Is God’s Heart Hurting?

Two mass shooting events in one weekend, one in Buffalo, New York the other in Laguna Woods, California. Each appears to have been motivated by hatred and each was likely premeditated. Now both incidents join a growing list of violent attacks, spaced out enough that they are not yet routine but close enough in time that it could be considered a recurring nightmare. What must this look like from God’s point of view? We know that He is capable of grieving and even weeping over sad and painful situations. Could it be that incidents like the ones this past weekend hurt the heart of God?

I think this is a question that God’s church needs to ask because the answer should dictate how we respond. We teach that the church is Jesus’ hands and feet here on earth. We speak of being God’s ambassadors, here to preach His Gospel and to speak on His behalf. That means that if He has an opinion on mass shootings and on the hate associated with them, we need to know that opinion and speak loudly to let the world know. If God’s heart is hurting due to hate motivated violence, His ambassadors should let the world know exactly where He stands. And if God stands against theories which lead people to travel for miles to shoot other people in a grocery store or in a church, God's church needs to stand with Him speaking out against those theories.

Yes, I know that there are some churches which do speak out when these things happen. There are churches which try to help in these communities and I commend them for their efforts. It just seems to me that the outcry from God’s church should be deafening, letting the world know where our creator stands. I believe that God’s heart is hurting because He is against murder and against hate. I believe Jesus would speak out against racism and against lies and other ideas that foment hate. I believe God has a strong opinion about what happened. His church should find and share His opinion without fear and without getting caught up in politics.

I believe that God’s heart is hurting and it’s time for His church to let the world know.

Will The Church Be A Source of Hope?

Back in 2020 I wrote a post asking “Is The Church Still A Source of Hope?” Today I find myself once again thinking about this question, wondering if the church will be a source of hope if Roe v. Wade is overturned. For the record, this is not a post about the Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice debate nor will I comment on the leaked Supreme Court Document and its implications. My intention with this post is to get you to think about how you will respond to women in need if abortion is no longer an option in your state. Will you (and your church) be a source of hope?

Since news broke of the leaked document I’ve heard a lot about what women will lose if the court votes as indicated. The picture painted by the Pro-Choice side is that the court is planning to take away a source of hope for women and perhaps in the future more minority groups will lose the hope given them by various court rulings. There seems to be a lot of fear of what might happen and of what the path we seem to be on will mean for our future.

As I pointed out in 2020, God’s church is called to be the salt of the earth. Jesus expects us to touch the community around us, making situations more palatable by showing others the hope that is only available from God. I believe that means rising above political debate in order to help those who are in need. In this case that means helping women see that nine months of pregnancy does not mean the end of life. We must be willing now to roll up our sleeves in order to offer hope and to show that in Christ the future is bright.

Some would say that if the court votes as indicated in the leaked document, the church has won a victory. Will the church respond by being poor winners or will we continue (or perhaps once again become) the source of hope that God intends for us to be?