By EMMETTE WEIR

"You have heard that it was said to the men of old 'Ye shall not kill; and whosoever kills shall be liable to judgement.

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever say, 'you fool' shall be liable to the hell of fire.

So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go - first be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift.." Matthew 5: 21-24 (RSV)

Our whole community was shocked and appalled to learn of the brutal murder of a security guard at one of our secondary schools.

I refer, of course, to our late departed brother Vincent Pedican, who was laid to rest on Saturday, December 8, 2007.

A very large congregation, including his family, many friends and indeed people from all walks of life gathered at St. Paul's Methodist Church, where he was a foundation member, to pay their last respects to a Christian gentleman, who had diligently, quietly and effectively served and given of his best in the home, at work, in the church and in our community.

Everyone spoke very highly of him.

That one who had lived in such a peaceful, helpful and cheerful manner should have been subjected to such a merciless, violent death must be cause for grave concern on the path of us all.

Indeed, it is most disturbing to realize that, more murders have occured during 2009, than in any other year in the history of our young nation.

As the singing Bishop Prophet Lawrence Rolle has put in one of his popular musical renditions, "Murder! Murder! Too much murder!"

Just a few comments.

First, it is really not disturbing to note that most of the victims of these violent crimes are males, the vast majority of these being young men "in the flower of youth."

Normally speaking they would be expected to become good, industrous, valuable citizens.

Yes, as a young, developing nation, which desperately needs all its human resources for "nation building," it is utterly distressing to observe that we are losing too many of our most promising young men to, "drugs, crime and murder."

Too many of them, like "Staggerlee who shot Billy over a bet in a gambling argument," are "falling between the cracks" of society.

Secondly, then, we must ask ourselves, "where have we as a Christian nation, gone wrong?"

Why are so many of our young men, and indeed, young women getting into trouble or as Dr. Myles Munroe would say, "not realizing their God given potential?"

Why are so many of them falling prey to crime, teenage pregnancy and other moral lapses?

Here it has to be emphasized that we all must be involved if we are to stop the violence and quell this crime. Many centuries ago, in ancient Israel, a young man named Isaiah stepped into the Temple.

It was a time of national crisis as Uzziah, who had been a great and good king, had died and the young man was concerned about the leadership of the nation.

There in the Temple he had a vision of God sitting upon a throne.

Realizing the Holiness of God he became painfully aware of the sinfulness of his fellow men. Thus, he testified:

"Then said I, 'woe is me for I am undone: Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts" (Isa 6:5).

The prophet was distressed because the people of Israel had failed to live up to the obligations of their Covenant with God.

They had turned to idolatry and were guilty of a multitude of sins including oppression of the poor, theft, adultery and even murder (Amos 2, Isaiah 1).

What made it all the more upsetting for the prophets was the fact that in the midst of their sinfulness, they were engaged in worship in the Temple.

There was no connection between their confession of and their daily living. (Jeremiah 7).

What is extremely important for us to note, however, is that the prophet did not distance himself from the people.

He admitted that he dwelt in the midst of a people of "unclean lips." He felt painfully the deep extent of their sinfulness.

After he was cleansed from sin, he was able to proclaim holiness to the people (Isa. 6).

There is a very relevant lesson for us here. You see, in dealing with crime, we have become "caught up" in a blame game. When the question is asked," why are so many of our young people getting into trouble?" various answers are given. Some place responsibility upon our schools. Others blame the judiciary. Others cry, "What is the Church doing about it?" Still others claim that parents are to be held responsible!

But, my dear friend, aren't we all "barking up the wrong tree" in "pointing fingers" in this futile manner?

It is submitted, therefore, that such an approach is, by no means, edifying! Rather, surely the way forward" must be one in which all institutions and concerned individuals in our community join forces in combatting crime and violence!

Yes, in our homes, we as responsible parents must seek "to bring up our own children as well as those in the community in a Christian manner. The lesson taught in the home must be reinforced in the Church (Sunday School) and day school during the week. In our youth organizations, we must teach our young (and not-so young) people to resolve the conflicts which will inevitably arise, without resorting to violence. Our Courts must do their part, in always seeking to administer justice impartially and as expeditiously as possible!

You see, it is not good enough for us to say, with smug complacency, "Well, my children are "straight A students and are all well behaved, and so all this violence amongst youth is no concern of mine!" Rather, we must all become involved in the discipline of all the children of our community. Yes, we must get back to the habits of "the old days" when a child wa punished for misbehaving at school, got another "dose of discipline" when he/she got home! Yes, it is true! That old African addage is dead right!

"It takes a village to raise a child!"

If we all join in imparting Christian values to "the younger generation, then our children and young people will grow up to become adults who are well disciplined, ambitious and compassionate. They will be able to resolve their comflicts (unlike staggerlee and Billy) without resorting to violence.

For, as our Lord solemnly warned in "The Sermon on the mount," control of anger is the key to solving violent disputes withour resorting to violence! This, indeed, is the burden of our scripture reading in our meditation this bright peace!

As we continue early in this New Year, let us, one and al rededicate ourselves to helping each other, especially those who belong "to the younger generation" to res-olve our differences, whether minor or major, in the spirit of love, unity and peacefulness taught us by the prince of peace!

Yes, let's control the anger, stop the violence... and so quell the wave of crime which threatens to destroy the very fabric of our society, as we recently celebrated the birth of our saviour and Lord.

My friend continue "To walk in the light!"