Violence Continues in Kenya

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_7190000/newsid_7192000?redirect=7192077.stm&news=1&nbwm=1&bbram=1&nbram=1&bbwm=1&asb=1

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_7180000/newsid_7182000?redirect=7182057.stm&news=1&nbram=1&bbwm=1&nbwm=1&bbram=1

Please continue to pray, or start praying, for Kenya. The violence there following December's Presidential Elections has only grown worse, leaving 600-1000 people dead and causing a massive humanitarian refugee crisis in the countries western regions. Pray for peace.

The Rider on the White Horse

"Then I saw Heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords." Revelation 19:11-16

The last two weeks have been hard for me. Why, you might ask, as they have included Christmas and the New Year, time with family and friends. Well, they have been two weeks where I have been reminded again of the depravity of the world. They have been stressful as I've revisited friends suffering from the effects of broken homes, divorces, parents that stayed together but did such a lousy job parenting their children suffer for years, broken relationships leaving scars of guilt and anger and insecurity, old age and the inevitability of death, alcoholism, poverty, and war, mixed in with my own sins and frustrations.

And then there is Kenya. The photos above are from demonstrations held earlier today in Nairobi in the wake of last weekend's corrupt election. Over 300 people have died in the violence that has ensued, and while things are far more complicated than the mainstream media explains, anyone should agree that political violence is lunacy. These events hit close to home for me because I spent three weeks in Kenya in 2006, working in Nairobi's Kibera slum, the center piece of the current violence. I have friends there, and despite its poverty, it was a stable environment at the time of my visit. I've been to lots of places after or during times of chaos and destruction through various disaster response trips in the the U.S. and abroad, but this is the first time I've seen a place I know that was peaceful descend into violence and chaos. Some of the kids and families I worked with may no longer have homes, or worse yet lives. So far all reports I hear from those I know have been positive, but there is no clear end in sight.

All of these things have given me a renewed slap in the face of the depravity of man and the sin I see in this world. But, there is hope, and perhaps these weeks were an appropriate holiday season as they have reminded me of who the God is that I serve and what he promises. I am thankful for a God that loves me, a God that loves me enough to kill his own son that I may I have life. I am thankful for the reality of the Crucifixion, but even more so for the reality of the Resurrection. I am thankful that despite the pain I see around me, there will be a day when this humble lamb, this baby Jesus that once slept in a manger and obeyed death that I might have life, will come again. And when he comes, he will come not as a baby, subjected to the laws and pains of this world, but as one who has conquered these things. He comes as King of the Universe.

I am thankful that he will come back for a fight. He will come not with humility but righteous anger. He will come not as a servant but as the leader of the armies of heaven. I am thankful that he will bring a sharp sword, bearing a name too wonderful to know. I am thankful that he is faithful and true. And I am thankful that he will be tattooed by his father with the most powerful name in all creation: King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

I am thankful that this rider on the white horse will come back, and when he comes he will clean house. If it is true that he knows the hairs on our heads, then he has a clearer view of the suffering in this world than I do, and he has greater anger over this suffering than I do. And when he is through routing the false prophet behind our pain, he will restore the families, forgive the mistakes, heal the sick, pardon the guilty, bolster the insecure, clothe the impoverished, and make right all the things that have hurt me in the last two weeks.

So pray hard, knowing that you pray not to a baby Jesus anymore. No, not even to a nice guy, humble carpenter. But you pray to the King of King, the Lord of Lords. He hears our prayers, and he is sharpening his sword. He is able to do far more than we could ever ask him. And though the pain in this world will continue a little while, I have hope that I will one day stand before this rider after he has retired his sword, battles won with no pain left to be conqured. And he will look at me fondly and call me forward. "Come live with me, my beautiful bride, for in my father's house, there are many rooms."