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in light of the school shooting tragedy

Dear Community Family ---

This has been a very long and tiring week, and it ended with one of the harshest events of my lifetime.  Similar to the shooting at Virginia Tech, but this goes to another level because of the deaths of little children.  News reports and influential people well respected are calling this the Massacre of the Innocents.  I can't imagine the pain that the people of Newtown, Connecticut.  

How do we as Christians deal with horrible situations as such?  This event reminds us that people are in need of help and hope.  We are reminded that sin is something that has to be dealt with.  I am reminded that we need the grace of God to cover our lives and to come out of our words and our actions.

It is easy to throw stones at the one who pulled the trigger or the ones around him.  It is easy to run to the fact that we need more gun control or that schools need more help.  What is needed more is the hands and feet and voice of Jesus to penetrate this time and situation to share the love of God.  

There are people around us to need the same grace.  There are children around us asking questions and hurting.  There are parents who are angry and needing someone to listen, and they are right here around us. Our relationships, our conversations and our faith will impact the people we are around if we will allow God and His truth to flow through our lives.

Ed Stetzer said this:

How do we best deal with the brokenness of the world? We look to Jesus to comfort us and trust him to eventually set all things back right.
In "Joy to the World," the third verse expresses it well:
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
 
The curse was found in Sandy Hook this week. Let's grieve with and pray for the hurting. Let's call the world what it is-- broken. Then, let's recommit ourselves to living for Jesus and others in a broken world. Tomorrow, we will look to Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount to talk about how. ----

Proverbs 3:24-26 NASB
When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.  Do not be afraid of sudden fear
Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; For the Lord will be your confidence
And will keep your foot from being caught.

As we come together for worship tomorrow, Sunday at 10:10am, we will spend time praying for those involved and talking about how we react to and trust in God through such a difficult situation.  

God is still in the thrown.  He is still the reason for Christmas.  He is the reason why we must generously share all that God has given us.

I will see you in the morning, and thank you for joining me in praying for those who went through this horrible tragedy in Newtown, CT.

With GOD as my guide,

Pastor Michael Harrison
James 1:5

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