Just last night, as we were in Vacation Bible School, a car accident occurred on Valley Creek Road in Leonard, Texas. It was a tragic accident as two of the passengers died and two others were taken by care flight to a trauma one unit in Dallas. As often as we hear of stories like this you would think that it would be easier for our communities. But in reality, it is just as hard to hear of such accidents as it is any other time. It speaks of the frailty of man. One day we are enjoying life to its fullest and the next day death is knocking on our door. Life is fast; life is short; death is certain.
But what of these that died? I don't know who they were. I did find out that the two passengers killed were 19- and 16-years-old. The two other passengers were teens as well. They were not from our community, but they lived in two nearby communities. Parents this evening are grieving for the loss of these two while parents are praying for the lives of the other two. Tragic.
On the news we hear of the war front. There in foreign countries our American men and women are losing their lives for the sake of setting captives free in other nations. But let us not forget that there are others - sometimes more than we really want to know - who are civilians that are losing their lives. All of this happening because politicians who want more and more power are wanting to control more and more people and land and monies and nations. One minute a Humvee is driving down the road and the next it is being exploded by enemy gunfire or roadside bombs.
In Norway today a crazed man in a police uniform opened fire upon a government building and detonated a bomb that killed at least seven people instantly. Prior to the bombing he apparently attacked a youth camp and witnesses have been saying that they saw at least 25-30 young men and women gunned down. And why? For reasons that we may never know except that this man was on a mission to kill as many as he could before killing himself with the bomb. He is not a "suicide" bomber but a "homicide" bomber. Let's be realistic with what we ought to call him: he was a murderer.
With all of these tragedies is there any hope at all with these things happening all around us? Really, is there any hope out there? Some would say that there is hope in this or that - whatever this or that may be. But the only hope that we truly have is Jesus Christ! Read what the Apostle Paul wrote:
And in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice because I know this will lead to my deliverance through your prayers and help from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all boldness, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For me, living is Christ and dying is gain. (Philippians 1:18-21)
For Paul sudden death meant sudden glory! For many of those who have believed and trusted in Jesus as Christ, Lord and Savior they have experienced that which Paul knew that he would: For me, living is Christ and dying is gain! At the point of their death, however tragic it may have been (and every death is tragic when you consider that it is for sin that death reigns in the flesh today, whether they are 15- or 100-years-old), if any of those teenagers or soldiers or youth who were killed knew Jesus the Christ as Savior and Lord then they experienced sudden death and sudden glory. This is the hope, nay, the living hope that we have in Jesus the Christ!
