Thought for the week – Reverend David Jones
The latest toll of those killed and injured in the Las Vegas shooting continues to rise as the United States reels from the devastation and carnage that has cost so many innocent lives. The shooting of those who were enjoying a county music festival by a gunman whose motives are as yet unclear is frightening and alarming to say the least.
This atrocity follows others in the USA, who will ever forget the massacre in 2012 at Sandy Hook school when twenty young children and six teachers lost their lives at the hands of a crazed gunman. The all-powerful and
influential gun lobby in the USA has battled continually against any measure of controls despite such loss of life. Will this latest massacre change attitudes? We’ll just have to wait and see.
As in all such atrocities we have seen the worst that man can do but also the great and immediate outpourings of love and compassion of those who rushed to help the injured and dying. British nurses on holiday hurried to local hospitals to offer their expertise and help. Soldiers on a training exercise from the UK were there within minutes transported the injured to hospital while lines soon formed as hundreds rushed to donate blood.
As in all similar massacres in different countries and often different circumstances such humanity and compassion brings hope and light that shames the darkness of evil. If tears welled in our eyes as we have watched these events from afar how much more is God’s passion and love stirred.
If, as President Trump said the heart of his nation has been broken how much more the heart of God. Evil raised its ugly head in the playground of the USA reflecting the enormity of human suffering which does exist in our world because of hatred and evil. However, our God is a crucified God who took upon himself all the powers of evil on the Cross and who on the third day was raised from death as a certain prelude to when the Kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven. Then God’s judgment will be unleashed on evil and then as the Bible says ‘God will wipe away the tears from the eyes of his children and there shall be no more death and crying for the former things will have passed away’ Promises which we can believe and hold onto as we pray for those who are suffering and bereaved.
May peace and comfort prevail – God bless the USA!
