An Easter thought (early)

So, I was in church today (a good place for me as a pastor hopeful to be on a Sunday morning), and thinking (always a good activity, especially in church). My brain did the whole from one thing to another to another to another, until I was about fifteen points away from my original thought. But, here's what I ended up with.

Often, when confronted with a situation such as rape or murder or any form of awfulness perpetuated on one person by another, we recoil. We say that is horrific and sick and should never have happened.

Now, I'm not saying it isn't horrific and sick, but perhaps we are looking at it from the wrong perspective. In a perfect world, I would agree that events like this shouldn't happen, and maybe its just easy for me to say having never had to wrestle/cope with something that huge. But, we don't live in a perfect world, and these kinds of things do happen.

Maybe, just maybe, that's the point.

Every time something evil happens, instead of taking the perspective of horror and just staring at the malevolence of humanity, but instead look at it as a chance for reconciliation. See it as an opportunity to demonstrate the far-reaching and life-changing love of God to our fellow people. A time when we can redeem something that is only evil, and open up the arms of love to someone aching.

Perhaps this is what is meant by rejoicing in our suffering, as mentioned in the Scriptures. Instead of focusing on the horror and evil, choose to see the good. The chance for a prodigal to come home. Yes, what happened is evil, but that does not have to be the end. Perhaps we are called to not let evil have the final word, but let love always shine last, and shine best.

As a Christian, the Easter celebration is here in about a week. Maybe that's the whole point (or, at least, one of many of them) captured in this celebration of Jesus' resurrection. God has the final say. God is love. Even that which is tainted with darkness can still be consumed in the ever-loving light that is Christ, the light that cannot be quenched no matter the depth of the night. The light will shine on, and we, as the smaller lights of the world, should continue to demonstrate to the best of our best abilities that love.

Maybe this is too airy-fairy for some, and maybe I'm too much of an idealist. But, regardless of that, I think perhaps this is the point...love everyone, that through our love God will be made known.