Shock. Horror. Madness. Evil. Grief. Heartbreaking. Just some of the words heard in the past few days to describe the massacre that took place in Orlando, Florida.
What made the reporting even more chilling was the use of social media. We now have images that were recorded by mobile devices. Texts and tweets were sent out giving us a closer glimpse of the gruesome events that were happening.
Within hours political leaders expressed their positions about the evil that occurred. The Globe and Mail reported Prime Minister Trudeau stating that hate attacks “cannot be tolerated”. From the White House President Obama opened with these words, “Today, as Americans, we grieve the brutal murder -- a horrific massacre -- of dozens of innocent people. We pray for their families, who are grasping for answers with broken hearts.”
Time captured Hillary Clinton’s phrase, “Weapons of war have no place on our streets.” Trump tweeted on Sunday, “Because our leaders are weak, I said this was going to happen - and it is only going to get worse.”
At play are so many narratives and perspectives in regards to this tragedy:
- An act of terror inspired by ISIS.
- The LGBTQ community is still not safe.
- Gun control is out of control in the United States.
- Mental illness, untreated, leads to acts of violence.
- General public feels scared and a loss of control.
- The connections between religion and violence.
- What of the family system in relationship to this deeply troubled young man?
- The bravery of the first responders and people who acted heroically.
How do Christians respond to all of this? It is imperative that we speak and act with hope, compassion and courage.
When people do not have hope they will do desperate things. In Jesus’ day the world was harsh, terrifying and cruel. But in Jesus’ famous prayer (Matthew 6:9 -13), he speaks to His Father about God’s kingdom coming and God’s will being done here on earth as it is heaven. As we lean into Christ‘s promise of God’s coming kingdom that restores the world... we live in hope.
Tim Dearborn in his book, Beyond Duty: A Passion for Christ, A Heart for Mission, describes kingdom hope in these terms:
If the task of producing hope sits on our shoulders, we will feel the constricting band of our own inadequacy and finitude stifling us. But if we recognize that God is the producer of hope and we are but assistants in hope’s birth, we can breathe again. We are not paralyzed. We can become joyous participants in that hope being born into people's lives.
We also live out Christ’s call of compassion. People are in pain. We weep with those who weep. In Luke 6 Jesus describes compassion in the following ways: We love our enemies. We pray for them. We turn the other cheek.
Now is the time for us to walk the second mile with deeds of justice, love without an agenda and miraculous signs of supernatural power. Let us show mercy by helping the poor, the weak, the fatherless regardless of race or creed.
At times like these the gravity of fear exerts a strong pull.
It is so easy to retreat in the face of evil.
Lastly, the way of Jesus call us to be courageous. At times like these the gravity of fear exerts a strong pull. It is so easy to retreat in the face of evil. God hates evil and so must we. (Amos 5:15) Karl Vaters in his article, 5 Dumb Things Christians Must Stop Saying When Evil Strikes, makes this observation: And don’t spout any nonsense about evil balancing out the good. Evil balances nothing. It keeps everything off balance. That’s why God hates it.
When evil strikes,
the greatest act of courage for people
who identify as Christians is to love like Jesus.
When evil strikes, the greatest act of courage for people who identify as Christians is to love like Jesus. This may sound simple but I believe it requires much wisdom, grace and prayer. In these days of uncertainty may others know we are Christians by our love.
