Madness and Murder

The reading from I Kings 21 speaks of the troubles King Ahab encounters after his madness leads to murder. His greed causes the death of an innocent man. The anniversary of the Charleston Church shooting is coming up and still needed to be reflected on. Racism, both in our society and in our politics, is rising at an alarming rate. Nine innocent people died at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church due to one man’s hate-filled madness. Unfortunately, early this morning, another man filled with hatred, killed 49 people and wounded another 51 at the Pulse nightclub in Florida. The passage teaches us that greed kills, arrogance kills, hatred kills, and unchecked power kills. Several of the nobles, several scoundrels, and the local townspeople colluded and offered no resistance to the King’s wishes. They are as responsible for the murder as the one who committed the crime. Elijah delivers God’s condemnation to Ahab as he comes to collect his reward. Since the murder was done in Ahab’s name, he is the one Elijah condemns. Dylann Roof was just carrying out the wishes of those who spoke of their hatred for blacks. Today’s killings targeted the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. Each of these mass killings targeted the symbols of their hatred. Our church now stands in the shoes of Elijah. We must speak and raise our voices to condemn this hatred. Open our hearts to a new way so these types of killings will end. Love shall conquer.