"Cain said to his brother Abel, 'Let us go out to the field.' And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, 'Where is your brother Abel?' He said, 'I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?'"
Thought:
"Am I my brother's keeper?" Many times I have been asked this and asked
the question myself. Delivered in either humor or aggravation, it deflects the
responsibility one has or does not have for
another. However the posed question and passage suggest an answer to the question. If we begin at the heart, the question
suggests an answer. If we look at the relationship, it too suggests an answer to the question. Yes, he is my brother.
Yes, I care about him because he is another person.
Hear the Good News, the saying is sure and true, that we should love our neighbor as our self. If we love our neighbor as
our self, are concerned about our neighbors well-being, mourn when they mourn, celebrate when they celebrate, and watch over
them, as we watch over our own actions, then we are our neighbor's keeper. If we are our neighbor's keeper, then what of our
brother or sister, our own flesh and blood. Yes, we too can learn something from Cain. Michael Tabb. I too am concerned
for him, for his family, for his church, friends and community. In spite of what has happened, we are to be concerned with
what has happened. Such sadness fills the air at the loss of a life. Heavy is the weight that is added to the yoke of
ministry when we fall to the human condition of selfishness and anger. But just as God was there for Eve and Adam, in
the gift of Seth, God will triumph over this painful lose of life and action of another, and the loss of our sister.
Prayer:
Gracious God, how the tears must fall from your eyes as You watch one of your children take the life of another. And though we have taken and stolen life and innocence from others from the beginning of time, You have been there to offer us hope time and time again. Strengthen us as we have fallen again. Allow us the grace to love and to heal. Remind us that we are the keeper of our brother and sister. Thank You for all that You have done in my life and all You will continue to do, for ask this through Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.