Jesus Wept?

Our Heavenly Father, this morning our hearts are broken. As is yours. Once more, evil appears to triumph. And once more, lives have been lost. When Jesus was born, yes, the angels sang. And the shepherds rejoiced. But today we also remember that Matthew 2:18 says a voice was heard in Ramah weeping and mourning for her children and refusing to be comforted. Because when Jesus was born, children died when a mentally unstable man ordered their deaths in Bethlehem.

And again this week, when we should be singing and rejoicing about the birth of Jesus, instead we are mourning because adults and children died when another mentally unstable man killed kids in school. How long O Lord can we take this? How long O Lord can you? We know Scripture says in Ezekiel 33:11 that you take no delight in the death of the wicked, so we know you take no delight in the death of the innocent. But God, sometimes, all we can do cry.

So Emmanuel, come and comfort your people like you promised you would. Remind us that Jesus got angry at evil too. That you’re weeping with us. And that when we are weak, by God’s grace, we can be strong. In Jesus name, Amen.