I have finished the Boston Marathon seven times, and the run down Boylston Street is the epitome of athletic excitement. Whether you are the winner of the marathon or back in the pack with runners like me, the crowds always cheer for you as if you were winning the race and they all knew your name.
The marathon is always run on Patriot's Day, a state holiday for MA, and it seems the entire state turns out for the marathon and Red Sox game. People line the route from Hopkington to Boston, but the masses become ten deep on Boylston. When you turn onto Boylston Street off of Hereford, no matter how you feel, you know you will finish because you can see the finish line and the crowds will make your forget the pain in your legs and body.
Interrupt that idyllic experience with an explosion driving shrapnel into the backs of spectators and concussion-producing blasts.
Whoever did this knew the masses would gather on Boylston because of the marathon and the game. They knew the sidewalks would be packed, and they knew they could cause the mayhem and panic and injuries by exploding their bombs then and there.
Why the description of when and where? It exposes the evil nature of those who committed this act.
We are all infected with sin which can grow into evil, unemotional acts that create pain and suffering and death in others.
What does such an event tell us about the human condition?
- Sin and evil are real.
- Sin and evil create callous behavior like we saw today.
- Sin and evil drive us all to ask why this sort of thing can happen to innocent people.
- Sin and evil demand we can't go on like this.
- Sin and evil drive us to call for justice and someone to change things.
The Good News in all of this evil and death is that evil and death do not have the last say in this event or our lives. Justice has been paid on the cross, and our Rescuer has come, and his Holy Spirit is with all who call upon him today.
This may sound like shallow, religious gibberish to some, but to those of us who have experienced this justice and rescue know it is real and that this IS our only hope.
May God bless those who were injured, the families of those who died, and the runners.
My heart hurts with you for those who were affected directly by the blast and for those who have seen the horror in pics, videos, and broadcasts. It is a sad day for all.
My heart hurts with you for those who were affected directly by the blast and for those who have seen the horror in pics, videos, and broadcasts. It is a sad day for all.