8. Repent
The Christian life, if it’s a truly gospel-centered life, is a life of constant repentance. Sometimes the Lord uses the megaphone of suffering to turn us to himself once again. Luke 13:1 records an incident not too unlike Ferguson, Missouri. A representative of the state, in the person of Pilate, killed some Galileans and mingled their blood with the sacrifice. Pilate desecrated both life and religion.
When asked about this horror, the Lord Jesus informed his followers that such tragedies were a call from God to repent lest they likewise perish. If we would have a “gospel perspective” on the tragic deaths Michael Brown, Akai Gurley, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice and others at the hands of police officers, then we must read these situations as cautionary tales. We must ourselves turn again to God, recognizing that apart from His grace and mercy it could be us perishing in similar situations. As the Lord makes clear, Brown, Gurley, Garner and Rice were not worse sinners than us. We are, like them, like everyone, in desperate need of grace to repent of sin and turn afresh to God. Our involvement in these tragedies will give us plenty of opportunity for such repentance.
Conclusion
There is more that could be said. But I hope this provides some ways to think through the application of our message in these trying times. We really must avoid the escapism that so often plagues our witness to insert ourselves waist high in the messiness of life.
