A Time To Mourn…
Matthew 1:18 – “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and
great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be
comforted, because they were no more.”
(Taken from Matthew’s story of the events surrounding the birth of Christ.)
It’s Christmas time… we should we celebrating the joy of the
season. We should be talking of peace
and goodwill. We should be thinking of
Christmas pageants, mistletoe, and eggnog.
But instead, today we think of pain, tragedy, death, and evil.
This morning, children at the Sandy Hook Elementary School
in Newton, Connecticut should have been thinking about Christmas plays, the
holidays, and presents under the tree.
Instead, they were forced to think about the sound of a gun, a crazed
gunman, and diving under their desks for survival. By the end of the madness, 27 people lost
their lives… 18 of them children, mostly kindergarteners. It is a tragedy of unthinkable
proportions. For families across that
community, Christmas will no longer proclaim a time of peace, joy, and
gladness, but instead, horror, pain, and unending grief. It is such a perversion of what Christmas
should be about. It is a reminder that
evil is still very real in the world in which we live. How much we still need the Prince of Peace to
come.
I’m not sure that any of us can make sense of today’s
events. The shooting was a tragic,
senseless, and horrific act. It hurts
the human soul and boggles the mind. Like
Rachel, we weep and refuse to be comforted, “for our children are no more.” Let us pray for those families. Let us pray for our families. Let us pray for the day when evil will
finally be defeated and peace will reign.
