Friday, June 4, 2004
Friday, June 4, 2004
“See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell£ with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”
(Revelation 21.3-4
NRSV)
There is Antwan, age 10. His mother warned him about the drug dealers who hang around the playground where he spends hours each day. A mother's warnings are no match for threats by street thugs, though. These thugs know how to shield themselves from the law. They keep a small child nearby when they are dealing drugs. If the police close in, they hide the drugs on the child. When Antwan was arrested, vials of narcotics were stuffed in his socks. Fortunately, the police saw the older boys force the illicit contraband on him.
Such situations are overwhelming our social welfare system today, as well as our courts. The stories of such children rarely have happy endings. What struck me, though, was the way Time magazine ended its story. The article took us to Antwan's apartment--the 10-year-old with drugs stuffed in his socks. He has been placed in a special program that offers him at least a glimmer of a better life. The writer tells how his mother unscrews the light bulb from the kitchen socket and screws it into the living-room ceiling. It is the only light bulb they have. Its harsh glow illuminates a poster on a far wall. It's a poster of a young black boy crying. A caption at the bottom of the poster reads like this, "He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever."
Lord Jesus, wipe away my tears and replace them with your grace filled love. Amen.
