Devil Take the Youngest and Our Crisis of Meaning
The apparent gassing of 45 innocent men, women and children recently in Syria stunned the world–again. Chemical agents remain a hideous way to die, and every word of disgust leveled at the Assad regime (and its proxies, Russia and Iran) for committing this barbaric crime are well deserved.
U.N. Ambassador Nicki Haley’s blistering words stand out as the most poignant and clear response on the subject.
All innocent deaths are tragic. But when they involve children or youth, something inside of us revolts at the insanity and injustice.
Yet, the truth about juvenile deaths is much bigger than Syrian chlorine attacks. The devil remains committed to taking out the youngest–on both ends of the spectrum.
Unusual Messengers
I’ve always been fascinated with the word “holy,” which is used to describe the utter uniqueness or other-worldliness of God. Holiness means that God is “different,” “pure,” and completely “outside the box” of our finite human imagination.
This view of God reminds me of C.S. Lewis’ description of Aslan, the Jesus figure, in the Chronicles of Narnia where Mr. Beaver reminds Susan:
” Of course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king, I tell you.”
To put it another way, God is very unusual and often does unusual things.
He even uses unusual messengers.
The Permanent Victory of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection
Easter time remains one of the most memorable weeks of year for me. When I was young, I enjoyed attending sun-rise services where we awakened the dawn with shouts of “Christ the Lord is Risen Today!”
In 1974, I was privileged to spend Easter in the Holy Land where an early dawn prayer time at Golgotha and a visit to the Empty Tomb stand out as cherished memories.
Twenty years later, I participated in mid-week prayer meetings in our hometown–every day of the week–leading up to Resurrection Day. Good Friday always included a “Walk with the Cross” through town, praying for our friends and neighbors and thanking God for His greatest of gifts. This Good Friday we will walk the cross again for the 25th year in a row.
Easter is special, world-changing, cosmos altering.
It celebrates the permanent victory of Jesus’ death and resurrection.