A Reflection

It is on everyone’s mind.
It is on everyone’s lips.
Very few would disagree with its severity.
Very few would hesitate to call it evil.

I remember seeing the headline on my phone.
I was not able to click on the article at that moment.
It was not until I got home that my youngest daughter filled me in.
I remember all too well so many times before.

There are so many times before.

It is not about the where.
It is not about the who.
It is not about the when.
It is about the why.

It seems like it is always about the why.
Why did this senseless evil happen?
Why did the person choose to take many lives?
Why doesn’t God step in to stop all of this?

It is the worst mass murder in US history.
A gunman entered a nightclub in Orlando, Florida and open fired on the people inside.
It is reported that 49 people were killed and over 50 were injured.
Area hospitals looked like a war zone as they tried to care for the wounded.

All over the news are reports of family members looking for loved ones.
There are countless interviews with people who have lost a friend in the massacre.
There is confusion and devastation.
There is sadness and fear.

The nightclub where the shooting occurred was frequented by the LGBT community.
Evil against any group of people is reprehensible.
Evil against anyone who cannot defend themselves is horrific.
Evil for no apparent reason is senseless.

I read a wonderful response to the shooting by a pastor from Nashville, Tennessee.
His name is Scott Sauls and he is the Senior Minister of Christ Presbyterian Church.
Scott was a lead and preaching pastor for Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York.
While there, he worked alongside Dr. Timothy Keller.

Scott Sauls wrote his reflection in his blog: God, People, Places & Things.
Scott began:

Saint Augustine once wrote the famous words:

In essentials, unity;
in non-essentials, liberty;
in all things, charity.

Today, and especially in light of the horrendous massacre in Orlando, in which forty-nine souls had their lives cut short by a shooting spree at a gay night club, I would like to focus on the third of these three statements. For the purposes of this reflection, I will add the words, “and toward all people and all people groups” to the charity part.

Because of the way that Jesus came to us in love—not while we were at our best but while we were at our worst, not when we were treating him as a friend but when we were treating him as an enemy—we Christians of all people should find creative and consistent ways to love, listen to, and serve all kinds of people…especially in their days of need and loss and sorrow.

In light of the Orlando tragedy, I am especially moved to highlight this basic gospel imperative, to love your neighbor as yourself. This is not a time to be silent about the horrible injustice that occurred in Orlando last weekend. And it is not a time for preaching one’s views about right and wrong when it comes to sexuality. This is a time to love. This is a time for compassion. This is a time for tears, to enter into the sorrow and the loss, not with answers but with presence.

And, whatever one’s beliefs may be about sexuality, silence is never an option where abuse and injustice are perpetrated. Because, as Dr. King once said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

I thought about what Scott Sauls wrote in his reflection.
I thought about Jesus.
I thought about the people with whom Jesus ate, talked, and ministered.
They were not the people the religious leaders would choose to associate with.

Who are the right kind of people with whom we Christians are to associate?
All kinds of people.
Everyone is made in God’s image.
It is vital that we see the image of God in the person standing before us.

Where would Jesus have been during this tragedy?
Jesus would have been right there with the people.
We know that God never leaves us.
We know that God never forsakes us.

That is what is so difficult for us to understand.
It is the age-old theodicy question.
R.C. Sproul, Jr. had an answer when asked that question.
Why do bad things happen to good people? It only happened once and He volunteered.

Jesus knows exactly how we feel.
Jesus was innocent yet He was slaughtered.
Jesus, who had no sin, was a friend to sinners.
He was beaten and hung on a cross for our salvation, to appease the wrath of a holy God.

Jesus understands.

Evil is despicable to the heart of God.
God created everything and declared it good.
Sin has warped the goodness that God intended for His creation.
God’s created order was turned on its head.

As Jesus started on His way, a man ran up to Him and fell on his knees before Him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call Me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.” “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” He said. “Go sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow Me.”  At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad because he had great wealth. (Mark 10:17-22)

This was Jesus’ response to people, even those who walked away from Him.
Jesus looked at him and loved him.
This rich young man may have thought he kept all the commandments.
However, he disobeyed the first one.

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. (Exodus 20:2,3)

Do we, who claim to follow Christ, look at another person and love him?
Do we love those with whom we disagree?
Do we seek to find the image of God in that person?
Do we speak up at injustice instead of remaining silent?

Is our silence too loud?
Is our love conditional?
He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. (Luke 6:35)
That means God is kind to all of us!

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36)
How are we doing?
Scott Sauls said it best in his refection.
This is a time for tears, to enter into the sorrow and the loss, not with answers but with presence.

 

2 responses to “A Reflection”

1. In a time and culture where everyone thinks they have to “take sides” on issues, this is a wonderful reminder that God loves us ALL and Jesus gave His life for ALL of us. God is merciful to us so we must be merciful to others.

   Reply

   • Sue,
     I think we all need to be reminded of the scope and depth of God’s love for us.
     Gina

     Reply