How many more must die?

Today two men were found guilty of the racially aggravated murder of black teenager, Stephen Lawrence on the evening of 22 April 1993. Gary Dobson and David Norris were found guilty of Lawrence's murder today, and their sentencing is scheduled to take place tomorrow morning. It has been a prominent case which has questioned policing and has led to enquiries due to the claim that the police were "institutionally racist". Although the sentencing will bring some relief to the family and friends involved, we should bare in mind that this is just one of the many recent news items which involve murder since boxing day. It makes some reading...

• Indian student Anuj Bidve, 23, was shot at close range as he walked with friends in Salford on 26th December.
• Richard Williams, 58, a homeless man, was sitting at the bus stop in Birmingham when he was attacked at midnight on 30 December. 
• An unknown young woman was found on 1at January on the Queen's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk by a dog walker. Police think she had been murdered and lain there for around a month.
• Susan McGoldrick, 47, her sister Alison Turnbull, 44, and her niece Tanya Turnbull, 24 were shot in the house by Susan's partner, Michael Atherton 42 in Horden, County Durham shortly before midnight on January 1st. He then killed himself.
• Joshua Green, 27, was at a New Years Party in a nightclub in Sheffield when he was stabbed at 2.45am on 1st January.

In 9 days, 6 people have been killed by others; with the young woman in Sandringham being killed about a month ago.

Despite this, we have to bear in mind that, on the whole, we do live in a safe country. A little over 1 person in every 100,000 in the UK is killed each year (1.14 to be exact). I read yesterday that Venezuela had a murder ratio of 67 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2011, that equates to 53 people every single day!
I'm not trying to scare you, I promise. It just that all this has made me really think of the way our God was killed. Just like all those I have mentioned, he was killed in horrific circumstances. He was brutally mutilated, brutally whipped, beaten, spat upon and crucified. No one would chose to be killed in any manner I have mentioned, least of all a public execution. But, Jesus chose to take the cross, the pain and the world's sin upon himself, even though he knew he would be in pain, he knew he would suffer - but he chose this. Mad enough to die like this; but then he is mad enough to love the world like he does.

Stephen Lawrence's murder has sent shock-waves through the legal and policing system thanks to the medal-deserving work of the family of Stephen. How much more did the murder of Jesus change the world?

It's weird how something so horrific as fatal accidents, murder and execution have to take place to change things; be it putting in road safety measures, tightening gun licences, governments bringing down murderous rulers etc. How many more must die?

Please keep in your thoughts the family and friends of all those I have mentioned. Pray for the work of the police, the prison service and the prison chaplains too. Pray that peace can be brought to the world, and all those who are fighting to reduce the rate of homicide throughout our planet.
May God keep you safe now and always. And, in the words of Nick Ross from when he presented 'Crimewatch',  "Don't have nightmares, do sleep well"

Morrison.