Sunday, July 12, 2009

City of Blood....

"Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims!"
-Nahum 3:1

The ancient Assyrians were known for their brutal, psychological warfare...heaping the heads or bodies of their enemies into pyramids in front of their defeated foes cities. Caging one king with a dog collar into a constructed kennel in front of one conquered city's gate. Impaling defeated warriors on stakes, skinning fallen soldiers and lining their city walls with their epidermis. Deporting whole classes of people to other countries and resettling the lands with foreigners; uprooting, severing and erasing history, culture and sense of place. These warmongers were supreme in their craft of violence, masters of blade, spear, chariot and horse...they ruled with a bloody fist.

And God had compassion on them and called Jonah to go preach to them...and those manhunters...repented and God relented of His coming judgment for another generation.
I thought of this story as I reflected on a recent murder that took place a block from our church and two blocks from our home. This picture above is the memorial placed on the sidewalk where a man had a knife stuck in his throat in an argument with a woman.

I thought about Jonah, who chose to flee from the call to enter the "Bloody City" and instead bought a ticket to a far off Mediterranean port. I wrestled with the call to go to the barbarians and live among them...the fear, threat, danger and psychological challenge that is presented in living on sidewalks where blood is spilled. Do we flee or stand? I understand Jonah's trepidation and the wrestle with the implications of such a call. Until you are faced with such realities...the cost is simply theoretical. In these moments Mission must be birthed out of Divine Compassion and a clear sending mandate...or the seaports siren call...will overpower your sense of "doing something good" for the community.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

How I have longed for a preacher to make the Bible and its stories a reality. So many times I have heard the story of Jonah preached at me as a call of "You better obey God, or he'll get you!" You gave me a new perspective today. It suddenly dawned on me that Jonah wasn't simply disobeying God because the Ninevites were "unclean" or not "Hebrews" but because he was truly frightened of what they might do to him! You have a powerful gifting of both a storyteller and a preacher. You capture the imagination wonderfully and make these dusty old stories come alive. For the first time in my life I am truly excited to come to church and learn. You give fresh insight and have pulled me from the "been there, done that" doldrums.

~Charity :)

Unknown said...

Charity,
You words are warmly received, thank you very much. In fact, I have a post brewing about storytelling and your words confirmed that desire.

I appreciate you're wit and hunger...glad you are present and poking around this place to see what's under the carpet and in the basement...I hope you both decide to journey with us for a season.

FCB said...

Hi Eric,
I was staying there when this murder happened and I know it had a profound impact on you, me as well. When reading about a murder ten miles away, well, it is temporary news; but when it is two blocks away, somehow much different.
I know your call to live and minister in this neighborhood was a difficult one, and of course to have my four grandchildren live there is foremost on both of our minds. But we trust God and pray for his protection, and change.
And there has been change, much change, and we all praise God for it, as well as continue to pray.
It is easy to preach about the valley of death when you walk in it.
Love Dad

Matt said...

kind of close to home! can understand the wonderings. Did it happen at night? That's probably why God kept the Jews indoors at night. I purposely avoid driving here at night, probably half the people on the road are drunk. We don't have to run to be smart.

Unknown said...

yep, two blocks from our home...at 10PM.

Wes said...

Makes for an interesting point re:Ted Nugent post on the Wild Man blog. Gun control arguments aside, Joy, Josie & I pray for you & your family regularly as well as all the JW folks. Keep fighting the good fight, Eric. What God has done in that area through you & Jacobs Well will continue to flourish!

Unknown said...

Thanks...westmorelands, much appreciated for sure. ;)