The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
This morning I received word that my aunt had died during the night, and later I heard that an esteemed brother in the faith had only hours left in his earthly house of clay. My mood is one of somber rejoicing that both these Christians have completed their days here and now have the prospect of basking in the camaraderie of the saints before the face of God.
The Lord alone took their lives, as He took my wife's mother just a few weeks ago. That is His prerogative -- solely His prerogative.
When it comes to the rest of us, He has laid down the commandment, "Thou shalt not murder." The right to life comes from God, so He has circumscribed it with His Law.
Implicit in that Law we see the right to defend our lives against those who would take away the life which God has bestowed. The American tradition has codified that right in something we call the Second Amendment.
Some years ago, I wrote a little verse about the right to bear arms and to defend one's home. I wrote it to the melody of the old Shaker hymn, "Simple Gifts".
My version of the words follow. If you're not familiar with the melody or the original words, you can hear a great rendition by Yo Yo Ma and Alison Krauss by CLICKING HERE.
Tis the gift to be deeded; tis the gift to own land.
Tis the gift to greet strangers with a firearm in your hand.
And when we shall all wear our 'arms in plain sight,
We shall find that society has turned out polite.
This morning I received word that my aunt had died during the night, and later I heard that an esteemed brother in the faith had only hours left in his earthly house of clay. My mood is one of somber rejoicing that both these Christians have completed their days here and now have the prospect of basking in the camaraderie of the saints before the face of God.
The Lord alone took their lives, as He took my wife's mother just a few weeks ago. That is His prerogative -- solely His prerogative.
When it comes to the rest of us, He has laid down the commandment, "Thou shalt not murder." The right to life comes from God, so He has circumscribed it with His Law.
Implicit in that Law we see the right to defend our lives against those who would take away the life which God has bestowed. The American tradition has codified that right in something we call the Second Amendment.
Some years ago, I wrote a little verse about the right to bear arms and to defend one's home. I wrote it to the melody of the old Shaker hymn, "Simple Gifts".
My version of the words follow. If you're not familiar with the melody or the original words, you can hear a great rendition by Yo Yo Ma and Alison Krauss by CLICKING HERE.
Tis the gift to be deeded; tis the gift to own land.
Tis the gift to greet strangers with a firearm in your hand.
And when we shall all wear our 'arms in plain sight,
We shall find that society has turned out polite.
My condolences to you for your loss, as well as that of your wife.
ReplyDeleteAs to the song, I wish someone had actually done your version.... Tis a gift I desire with all that is in me.