Thoughts on the Newtown Connecticut Shooting

When I heard about the horrific tragedy in Newtown Connecticut this morning I instantly observed the great darkness and evil in this world and began to mourn for the children, teachers, families, and everyone connected to the shooting. To be sure, this was a huge evil. The shooter committed a horrendously despicable crime. To be sure, the loss is severe and heart-wrenchingly abominable. Below are my initial thoughts taken from my twitter feed.

• In a world of child murders #wearewaiting for the Prince of Peace who will show us how to be reconciled to one another.

• Many will rejoice in 1 man's death in an effort to overcome the pain of 26 others dying at his hands. I pray mercy on him, a sinner like me.

• We must speak the ugly truth about sinners but never lose compassion for them otherwise we forget our own salvation.

• I pray that men and women turn they eyes and place their hope upon Jesus and not more weapons. Only one truly saves and it's not what kills.

• What kills is not what saves. Any saving it seems to do is temporary and compromised. Satan comes to kill and destroy, let's not copy him.

• We need a Saviour to lead us into shalom/peace. #wearewaiting. We seek the child who will redeem us and replace our violence with patience.

• I want just punishment for the criminal while also wanting their freedom from imprisonment to guilt and slavery to sin.

• I'm horrified. I'm not surprised. More than anything I am hopeful because I see a coming judgment, resurrection, and refining of all things.

• The moment we choose to ignore the killer in mourning is the moment we choose the same master he did by embracing hate & pushing aside love.

• God never frees us from forgiving others but instead frees us TO forgive all others. Because we are forgiven we can/must forgive.

• Where is God in all of this? He is in the chaos, bringing new creation, rebuilding what our sin has torn down. He is in the mourning hearts.

I think it is incredibly important for us to mourn with those who mourn,. It's important to be troubled by the evil. It's important to be in awe of the tragedy, of the crime, of the sickness of the man who committed the atrocious acts. It's important to desire true justice.

Many of these things naturally come to us. We very easily gasp at the evil and scratch our heads at the sickness. It's not too difficult for any of us to want this wrong to be made right somehow.

What is truly difficult is forgiveness, patience, hope, and love for the enemy. To be good to those who do evil, even after their death, is difficult.

I don't want to give too much time and attention to the evildoer and make it seem as though he deserves any negative consequences or reactions, because that's simply ridiculous, but I do want be a voice that calls us to do what's easy in love and also what is hard in love. 

I want us to be a people who mourn the loss of innocent lives and the pain it caused. I also want us to be a people who mourn the lost opportunity for a sick and deceived sinner to find reconciliation with God and humanity (and the devastation of his evil acts in the process).

We are called to be a people of reconciliation. We are called to be perfect in love and forgiveness like our Father who "...makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45b). We must learn forgiveness "for if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matthew 6:14-15).

Therefore, as we mourn the terrible losses of today's tragedy, let us seek to mourn perfectly and fully, remembering the great tragedy that sin and evil's darkness is heavily upon this world and ruining us all and we all need to be saved from it and to lead one another into the love of Christ (as we find it) which rescues every single sinner and victim, making them brothers and sisters in harmony where pain is no more. 

Revelation 21:3-5: "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.' And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' Also he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'"

In this season of Advent, we can very easily see how good the news is that God has come to dwell with us through Jesus Christ and that this prophecy is in the process of becoming the full reality for all creation.  As it is not yet full, so we are waiting...

Let's live in hope for what is to come and remind one another of that hope so that we may find our way to healing. May God shed his peace on us all, especially those who suffer this day. May he grant us the grace to love well as we seek to heal the hurting and move forward into a better tomorrow. May we allow his Spirit to lead the way.