consider how we can help financially with a gift to an organization like United Methodist Commission on Relief (UMCOR) where we know that the dollars will go where they are intended? Do we pray for God to come along side these poor people and fill their hearts with His love and compassion at a time when they are undoubtedly asking "why"? Do we know of an organization that we could join up with and travel out to Oklahoma and use our talents to help them rebuild? Do we look around and see what we have been blessed with and acknowledge that all of it could be gone in an instant just like Moore, OK? Are we ready to let go of our worldly possessions and turn them over to the One who made it possible to have them? Or do our "things" possess us? 

This would be a good time to consider our own state of being; both physical and spiritual and make sure that we are ready if a similar occurrence were to happen in our lives. Let's use this tragic event to wake us up to the reality of our transitory existence in this world and prepare for the life which will be eternal.

SANDY HOOKS ELEMENTARY SLAUGHTER

As we continue to anticipate the coming of the Christ-child during this Advent season, we are forced to pause in our joyful anticipation and compelled to reflect on the anticipation that 20 families in Newtown, CT. experienced 6 and 7 years ago. For them, their anticipation of their boy children and girl children has become bitter sweet as they deal with the act of a madman in the Sandy Hooks Elementary School who took the lives of 20 6 & 7 year olds – 8 boys and 12 girls as well as 6 of their teachers.

The event raises many questions for us as we try to deal with the reality of this tragedy and consider the vulnerability of our own children and grandchildren. - our neighbors’ children and our nieces and nephews, and grand nieces and nephews.

How can people of faith deal with such tragedy? How can a loving God allow such a thing to happen? What can be done to prevent a recurrence in the future? How can people without faith deal with such tragedy?

I have to confess to my own feeling of inadequacy due to the pain that I am feeling myself but I can try to bring some sense of hope into the conversation.

I would like to begin by quoting the words of our own bishop Debra Kiesey:

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  - John 1:5 

This upcoming Friday marks the Winter Solstice, the moment in the northern hemisphere when we experience the longest day of darkness during the year.  For many of us, Friday, December 14, will instead feel like the darkest day of 2012.  It was on this quiet Friday morning, in a quaint town in Connecticut, that a young man wearing combat gear and armed with multiple weapons walked into an elementary school and took the lives of 20 little children and six adults who cared for them.

For the loved ones of those killed in Newtown, Conn., we struggle to find ways to express our deep collective grief and anguish over this senseless loss of innocent life.   We mourn the loss of all these Children of God whose promising futures ended so abruptly.  We mourn the loss of innocence and feelings of security in our communities.  We mourn the loss of feelings of joy, celebration and goodwill in this Advent season, overshadowed by a dark event.   

For the victims and all those impacted by this tragedy in Newtown, we pray that God surrounds and comforts them as they try to cope with such incomprehensible loss.  We also pray for the young man that was responsible for creating this pain on Friday.  Help us understand how he could commit such a senseless act to deal with his own personal darkness.

In times of grief, we are reminded that darkness is no match for light.  As the 1677 hymn “Christ is the World’s Light” proclaims, “Christ is the world’s light, Christ and none other; born in our darkness, he became our brother. No one can serve him and despise another. Who else unites us, one in God the Father?”

For, I am reminded that as people of light, we are drawn to follow the illumination given freely to us in the form of a savior born over 2,000 years ago.  The promise of a new life, free from sin.  The promise of unconditional love and forgiveness.   The promise of a light that can shatter any darkness.  

Today, we pray that the light of Jesus Christ reaches the hurting people of Newtown and the hearts of all of us who need to feel God’s love.

Blessings,

Bishop Deborah Lieder-Kiesey"

“For, I am reminded that as people of light, we are drawn to follow the illumination given freely to us in the form of a savior born over 2,000 years ago.  The promise of a new life, free from sin.  The promise of unconditional love and forgiveness.   The promise of a light that can shatter any darkness.”

Those words of encouragement must uphold each one of us who grieve over the senseless loss of these dear ones.

And hear these words from Scripture:

He heals the brokenhearted
    and binds up their wounds.

⁴ He determines the number of the stars
    and calls them each by name. Psalm 147

We can believe that on Friday, December 14, 2012 God welcomed 27 new stars into His heaven and called them each by name. He also grieved over the loss of one whom He loved; who chose eternal separation from Him: Adam Lanza – a troubled young man who on Friday began by killing his own mother before moving on to the children and their teachers.

¹ God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging. Psalm 46

Many have asked, “Where was God when this happened?” He was in the same place that He always is; as He declared, “I will put my sanctuary among them forever. ²⁷ My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. ²⁸ Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.”

He is here! Now and forever! Even though He is banned from our schools by men, He is there because He is God. He sees what goes on and He grieves with and for us. But He will not interfere because He gave us a free will to do good and to do evil. Many choose to do evil and we all suffer from their choices even as we suffer from the choices of Adam and Eve to disobey God in Paradise. He does intercede in some miraculous way in some instances – like teacher Victoria Soto who protected her first graders from Adam Lanza and paid for it with her life but directed him in another direction before he killed her.

What can be done to prevent further tragedies like the Sandy Hooks Elementary massacre? I have a suggestion, also from Scripture. We prayed it many times during the political process in our country. “…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

I think that we all recognize that we who are known by the Name of His Son are His people. I believe that we have prayed – perhaps even humbled ourselves (in service and love of neighbor) but have we yet turned from our wicked ways?

Have we put an end to the slaughter of the unborn in our land? Do we still tolerate sin in whatever way it presents itself – denominational exclusionism and pride, judgment of those who worship differently than us, do we let our children stay home from church because “it’s too much hassle” to make them come with us, or do we drop them off at church and then pick them up afterward thereby giving no example of the importance of regular community worship, do we teach them to tithe from an early age, do we keep our mouths shut when God’s Name is used in vain, do we avoid the Sacraments?

Perhaps you’ve never thought of the above or similar activities as sin. We should be guided by Jesus’ brother, James’, warning when he said, “Anyone, [then,] who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” James 4:17

How do those who have no faith deal with such tragedies? I don’t know! Because “…without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Amen.

Post Script: I can't help wondering how many of those dear souls would still be with us if teachers and administrators had had the option to arm themselves and defeat the evil that visited Sandy Hooks Elementary. Unarmed citizens are like ducks on a pond to individuals intent on evil.