The Glens and Kirriemuir United Parish Church

Minister’s Message . . . 26 August 2022

From Rev John Orr . . .

Perhaps the saddest news we can hear is about the death of a child. When it happens in violent circumstances then our sadness quickly turns to horror and disbelief. This week's news about the shooting of a nine-year-old, Olivia, in Liverpool has, rightly, caused outrage and disgust. In some senses having a name, a face, and a relatively close location makes the tragedy all the more ‘real’ for us. Acts of violence around the world, and sometimes on a larger scale, can often have a lesser, or at least less long-lasting, impact. Others, and I’m thinking of Dunblane as an example, can be a clear memory for a long time.

Many Bible verses remind us to have the mind of God or Jesus. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, puts it succinctly when he says “Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind.” (Ro 12:2) Often taken as a way of separating ourselves from ‘worldly’ things and reinforcing a sacred/secular divide, I think, rather, that Paul wants to remind us that with so many ills in the world we can become inured to them; they simply become part of life. Instead we are to continue to reorient ourselves on God, always ready to speak out against injustice rather than shrug our shoulders and dismiss it with a , “Well, what can you do?”

Tragedy and stress can wear us down until we don’t have the energy to respond. It is then we turn to God for strength to continue his work of compassion, mercy, and justice. Pray that we never become inured to the troubles of this world but continue to be a voice for the downtrodden and the broken, and express our outrage at the needless tragedies of this world.

Prayer . . .

“Loving God,

When we see tragedy strike,

or injustice at work,

or the poorest struggling even more,

give us the grace to respond

with compassion,

and righteous anger,

and a heart filled with your mercy,

so that your love would abound.”

Amen.