IN THE NEWS

“There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?” (Luke 13:1-4)

How do we know Jesus followed and discussed the news and current events of His day? One indication is the above passage. Items in the news were a group of people that Governor Pilate had ordered killed as they were offering animal sacrifices...their own blood actually ending up mixed with the sacrifices. Another item in the news was a tower unexpectedly falling and killing eighteen people.

Most of the “news” wasn’t any better in Jesus’ day than it is today! I’m usually a guy who can’t get enough of news and current events, but there was a story on last night’s T.V. news on Boston’s FOX channel 25 which put me into a reflective mood. It was a report that longtime incarcerated convicted killer James Riva appeared before the Massachusetts Parole Board this week. Riva’s crime was particularly gruesome. In 1980, he murdered his grandmother. His excuse was that he believed he was a 700-year-old vampire and he wanted to drink her blood. Riva claims HE is in fact a victim, claiming his mother abused him for years. For those who want to read about his Parole Board appearance you can check out:

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1189142

This story had a personal impact for me because James Riva’s mother (Janet Riva) was my high school Algebra 2 teacher. I had Mrs. Riva a number of years before the murder. I absolutely do not believe Mrs. Riva abused her son. As in all high schools, Canton High had some teachers who were very strict and some who were “pushovers”. The school also employed some teachers who were very well known around school and quite “charismatic” and some who were totally boring and uninspiring. In each of the above categories, I’d rate Mrs. Riva right in the middle. I was terrible in Math, and I can tell you she was a good teacher. (I failed Algebra 1 and had to make it up in summer school. In Algebra 2, most of my grades were Bs and Cs, which was very good for me!) I think anybody who went through Canton High in those days would say that Mrs. Riva was a caring person who liked kids and was a good teacher. I feel so sorry for her that her son turned out the way he did, and most of all, that he blames her for his problems.

There have been other intense stories in the news this week. One is the toxic fumes at the trash processing center in New Bedford, which sent a number of people, including emergency first responders, to the hospital. Exactly what caused this is unknown, but the mayor of New Bedford has stated that we all need to be very careful about throwing hazardous waste in our regular household trash. Is there any one of us who hasn’t done that at one time or another? This story has inspired me to be more careful of what I throw in the regular trash.

There’s been the story of former President Bill Clinton traveling to North Korea and securing the release of the two young female American journalists who had been sentenced to twelve years of hard labor. Many believe that there was much more to this story, and that much was discussed between Clinton and the North Korean dictator behind the scenes. Even so, I’m glad the young people were released.

There’s also been the story of Boston Police Officer Justin Barrett who wrote a very racist e-mail letter to a Boston Globe columnist regarding the Henry Louis Gates arrest. He has been suspended and will likely be fired since Mayor Menino has said, “he’s gone ; g-o-n-e.” Barrett is now suing the City arguing among other things that he has essentially been fired already without a fair hearing. If you’ve read the text of Barrett’s e-mail, he frankly doesn’t have a leg to stand on. It’s blatantly racist and sexist. This story is a sobering warning to a lot of us who tend to fire off emotional e-mails. Such an action can literally ruin your life. I have one Baptist pastor friend who got into a very difficult situation when one of his lay leaders contacted him asking for information about a particular man in the church. The pastor fired off an e-mail to the lay leader letting the lay leader know what a real jerk he thought the man was. The problem is that instead of addressing the e-mail to the lay leader, he addressed it to THAT MAN! Needless to say, that family left the church and the pastor was left with egg on his face. I have another Baptist pastor friend who recently told me that she (yes, this one’s a she) saves any e-mail she’s fired off in haste in her “Drafts” folder and leaves it there for 24 hours. At that time she reviews it and makes the decision of whether to send it or not; and usually does NOT.

Yes, the news has put me in a very reflective mood this week. There’s a lot to think about. Finally, most of the news reminds us that this world is in a mess, but it also underscores what all true Christians know: that Jesus Christ is our only hope in times like these!