I woke up this morning to find this article when I checked for an update on the tragic deaths of (presumably some or many being children since I read last night that 12 adults and 13 pediatric cases were transported, at that point) were now at five from last night’s rampage upon people by a fast-moving red SUV during a Christmas parade in Waunesha, Wisconsin. I now saw another headline this morning…five dead and forty injured…

I learned – among other things – that the theme of this town’s celebration last night was Comfort and Joy.

It is not my intention to delve into the outcome of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial in my writing here. But from this article whose headline caught my attention, I learned that a Democatric social media advocate from Illinois tweeted that this was “karma,” among other comments made, for last week’s outcome in that Wisconsin trial for violent acts.

I simply want to state as a reminder that violence begets violence and violence does not end violence. And that our tongues can be the bearer of violence and violent, piercing words.

Dr. King knew that keeping violence in circulation would not end violence:

“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate…Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

I think this statement by Mary Lemanski, “who is listed as the social media director for the Democratic Party,”¹ and other communications by this woman is up there in the category somewhere with statements by the Westboro Baptist Church, a so-called Christian group that pickets funerals of dead soldiers with signs stating that their deaths are God’s retribution for homosexuality in our nation.

I’m also remembering remarks made by Rob Bell. He was giving a talk years back and “Christian” protesters defaced posters writing “Ghandi is in hell.”

As I recall in paraphrase of his remarks about this in his book Love Wins, he says:

“You know that? You know that for sure. That Gandhi is in hell. You’ve been there to confirm?”

I also recall remark by Rob Bell in a podcast, addressing communication from one of his followers that stated her frustration with how “unwoke” (paraphrase) her circle of friends were (or something to that effect) and that she kept giving them his book Love Wins but they were not receiving it. I recall the remark being along the lines that her actions would not convince them that “her love wins.” There is a lot to contemplate in this.

Karma.

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Yes Scripture texts talk about reaping and sowing.

GALATIANS 6 (The Passion Translation)

Carry Each Other’s Burdens

1 My beloved friends, if you see a believer who is overtaken with a fault,  the one who is in the Spirit should seek to restore him in the Spirit of gentleness. But keep watch over your own heart so that you won’t be tempted to exalt yourself over him.  2 Love empowers us to fulfill the law of the Anointed One as we carry each other’s troubles. 3 If you think you are somebody too important to stoop down to help another (when really you are not), you are living in deception. 4 Let everyone be devoted to fulfill the work God has given them to do with excellence, and their joy will be in doing what’s right and being themselves, and not in being affirmed by others. 5 Every believer is ultimately responsible for his or her own conscience.  6 And those who are taught the Word must share all good things with their teacher. We Harvest What We Plant 7 God will never be mocked! For what you plant will always be the very thing you harvest. 8 The harvest you reap reveals the seed that you planted. If you plant the corrupt seeds of self-life into this natural realm, you can expect a harvest of corruption. If you plant the good seeds  of Spirit-life you will reap beautiful fruits that grow from the everlasting life of the Spirit. 9 And don’t allow yourselves to be weary in planting good seeds, for the season of reaping the wonderful harvest you’ve planted is coming! 10 Take advantage of every opportunity to be a blessing to others,  especially to our brothers and sisters in the family of faith!

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Sometimes there is a clear connection between that which we sow and that which we reap.

But I think that many times, speculations of the idea of karma (which is, essentially, sowing and reaping) can be quite muddied through the eyes of our own biases and thought processes.

Scripture also says that the tongue is a sword, a weapon of violence. And is lit on fire by hell itself.

“The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” – Proverbs 12:18

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“A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!

 It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.

This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!

My friends, this can’t go on. A spring doesn’t gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don’t bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don’t bear apples, do they? You’re not going to dip into a polluted mud hole and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you?” – (James 3:3-12, The Message)

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I am also reminded that awhile back I was upset and chatting with a friend about wrongful and hurtful words spoken to me by someone close. My catharsis was a bit lengthy and while they couldn’t read it all at the moment, they paused to respond and “acknowledge the piercing of that person’s words” to me.

There are a number of references in the Old and New Testaments to the idea and act of piercings and woundings.

And I acknowledge that this sets the bar a little higher for me, day by day, to have the grace to see when my words may be piercing or wounding in some way that isn’t in line with speaking the truth in love.

Surely when we speak unwanted truths there are hurts; we will pierce and wound others at times.

Just some thoughts about this for those who still seek kindness and the binding up of the deep wounds in our nation. More and more this feels like such an overwhelming process.

Who seek to find unity wherever possible while speaking truth in love.

People who can acknowledge violence wherever and from whom it is witnessed.

And especially, when it comes from our own tongues and those whom we generally support.

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¹ Illinois Dem blasted for calling Wisconsin Christmas rampage ‘karma’