de-humanization

today in church, the children's story was Judas' Kiss. It wasn't the betrayal or the swords and clubs - it wasn't the hord of enemies he brought in tow - it wasn't really even the kiss. it was the intimacy, the coming near, the lips touching skin and saliva annointing the face of another that brought me to tears this morning.

i thought to myself, this is not what a kiss is for.

today in church, the first story i heard was death. one of the youth (now 21 - who has not been in the youth group while i've been there - but who has come many times) from my church was killed in the zombie massacre saturday. his mom was at church saturday night when she found out. she didn't find out until late because it took the police all day to identify the victims. it took the police all day to identift the victims because they were shot in the face.

again, tears - sobbing.

i thought to myself, this is not what a face is for.

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after church, i heard one woman - who i always struggle with - laughing and saying, "you have to trust that God is soveriegn in this."

do you? today?
do you have to laugh? today?
does life have to go on? today?

the story of Jesus does go on. but today, i grieve the kiss.
life, will go on. today, i grieve the death - i grieve the de-facing - i grieve the de-humanization of those i love, who were created in God's image and deserve so much more than a betraying kiss and a violent death.