Sirens on Saturday night. A sermon on Sunday morning. We open the gap between them and seek truth in the tension. From domestic violence, fatal DUIs, and child abuse, we walk through scenes where “turn the other cheek” collides with “protect the innocent,” and we seek answers to the questions we ask as first responders: how do justice and mercy fit together?
We ground the answer in God’s nature and the Cross. Justice and mercy aren’t competing switches; they are who God is, held together without fracture. Romans 13 frames legitimate police authority and the “sword” to oppose evil but not a license for vengeance. We seek the Scripture to redefine justice as restoring order and goodness, not merely punishment. Through Jesus' account of cleansing the temple, we also study righteous anger—planned, proportionate, and purposeful vs. sinful anger.
Then we press into forgiveness without minimizing evil. Forgiving doesn’t erase consequences or dishonor victims; it releases personal vengeance and trusts God’s judgment. We draw strength from Scripture’s hard edges—floods, Sodom, the Psalms—and bring raw prayers to the only One who already knows.
We also look at prayer: pre and post chaos, and as a daily habit of abiding in Christ that shapes us long before the fight.
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