Morning worship has crowded my thoughts all day. The pastor chose to preach on 2 Sam 1, the story of Saul and Jonathan being killed in battle. After their death, David mourned. Although, Saul had chased David all over Israel seeking to kill him, David wept at his loss. David was now safe from Saul, the kingdom was safe from a despot and David was now King of Israel, yet he did not celebrate. David won! And yet…he wept.
The pastor urged Christians to react to tragedy as David did. He asked us to examine our reactions to the killing of Osama Bin Laden, for example. Did we celebrate a victory and the fact that many are now safe from the rule of this despot, or did we mourn that another life was taken?
As Kristin noted in the previous post, much attention has been paid to the Zimmerman case this week. The verdict has dominated the news, and people on both sides of the issue have had a chance to vent.
One news story showed people all around the nation celebrating the verdict. People were shouting and celebrating what they saw as a just victory.
The news reminded me of my kids. Sometimes they are a little too pleased when a sibling is disciplined especially when there has been a disagreement and Mom intervenes on behalf of one of them. When that happens, I ask my children to say with me “When bad things happen to someone we love, we’re SAD!”
A bad thing happened in the Travon Martin case. A young boy was killed. A family will never be reunited. Whether or not we agree with the Zimmerman verdict, there is nothing to celebrate here.
David’s story teaches us that we are to weep for loss, even when the loss is seen by some as a victory. Christians are never to celebrate tragedy of any kind.
I need to revise my family saying. How about something like, “When bad things happen to someone we love, someone we don’t or any child of God, WE’RE SAD!”
