Definition of AURORA, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
1: dawn2 capitalized: the Roman goddess of dawn
3: a luminous phenomenon that consists of streamers or arches of light appearing in the upper atmosphere of a planet's magnetic polar regions and is caused by the emission of light from atoms excited by electrons accelerated along the planet's magnetic field lines
Example: Aurora Borealis, aka the Northern Lights.
Ironic,
isn't it?
A city named
for the "dawn", on Thursday became one of countless cities across the
country that premiered the movie The Dark Knight Rises. In the process Aurora, CO, played host to yet another real-life tale of
darkness & sin. Once again our
nation is appalled at the irrational, senseless violence of a person so
deranged, so mentally unstable he could systematically plan and carry out the
massacre of innocent lives.12 dead
59 wounded
Millions horrified
& 1 person arrested - - with no resistance.
Aurora will
forever be linked with such places as
·
Oklahoma
City· Columbine
· The World Trade Center
· Somerset County
· Virginia Tech
· The Nickel Mines Schoolhouse
In the face of such events we are confronted with so many deep emotions and disturbing questions. In response, I'd like to take a look at what I am calling: THE LIGHT KNIGHT RISES. For a biblical reference I would like to look at Ephesians 5: 8-16.
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
But everything exposed by the light becomes visible,
for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
“Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,
making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
There's a
scene from the movie Blood Diamond
that's provocative. The movie is set in 1999 Sierra Leone while a civil war
rages fueled by conflict diamonds which are sold to pay for weapons. Leonardo
DeCaprio plays Danny Archer, the anti-hero, a mercenary with something of a
conscience, who-along with good guys and bad guys-is hunting for this huge pink
diamond. The Revolutionary United Front
(RUF) meanwhile, is leveling entire villages, terrorizing the people, and forcing
young boys to become soldiers in the rebel army.
In a quiet moment of reflection while mayhem explodes around them, Danny Archer chats with a journalist, Maddy Bowen,. He says, "My Mom and Dad were brutally killed. Sometimes I wonder - will God ever forgive us for what we've done to each other? Then I look around and I realize. God left this place a long time ago."
When events like the carnage in Colorado occurs, it shatters our peace, it intrudes upon our consciousness, it interrupts and irritates and saddens and shocks, and we wonder if indeed God may have left this place a long time ago.
In thinking about this I want to point out a few things worth remembering.
I. WHY ARE WE SURPRISED?
We shouldn't
be, really.
Oh, we are
horrified, yes. We are angry &
saddened and emotionally drained. But surprised? No.
A. You see, we have created a Culture of Violence.
Man is a
violent creature. From the early days of
Creation, when Cain murdered his brother Abel
the human story has, in many ways, been defined by acts of violence. It has characterized us through every
century.
The Old
Testament is so full of violent acts and human abuse that many who read it
conclude that God is either a) a God of anger and wrath, - - or - - b) He has removed himself from the affairs of
man. This is NOT
an accurate conclusion. But it is a
commonly held belief.
Our great
nation is no exception. The United
States has engaged in at least 23 wars since 1775. Additionally, we have been part of 30 armed
conflicts that were never officially declared wars. Together that is a total of 53 violent
engagements in 237 years, & if my math is correct I believe we have been
engaged in an armed conflict in 188 of those 237 years between 1775 until today.
Add to this
our history of the "Wild West" and the civil rights abuses that
characterized our nation not only during the shameful years of legalized
slavery but even more so in the last 150 years, and one can readily see that
ours is a Culture of Violence. Organizations
such as the Ku Klux Klan and many similar hate groups have only enhanced this
Culture of Violence in which we live.
B. In addition to this culture, we have also
created Tools of Violence
I suppose it
is natural for a Culture of Violence to create and sustain Tools of Violence.
Yes, I am
referring to the proliferation of guns.
I am not opposed to hunting, & I am fully aware of the 2nd
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution - -
the one that says:"A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed."
But we
should remember that this was adopted in 1791.
The "high-tech" weapon of the day was the single-shot
flintlock rifle.
If James
Holmes would have been using one of these when he went on his rampage in
Aurora, it’s a safe bet the tragedy would have been much more contained.
But James
Holmes did not use a flintlock. He used an
AR-15 semi-automatic assault weapon.
This is a military weapon, not a hunting rifle. It is capable of firing 800 rounds per
minute! There is no reason on earth why
a civilian should be allowed to own one of these, let alone use it and "not be infringed", as the 2nd
Amendment states.
But the
problem is not just with the Tools of Violence.
C. There is also the Media of Violence.
Popular
music, magazines, video games, television, cartoons, and movies are all about
violence these days. This is big stuff,
& many people are getting rich feeding off our obsession with violence.
In the Bible,
killing another human being is considered one of the greatest offenses against
God. The 6th Commandment - - "Thou
shalt not kill" - - says it all.
Yet we have glorified violence and exalted it to the point that we call
it "sport" or "art".
In reality,
however, it is Darkness , because
it is sin.
Now understand,
I am NOT commenting on the movie "The Dark Knight Rises"
because I have not seen it. Nor have I
read any reviews on it. All I am saying
is we live in a Culture of Violence, with the proliferation of Tools
of Violence, and we are daily enticed by a Media of Violence.
All this
tells me that we should NOT be Surprised by the events in Aurora, Colorado.
Secondly, this event should serve as
a...
II. A WAKEUP CALL TO EMPATHIZE WITH OTHERS WHO LIVE
WITH VIOLENCE DAILY.
There are
many parts of the world where death and destruction are a daily activity.
·
Syria· Afghanistan
· Mexico
· Nigeria, just to name a few.
Missing from American Christianity is the "suffering" motif so prominently found throughout the Bible.
From the "Suffering Servant" mentioned in the prophecies of Isaiah, to the fulfillment of those prophecies in the person of Jesus Christ in the Gospels, SUFFERING is expected for the Child of God.
In all honesty we are too comfortable in this world. We have made ourselves "at home" here, which is a direct violation of scripture.
In the First Letter of Peter, Chapter 2:11, we read:
"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul."
Peter
assumes that the believer in Christ understands he is only passing through this
life. This is not "home". As a follower of Jesus we are called to shun
evil in all its forms. Yet in this life
we are constantly faced with temptation and the ever-enticing draw toward a
life - - and a lifestyle - - that is incompatible with our Faith. This is why
Peter says such things war against our
souls.
To emphasize
this further, let's turn to the Letter to the Hebrews, Chapter 11:9-10.
"By
faith he (Abraham) made
his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob,
who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."
This gets
more specific by using the example of Abraham to show us that we, too, should
consider ourselves to be "aliens and strangers" in
this world.
Why?
Why should
we act like we do not really belong here, as if we were living temporarily in a
foreign country? Because as a
Child of God, as a follower of Jesus, our true home is in Heaven. THAT is where we belong. That is what the author of Hebrews means when
he talks about the "city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." Somehow we have lost that vital
understanding. We have settled into this
life, this culture. We are "at
home" here. And consequently we
have allowed ourselves to be influenced by the non-believing social norms and
characteristics of this life.
We need only
learn a lesson from a creature as odd as the chameleon. Think of it, as a chameleon changes its color
to match its environment in order to blend in and become, literally, a part of
his surroundings, so we have adapted our values, our beliefs, our priorities to
resemble - - yes, even to match - - the values, beliefs, and priorities
of a secular, non-believing, non-Christian world in which we live.
This is a Travesty!
The Church
of Jesus Christ is supposed to speak prophetically
to the World, proclaiming the Gospel of Grace boldly and without compromise. Instead, we have found that we actually LIKE
it here, and we want to fit in. Thus we
have cast Jesus aside and have instead changed our colors, as it were,
so we can join them.
By doing so
we tell ourselves that we are a little safer, a little less at risk of being
targeted as "aliens and strangers" who do not belong here. In other words, we can be comfortable.
The result
is a severe lack of EMPATHY for our brothers & sisters who are suffering in
this world, be it the...
·
Poor· Disabled
· Sick
· The hungry
· Those in Afghanistan
· ......Syria, or wherever human rights are denied & people are at risk.
Finally, we need to ask ourselves:
III. WHAT WOULD JESUS SAY?
Well first,
we need to remember that the New Testament teaches that Jesus is the LIGHT of
the World.
Turning to the Gospel of John, the first chapter, we have the classic contrast presented between GOOD & EVIL, between the things of God and the things of Satan.
These are represented by the symbols of LIGHT & DARKNESS.
Speaking
about Jesus, the author says in vv. 4-5 - -
"In him was life, and that life was the
light of men. The light shines in the
darkness, but the darkness has not
understood it."
This tells
us that Jesus is Truth, the embodiment of all that is good and holy and
righteous. He came to this earth to show
us what God wants and expects from his people.
He came as a contrast to the "darkness", i.e. the sinful,
self-centered life that we have created.
Moving on to
John 3:19 -21 - -
"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved
darkness instead of light because
their deeds were evil.Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
These are
powerful words.
They speak
to the heart of our dilemma.We live in a world of sin; a world of darkness. We are called by God to follow Jesus and live as children of light; children of righteousness.
It is a challenge,
to say the least.
Now, retuning
to Paul's letter to the Ephesians, look once again at verse 8.
"For you were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light"Then go to verse 11.
"Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them."
It is indeed
ironic that we are having this discussion in the aftermath of Friday morning's
events in Aurora. In the city named for
the dawn, during the showing of a fictional movie entitled The Dark Knight Rises, we are forced to wrestle with the
influence of "darkness"
- - i.e. sin - - upon our lives. &
in that struggle we are reminded in a dramatic way that there IS HOPE! There is an alternative to
"darkness". Because we know
there is A "LIGHT KNIGHT that RISES" - - one who embodies all
Truth & Righteousness. He was himself a victim of violence, having
suffered a cruel and unjust death, but 3 days later He rose from the grave to conquer
death, darkness and sin forever.
& his
name is Jesus Christ.
He is the
Son of God, the Light of the World, & He wants to fill YOUR life with God's marvelous Light.
Jesus once
said:
"I have told you these things so that
in me you may have peace. In this world
you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Praise be to
God!
No comments:
Post a Comment