Don't Change that dial

The Other Day Virginia Tech was the location of the single largest mass murder in our country’s History. On Student murdered 32 people injuring many more in one rampage and then finally turned his gun on himself and fired. My first response to this tragedy was to simply turn the channel.

That’s right I turned the channel and the next thing I found was more coverage of the shooting so I “clicked again and again and again until I finally found a station that hadn’t preempted their regularly scheduled programming.

My response troubled me. I am a pastor, “a man of the cloth” and when this terrible tragedy strikes I find my self struggling to care. My next step is to blame the media they take everything to far they cover a story into the ground. While these excuses are true, they are still excuses; attempts on my part to convince my self that my apathy is ok. It is not.

When Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you." Luke 19:41

On the Eve of His own murder, Jesus was overcome with emotion for the people of Jerusalem, and he was routinely moved to action by compassion for those around him.

We as Christ’s follows must not allow ourselves to become numb to the brokenness around us because it seems so big. We are Christ’s body and we need to see the world through Christ’s Eyes. Jesus saw a world that wasn’t beyond hope. He saw so much possibility for redemption and restoration that he willing gave his life to make it possible.

So what should we do about a tragedy that happens hundreds of miles away? Well we can start by hurting for those who are suffering.