One Real Answer

 Good morning and welcome.

 As I write this on Wednesday afternoon, at least three are dead and many more are injured in a shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Evidently, from what we know as of this writing, a gunman opened fire on a mass being held at the school.  He apparently fired through windows indiscriminately at children and adults who were attending the mass.  He then killed himself.

I’m saying at the outset of this thought that I don’t know the answers.  I don’t even know the questions to ask.  I don’t know if there are any real answers…other than, perhaps, one.  And we’ll get to that a little later in the video.

And I also want you to understand that this kind of thing is absolutely horrid…an affront to the very fiber of society…and an act that dehumanizes us all…deprives us all of the dignity and respect that should naturally come with the fact that we are human.

There are obvious socio-political factors involved here.  Mental health care and services, the breakdown of the family unit, poverty, laws that govern gun ownership, involuntary commitment laws, and a host of other social, legal, and political factors & issues all play into the responses to these kinds of assaults on society.  Sometimes the partisan rhetoric drowns out any attempt to make any substantial changes that may lessen the incidence of these kinds of tragedies, because we all have our soap boxes.  And we obviously believe OUR soap box is the correct one (otherwise, we wouldn’t be standing on it…we’d be on a different one).  Additionally, we not only believe we need not listen to other points of view, but we feel the need to drown out those viewpoints which are espoused by others that may not agree with ours.

I’ve heard all kinds and all manner of possible solutions.  Most of those solutions are at best simplistic and unworkable in my view, but many people hang their hats on them and believe they are the thing that will save us from ourselves.  And that may well be the crux of the whole matter…we are trying to save ourselves from ourselves.

Throughout human history we have been doing it that way.  We get ourselves into trouble…then believe if we just do this thing or that thing, we can get ourselves out of trouble and begin living in some kind of fairyland world where unicorns and rainbows are everywhere, and there’s not a care to be found.

I said at the beginning that I thought that perhaps there was indeed one answer…one that would go far in relieving the trials and tribulations of our common societal ills.  I’d like to share my thought with you.

First, we need to recognize that we cannot possibly save ourselves FROM ourselves.  Human beings are a marvelous and wondrous creation of God, but human beings are also irreparably flawed…destined to succumb to the temptations thrust upon us and powerless to, on our own, overcome them.

Having said that, I think some of you may know where this is going.

Second, there is a way out.  Even though we can’t save ourselves, the God who created us, loves us, and understands us DID make a way out.  God in the person of Jesus Christ has set us free from the power of evil and death.  He has given us, by means of His grace and mercy, a way to escape the horrid mess we humans have created for ourselves.

I’m here to tell you that Jesus Christ is indeed the answer….the only answer that makes any sense at all.

Yes, there will still be mental illness.  There will still be people who do things they shouldn’t.  There will still be the need for police.  There will still be the need for laws.  But just think how things could be different if we all took to heart the command to love our neighbor, and did the best we could to honor that command.

Or the command to do to others as you would like for them to do to you.

Or the command to love God with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Think for a moment how societal acceptance of and devotion to those commands would change how we deal with mental health issues, with those who are hurting, with those who are poor, hungry, or neglected.

Think what might happen should we get serious about what our Creator has said to us…taught us…and shown us.

Converting the world to Jesus isn’t in our individual job descriptions.  But demonstrating the love of Jesus and letting others know about His power to save IS in our care.  And we do that, not necessarily with a crowd of thousands, but rather most of the time just one person at a time.  Just one.  One at a time.

The hurt is real.  The tragedy is unthinkable.  We struggle to capture even a glimpse of the answer to why.  Jesus said, “Come unto me all you who are heavy laden…and I will give you rest.”  Maybe we need to take  Him up on that.