A Calvarian sent over a link to a website that provides material for daily devotions. It looks pretty good, has the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship as one sponsor and is ecumenical with other denominational sponsors. Here’s the link: http://www.d365.org/todaysdevotion/
Trenton, the Capital City of New Jersey, made the news recently. A 7 year old girl was “sold” by her step-sister and then sexually assaulted by a number of individuals. I knew the apartment building where the assault took place—it’s one of a number of high-density/low-income buildings. These buildings tend to serve less as homes for people to make better lives for themselves than as structures to keep people inside. Learning of the assault of the poor child sparked much sadness, but not much surprise.
Where does a community go after something like this happens? Law enforcement can sweep in but they are reactive by nature. Social services can get involved but shouldn’t they have been there already? How does a community in which this heinous act occurred heal and move forward? Betrayal does not serve as a word for what happened to that little girl. Other folks had to hear what was happening yet did nothing. And then we get to the willingness of individual participants to harm a child. How does a community come back from this?
It seems to be a situation without hope, a position void of the possibility for redemption. And yet, our God is a God of victory. There is nothing that God cannot fix; those scares we earn in this life will be undone in the next. Nothing is without hope; nothing is irrevocably separated from the opportunity for grace.
That doesn’t put the onus on God but rather on God’s instruments, namely us. Government cannot fix this. Social service agencies cannot fix this. Only something transcendent or only transcendence-inspired people can make a difference. That means caring about those down the street or across town or wherever. It means helping others to carry their junk, as Jesus carries ours. It means expanding our sphere of care so that we see each person as someone crafted in the image of God. It means being sold out to this everyday and all of the time.
That’s hard and painful and we can grow weary. Jesus promises to fill our bowls and refresh us with Living Water.
Keep Trenton and Waco in your prayers and go do the work of the Most High God.
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