This is probably a very good weekend to talk about sin. Not about me personally mind you, but about our world!
What is going on? Things keep on happening…big things, newsworthy things…
If, I heard correctly another pipe bomb was found just today/yesterday…how many does that make? And they are still expecting to find even more!
Target opposition? If you do not like someone’s sentiments or rhetoric – blow them to kingdom come? Is that how we roll, today? Is that the “new” norm? Is that where we are “at?”
If you do not like the religious philosophy or practices of a religion, or their people, go ahead and shoot them up during their weekly religious services?
Anti-Democrat, Anti-Jewish, Anti-refugee…who else are we against? I am sure the list is long. Vigilantism is alive and well. Take matters into your own hands…
Is there anybody that we are “for”? Is there anybody we “like?”
I am sure you will agree these people are not “ok,” they are not “alright,” where is there help for them? Who is their advocate?
People are crossing lines that are not ok to cross. People are doing whatever. People are saying whatever. People are misguided into thinking they are doing good when they are really spreading all kinds of evil…
Be careful what you say, and who you say it to. Better yet, keep your thoughts to yourself! Just ask Megyn Kelly…American Journalist, political commentator and former corporate attorney!
I tell you, it is a wild and crazy time, in which to live…and it is obviously getting crazier. When will the pendulum swing back?
And what is up with all the car-jackings, street racing, and stolen vehicles evading police and recklessly crashing? Come on people, have some common sense!
Which leads me – very nicely – to a story that I just read this past week – buried in the back of a news post…?
A trauma surgeon was awakened after 1:00 in the morning about an in-coming patient that required immediate surgery. It was a critical case …and a team was quickly being assembled. Could the doctor get to the hospital ASAP.
He quickly dressed and flew into his car.
While waiting at a stop light, he was accosted by a man brandishing a handgun. The man was dirty and disshelved and obviously ment business. The doctor tried to explain the situation, but the handgun was pointed directly at his forehead…so he turned over his vehicle…and walked away…as his vehicle sped off…
After finally finding and hailing a late night cab he arrived at the Emergency Room much later than he had hoped to…
He scrubbed in and was ready to enter the OR arena when he was told the patient had just died on the operating table. There was nothing more that could be done. Could he please notify the next of kin waiting in the surgical waiting room…
There in the waiting room … he was confronted by the man – who had an hour before … held him at gunpoint.
Knowing the man probably still had the gun on his person he had to tell him that his son was dead.
Sin, I tell you is everywhere. It is not only without. It is within, as well. Thought, word and deed is what we regularly say, it is what we do, and what we fail to do.
Sin surrounds us. We are sinners without exception. We are not always nice. We are not always kind. And we are definitely not the people that God intends us to be.
We are works in progress…all of us, we have a ways to go. We are not there, yet! None of us. We have to keep on trying.
We can do better. We can do more.
There is one common thread that all human beings share – people of all tribes and nations, people of all races and tongues all suffer from this – we all fall. We all sin. We all fall short.
And I get it, I understand it, it is not popular to preach on, people do not want to hear it. They do not like to hear it, especially today. Yes, we all ready know it. But we need to hear it, again and again. We need to be reminded. Our attention span can be very short! There is that short-term memory thing going on.
We need to be saved. We cannot do it ourselves. Thanks be to God, who sent his son, to redeem, love, forgive and to save us. Lord knows we need him. Amen.