My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26

Over the weekend there was another tragic shooting at a gay nightclub.  Five people were killed.  Five human beings were killed.  Five people made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-28) were killed.

It does not matter what your thoughts about human sexuality are, it does not matter your religious beliefs or political stance on these things.  Humans should not kill other humans because of who they are.

If you are a person from the Judeo-Christian faith, God has spoken about this Exodus 20:13: “You shall not murder.”

On Friday, a friend of my daughter texted her.  The school was in lockdown because someone who should not have been on campus entered the school.  This is after a bomb threat a few days before and a threat of violence that caused the cancellation of a football game a few weeks ago.

There have been 46 school shootings resulting in injury or death this year alone.

There have been far too many violent events in our nation this year.

Again, God has said something about this:

Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you. Proverbs 3:29

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34

I could go through the scriptures and quote more, I could go through the holy writings of other world religions as well.  Bottom line, this is nuts.  We need to pray for our nation and world, we need to pray and work towards the end of violence.  It cannot be a partisan political fight, rather a time for all who believe in peace to stand together. 

This is too important.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.