One of the great things about being a Christian is that we look to the future, and past the moment.  What we see at any given moment is not all there is.  Unbelievers see reality only by what's in front of them, but Christians see past the present.  They see the troubles of life but know God has a plan in it.  They acknowledge sin, but know Christ has overcome it.  Christians look backward with gratitude and forward with joy.  As Ruth Bell Graham, Billy's wife, said from her wheelchair, "So many wonderful memories, and so much to look forward to!"  Believers see past the tragedies of today to the wonder and joy of what God has for us in the future.

          And that's a great thing, because it's been a terrible two weeks.  Death in three schools, one of these a school among a gentle people.  Nothing in life can really prepare us for tragic and senseless loss.  We cannot control what others do, nor can we always avoid bad things.  But we can and must control our reactions, that is, what we do when bad things happen.  The Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, are reeling right now at the senseless destruction of human life.  People of a small Wisconsin town are wondering what they could have done to stop a student from shooting his principal.  People of rural Colorado are wondering if life there will ever return to normal.

          People will write volumes and burn hours of airwaves trying to explain the murders' motives.  Some will try to excuse their acts because of something in their past history.  But no man's past, no matter how bad it is, gives anyone the right to take out his anger on innocent people, especially our children.

          Knowing what I do about Amish people, I would like to know what is going through their minds now.  What kind of action might they be contemplating?  In their hearts there certainly is shock and anger, but on their hands and lips you will not find it.  There you will find great sadness, but you'll also find forgiveness.  Their children are our children.  When madmen kill children, we are all involved, for these were not the children of the big city, nor of the slums, nor even an Iraqi battle field.  The three school incidents this past week all happened in rural America, "safe" rural America, and one even happened in a one room school.

          I attended a one room rural school in Minnesota for six years and had the same teacher five of those years.  The most terrible thing that I can recall happening was a "battle" between fifth and sixth graders in the grove across the road.  It was a warm spring day, and after being cooped up so long, we wanted something to happen.  And we found it in some hard, dead ironweeds with clumps of dirt on their roots.  They pulled out of the ground so easily!  What a weapon they made!  We (boys, of course) threw missiles of mud at each other for a terrific five minutes before someone got it in the face and ran to tell teacher.  It was a great fight, memorable, well worth getting sent home for the day.

          But no one in Nickel Mines, PA, or Bailey, CO, will ever forget what has happened in their communities these past days.  And why?  What went wrong?  Violence is not unknown among the Amish, but it's usually always religious persecution.  Amish men have been threatened and beaten for decades - that's not new.  But a gunman in a rural school house is unheard of.  The Amish are non-resistant.  They will not take up arms against another human being, in war or peace.  They will stand up to defend another, but will not strike back, even it if means their own bodily harm.  They trust God will balance the books as He sees fit and in His own time.

          With such events happening, once again Christians are wondering if these are marks of the End Times.  Perhaps so.  Jesus said in Matthew 24, "Such will be the spread of evil that the love of most will grow cold." (Matthew 24:12)   Such events give us a peek at the evil that lurks in the darkness of the human heart, of those who live on the edge of life, and the evil that comes from human sin.  We are moving ever closer to the day of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

          But always remember that these tragedies never invalidate the Gospel.  Deranged killers will never render God or his kingdom ineffective.  There have been terrible events in history before, even including and before the day Christ died.  Indeed, Good Friday and the killing of God's Son seemed about as bad as things could get.  Bad, that is, until we see the good that comes from it.

          From His pain and suffering comes forgiveness of sin.  From His death comes life for the world.  It is not evil that comes from Calvary, but God's own goodness and the restoration of life in Jesus Christ.  Through His death, sin and Satan are defeated.  Through His resurrection, eternal life is ours.  Good Friday was truly good, even amid the obvious that was bad.  There is always good amid the bad.

          St. Peter, encouraging people to stand up for their faith, wrote in today's Bible text, "In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect."

          It starts with setting apart Christ as Lord.  When Jesus is Lord of our heart, we have all we need for eternal life.  Peter had seen all kinds of tragedy and suffering, and he would see even more.  He knew the horrors of what people can do to people.  He knew how easy it is to become discouraged.  That's why he said, "Always be ready to tell others about your hope."  Our hope is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.  We look past the terror of the moment and we share the hope we have.

          We find our hope in Christ, and then we pass it on.  When Jesus told us to preach the Gospel to every creature, He meant to pass on the hope we have.  Do you know the love of Jesus?  Then pass it on!  Do you trust in Christ to save you?  Pass it on!  Do you know the way to heaven through Jesus?  Pass it on!

          Sometimes we can pass it on ourselves, and sometimes others do it for us.  So we help the missionary pass it on.  And we help the youth on a Mission trip to pass it on.  And we pray for and support those who go places we can't go.  Remember the old campfire song?  "It only takes a spark to get a fire going, and soon all those around can warm up in its glowing.  That's how it is with God's love, once you've experienced it.  You spread His love to every one, you want to pass it on."  Kurt Kaiser wrote that song in 1969.  But with your hope in Christ, pass it on!  That's what God wants us to do.

          At the suggestion of a member, you'll find in your bulletins a small sheet, "Random Acts of Kindness."  You'll also find two small cards to pass on with your random act of kindness.  The point is to know the love of Christ, and then "Pass It On."

          But Peter encourages us, "But do this with gentleness and respect."  When evil raises its ugly head, don't get angry.  When heinous crimes happen, don't turn to hate.  We want justice, but it must come from God.  Christians forgive their enemies, and turn the other cheek.  Revenge and hatred can hurt as much as senseless loss.

          Pass it on!  Pass what on?  Jesus Christ!  Pass on your hope in Jesus.  Every time you do it for the least of these, you do it for the Lord.  Every time you do a random act of kindness, or an act of love, you are passing along Jesus.  People need to see Jesus, and they see Him best in what Christians do.  If they see in us pettiness, or complaining, or vengeance, they are not seeing a holy Jesus, but merely sinful people.

          We Christians are always passing something on.  Let's make sure it is Jesus Christ.  It is easy to pass on frustration or fear or hopelessness.  Anyone can do that.  But we pass along good things from God.  By the grace of God, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, you and I can pass along the love of God by every Godly word of hope and every kind deed we may do.

          Pass it on, my friends.  The list in your bulletin is just a start.  Whatever you do, and wherever it is, make sure you are passing along your Lord Jesus Christ.  Pass Him on, and see the hope He brings.  Amen

Copyright © 2006 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.