SUBJECT: MAD PEOPLE
I’m just looking through the news today . . . seems like most everyone is mad about something.
Everyone is mad (or should be) that egregious police overreach led to the tragic and totally unnecessary death of a man.
But then there are people very mad about other things. The old, historic St John’s Episcopal Church has been greatly damaged by fire—a church every president from Madison forward has attended. Rev. Mariann Budde, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, was very mad that the U. S. President stood on the sidewalk in front of the church, held up a Bible, and promised America would be great again. Although she didn’t sound nearly as mad that the church had burned down, I’m sure she was also mad about that.
Then there are those who are mad about Black Lives Matter.
Seth Rogen is mad about All Lives Matter.
Politico describes President Trump as “outraged.”
Antifa operates on mad.
I watched looters angrily attack a woman in a wheelchair. Mad.
In the last week, cops have been fired for being mad and mistreating people.
Store owners are mad that their businesses have been senselessly looted without the government providing the basic protection it was elected to provide.
One headline reads, “Protests Rage in Bay Area and Sacramento.” Mad.
Nine thousand people in Santa Monica are demanding the resignation of Police Chief Cynthia Renaud after local television footage showed officers standing idly by as looters ransacked more than 80 stores. They are mad.
But everyone is not acting negatively on their anger. Last night, my grandson and two granddaughters posted an announcement encouraging members of the youth group of The Rock Church and all of the local Hope Corps grads to meet in downtown Sacramento this morning to help clean up the mess of the looters, wash away graffiti, and restore a sense of peace and order. While working, a woman stopped and inquired who they were. She said she had a friend who would like to meet them. Her friend pulled up in a limousine as part of a motorcade. It was the governor of California, Gavin Newsom. Wearing jeans and a face mask, he borrowed rubber gloves and cleaning materials from the young people, and he went to work with them. In awhile, he asked Boston and Haley and London to go to the Capitol with him for an interview, which they did. Interviews were also conducted with ABC News, the LA Times, and other media outlets. Meanwhile, from the announcement the night before, other young people heard about the cleanup efforts and came to help. In addition, representatives of Black Lives Matter joined. So here were young people working together—black, white, Hispanic, Asian, and more—some wearing Hope Corps shirts, TRC shirts, For What Purpose (Easter drama) shirts, and Black Lives Matter shirts. Here were young people, unwilling to allow older peoples’ ingrained rages to control their coming together to seek a better future. While older folks are foaming out their rage, twisting things for advantage or political purpose, these young people are all quietly working together. Sounds like there is something to be learned here. If they can maintain their determination and their connectivity against the many pressures that will surely come from those who, from all sides, will want to divide with their rages, their biases, and their causes, who knows what will be the outcome? We need to pray for them, encourage them, stand with them. And learn from them.
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them” (Is. 11:6).