When Will It Come To An End?
I pondered this question again and again ever since I heard about the senseless killing of yet another black man in the United States. When will it come to an end? If you have been watching the news on your television sets you would have seen the protests and rioting that is racing through most of the United States of America. While the COVID19 Pandemic has such a huge impact on the world right now, does this ugly monster of racism have to show its hand as well? As I watched the news with disgust and utter shock to realize that there is no real respect for human life. I watched the placards that read: “I cannot breathe, please help me!” and another one that read, “Black lives matter!” Can one imagine that after going through the atrocities of the past, especially in the history of the United States – slavery, the worst kind of human treatment ever – they are still experiencing racism in a nation that proclaims equality and freedom for all?
Our Scripture Texts for this Morning are:
- Proverbs 16:6 “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.”
- Psalm 34:14 “Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.”
- Romans 12:9 “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.”
It was so sad and heart breaking to see the visual evidence as it was shown over and over again on our TV screens. A grown black man – George Floyd, literally pleading for his life to a police officer who had him pinned to the ground with his knee pressing down on his neck. George Floyd eventually died of suffocation. In an interview with a young man during the protests, this is what he said: “I have to protest for the right to stay alive!” What has the world come to seeing that we have no regard for the value of human life. Where do we as Christians stand on this matter? Do we simply ignore what is happening and pray for the world, or do we also declare the truth that proclaims out loudly: “I am my brother’s keeper!” The Bible teaches that every life – no matter what color or race or culture or background is sacred and is valuable. We who cannot give life have no right to take it either. Let us stand together and echo with deep concern and passion that this should never prevail anywhere in the world today! Not on our watch!
We should never bring ourselves to look on the skin of a person and judge the heart of that person. It makes us less than human, and I guess that although racism has been legislatively removed from the laws governing many countries, it is that sick sense of racism that people hold on to internally which often is the root cause of many of these horrific incidents. Jesus Christ Himself gives us two commandments to cling on to – Love God with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our might and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Everyone of us are created in the image and after the likeness of God. When one kills another human being he invariably also kills the image of God in that person. Let us learn to treat each other with respect, dignity, equality and genuine love. Romans 12:9 says: “Let love be without dissimulation.” That word 'dissimulation' means 'hypocrisy.' I believe that this is the sense of the way in which some love today – with a sense of hypocrisy. They profess love but act out of hatred. It is time to be real men and women that will stand for our convictions.
The latter part of Romans 12:9 says: “Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” We are encouraged to reject that which is evil and to cling to that which is good. Recently I also realized that our country, South Africa is also following in the path of the United States in removing God from our institutions. We don’t allow prayers anymore and we want to disconnect from the God of the universe. When we come to such a place or position in our lives we must realize that we open the doors to evil and devastation. We are instructed to cling to that which is good, and we know that God is good, so we ought to cling to Him more than ever in these days. Ask yourself why are all these things happening today more especially in certain regions of the world? Simply because they have chosen to live by their own standards and values and that eventually leads to conflict and destruction. Remove God from our nation and we ultimately remove peace, love, joy and happiness. None of these can be sustained without God who is the true source of these things and the Giver of life.
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