Dear First Pres,
Lord, have mercy. Words just simply can’t describe the heinous and horrific gun violence that has unfolded in our nation over the last two weeks. On May 14, an 18-year-old male pulled into a grocery store parking lot in a mostly African-American neighborhood and opened fire on Black customers and employees. He killed ten people and wounded three others. It was a monstrous act. Then, on Tuesday, May 24, just 10 days later, another 18-year-old male, shot his grandmother in the face and then drove to Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. He exchanged gunfire with three armed officers before barricading himself in a 4th grade classroom and massacring 19 students and 2 teachers while also wounding 4 others. It’s hard to even imagine this kind of evil.
I hate to even describe these tragedies, but it’s important for us not to become desensitized to them. These, of course, were only the incidents that got the most news. These were not the only incidents of violence in our country, much less our world.
How do we make sense of such acts of evil and hatred? Well, in one sense, we don’t. This is not the way it’s supposed to be. But, in another sense, when we look to the Scriptures, this kind of violence shows up as early as the fourth chapter of Genesis. Cain was angry that Yahweh had looked favorably on Abel’s offering and not on his own. Genesis 4:8, “Now Cain said to his brother, Abel, ‘Let’s go out to the field.’ And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.” As soon as humanity rejected God’s authority (Genesis 3), we turned to violence against one another. It’s tragic. It’s real, and it remains.
But in the Kingdom of God, initiated on earth by the incarnation of God the Son, this kind of violence is swallowed up by Resurrection victory. Speaking of the last days, Micah 4:3 says, “[Yahweh] will judge between many people and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” When the Kingdom of God comes on earth like it is in heaven, nations like Russia will no longer attack their neighbors. What good news! Isaiah, speaking about the ultimate redemption of the Lord, says, “No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise” (Isaiah 60:18). Hallelujah! And, finally, in the penultimate chapter of the Bible, John records, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). When the Kingdom of God comes in fullness all violence is abolished. And so we pray, “Come Jesus, come.”
And, as followers of Christ, this is why we work to minimize all forms of violence and its devastating effects in our city, country and world – the violence of war, domestic violence, ethnic violence, gun violence, violence against the unborn, violence against the poor and vulnerable, violence in our schools, violence in our workplaces, and any other form of violence.
Of course, we’ll disagree, even as Christ followers, about the best strategies to engage for that purpose. We won’t always agree about policies or laws. But we can be united in our conviction and commitment and hope to see more and more in Fresno as it is in heaven.
So, as the debates rage in our public and private sectors, may we, as the Christ followers of First Presbyterian Church Fresno, also be careful that our debate does not advance the violence we’re trying to abolish. May we, instead, be united in the vision and mission that God has given us in Christ, for His glory.
Blessings,
Pastor Jeremy
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