However, in our
community, Palm Sunday turned dark this year as the forces of evil reigned
ugliness and violence on a couple of Jewish centers in neighboring Overland
Park. Three people are dead, including a teenage boy, and the entire Kansas City
area is experiencing a collective sense of deep sorrow.
Although it’s early
in the investigation and things are sure to change as more information becomes
available, it appears that the motivation for this senseless violence was the
irrational hatred of the Jewish race, something neither novel nor isolated.
But even as our
hearts are heavy for those directly affected by this violence, we are reminded
that at its core, Easter is all about such dark & sinful hearts. And while
we may not have fired shots at innocent people or openly spewed such hatred for
our fellow man, we too are guilty of sins for which Jesus had to die. It is every
bit as much our spiteful thoughts, our jealousy & envy, our arrogance,
selfishness and stubbornness that nailed Jesus to that cross.
It is because we
all fall short of God’s standards of righteousness that we need a Savior. Not
to make our tax system fairer or our healthcare system more just, but to pay
the price for our sins and to endure the very wrath of God on our behalf.
So even as our
celebration of our Savior’s victory over sin, death & the grave is tempered
a bit by our grief for our fellow man, it should also be heightened by the
reminder that such hatred and ugliness will not gain the ultimate victory. The
love, grace & mercy of God will reign, and it is this hope that enables us
to glorify God through our tears and to exalt His Holy Name despite our heavy
hearts.
