We live in a very chaotic time. Terrorism is not something that we can view from a comfortable distance as it happens in other countries. Violence can erupt among motorcycle gangs but it can also issue from a disturbed teenager or a police officer who loses perspective. Our people look to us as clergy to provide some faith perspective on what is happening.
As the Psalm for next Sunday reminds us, blood shed is something that God pays attention to. We are also reminded that God expects both individuals and nations to be sensitive to human suffering.
Read Psalm 9:0-20 while pondering what God may be saying to you in this turbulent time.
Psalm 9:9-20
For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does
not forget the cry of the afflicted. — Psalm 9:12
GOD HEARS THE CRY
It is significant to recall that the very first human communication
to God that was not in response to God’s initiative was a cry of
blood. When Cain killed Abel, we are told, “Your brother’s blood
is crying out to me from the ground!” (Genesis 4:10). The theme
continues throughout the scriptures. In Exodus 3:7, God tells Moses,
“I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have
heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know
their sufferings….” It is this same cry of the afflicted that God responds
to when Jesus cries out from the cross, “My God, My God
why …” (Psalm 22:1; Matthew 27:46).
When those who suffer in this world cry out, they are addressing
God who “… is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold
in times of trouble” (v. 9). The very nature of God who hears
the cry of the afflicted is both a comfort to those who suffer and a
challenge for those who overlook the suffering of others.
THE FATE OF NATIONS
It is particularly a challenge for nations who have within their capacity
the ability to respond to the needy. In a similar manner to Matthew
25:31-46, the psalmist sees the fate of nations to be dependent on
remembering the weak and the suffering.
The fate of the nations is dependent on their remembering who
and whose they are. The failure to remember that they are human
(v. 20) results in nations believing that their fate is more important
than the people they govern. When the needs of the weakest in a
nation are considered of secondary importance to the glory of the
nation itself, then that nation begins to sink into the pit it has made
for itself (v. 15). True patriotism may require us to urge our nation
to be responsive to the most vulnerable because by their response
they may be determining their destiny.
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How might your people respond to the thought that a church’s ministries of compassion are both an act of faith and patriotism?
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