Good morning brothers and sisters. I pray you are off to a great start on this beautiful day. Please see today’s message below:
Every American, regardless of creed or color, should be outraged due to the shootings and killings that took place over the 4th of July weekend. The loss of innocent lives to gun violence continues to be a regular occurrence. The mass shootings of people who were simply trying to celebrate a nation’s independence is unimaginable. We have witnessed these shootings in our houses of worship, schools, streets, grocery stores, resorts, cassinos, night clubs, universities, restaurants, shopping centers, and other places in our communities.
I truly believe that the pandemic has had a negative psychological impact on the general public, but what has caused a people to senselessly kill one another is beyond comprehension. It seems as if there is no regard and respect for the life of another person.
Our hearts ache for families who are grieving today because a family member has been gunned down. In some cases, there is no evidence of an apparent reason for performing such a heinous act.
There is one case I wish to concentrate on this morning, and that is the shooting death of a 25-year-old Black man in Akron, Ohio on June 27, 2022. How is it possible for a routine traffic stop to turn so bad that a person would be shot 60 times by police officers? These are the people who are hired to protect us, not slaughter us. Just imagine being shot at 90 times, but 60 bullets penetrated his body. Yes, the young man may have violated the law, but how do you riddle someone’s body with that many bullets is unthinkable.
This young man, Jayland Walker did not adhere to the letter of the law when stopped, but still, how can you shoot another human being 60 times and continue shooting while the person is already down on the ground. Let this be a reminder to all of us that nothing has gotten better after the death of George Floyd. Attorneys and preachers have received lucrative payoffs, but when will someone of notoriety step out on faith to change behaviors and practices in our police departments. We should be outraged and persistent in our demands. Where are our voices of reason?
The people of Akron continue to protest, but it is the same old after affect. The outrage last just for a short while, and then we are right back to our routines for the day. Unfortunately, we now wait for the next tragedy to occur.
If there was a vicious dog ready to attack a police officer or anyone else, I don’t believe they would shoot the dog 60 times. My point is simply, some people value the life of a dog more than they do human beings. This is not an assault on law enforcement, but it is an attempt to bring awareness to injustice and racism.
What we must not do during our outrage is to blame God, for God has given us “free will”, therefore it is man who must practice self-control and love. We must remember that God is love, and He calls us to love our fellow brothers and sisters. Murder has been occurring since the beginning of time, and God has not been pleased.
If we could love one another as stated in scripture, we would not be a society who is out to kill, steal and destroy, for that is what Satan wants us to do.
“If someone says, “I love God; and hates his brother, he is a liar, for if he does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him; that he who loves God must love his brother.” 1 John 4:20-21
May we all pray that God will change the hearts of mankind, so that we might live as brothers and sisters in peace.
Not a sermon, just my thoughts!
Robert Earl Slade, Pastor
