Beth (age 12) and Ryan (age 9) are children of Lyn
& Nigel, two friends of mine from my last parish. Actually, Nigel was their step farther. Beth & Ryan’s biological & legal
father was Ari, a deeply disturbed man who turned out to be a monster. On
evening, Avi attempted a double murder suicide of his children and himself.
Tragically, the children had died by the time the police arrived; but somehow,
they were able to save Avi. Lyn and
Nigel were two more victims of Avi’s evil, who remain brokenhearted until this
day, 18 years after the murder of their children.
Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do the
good die young? Why are innocent people
slaughtered? Why does cancer and other
diseases destroy members of our families? Why do some people break our hearts,
and don’t seem to care?
Well, this morning we are going to look at some of
this—but I can tell you right now—None of what I am going to say this morning
will make any sense to you unless you have an active relationship with Christ.
To unbelievers, this will be utter nonsense.
But to seekers and believers, we can find some understanding from God’s
word.
One reason the innocent are wounded and killed on
our earth is because we all have something call free will. You and I and all others throughout his make
our own decisions to do good, or to do sin.
And what is sin? Well, here is
the definition we are using this morning.
Please repeat after me: SIN IS OUR DISOBEDIENCE OF GOD”S WILL. Sin is our disobedience of God’s will, The Bible tells us that God’s original plan
for humanity was for us to live in peace and harmony, under His protection, as
we obeyed his laws. But humankind
rejection God’s plan by disobeying his commandments, which would have assured
peace and harmony. Too often, you and I and the world mostly choose to do what
we want. As we confessed just a moment
ago, we do not love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds &
bodies; and we do not love our neighbors as ourselves. And it’s within this context of sinful
disobedience that the evil one intervenes to inspire people to hurt, abuse, and
to murder the innocent. Bad things happen to good people because sinful people
choose to do evil.
But not only sinners hurt the innocent, but mother
nature does likewise. God’s word tells that the physical world is NOT the way
God panned it. Contrary to what
idealists may think, the physical world is capable of evil too. God’s word tells us that the sin of humanity
infected the natural world, making it dangerous. Therefore, innocent people are
killed by landslides, such as the recent one in Washington State, killed by earth
quakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and the like.
God’s word says that these natural disasters are the result of the
sinful decay and corruption of our natural world.
So, what is God’s reaction to this? Is he aloof, uncaring, or maybe even
impotent? He is a liar, because
throughout the Bible declares over and over agins His compassion for us. God’s compassion
for the suffering is best revealed by Jesus.
God chose to become mortal to demonstrate to the world that God cries
when we cry; he suffers when we suffer.
Indeed, according to t the Bible , the compassion of God is far greater
than what most of us ever experience.
Whenever Jesus encountered the sick or broken hearted people, the Bible
tells us that His compassion was so deep—so strong—that He felt physical pain,
right in his gut. This is what is happening in today’s Gospel reading. Jesus looks
into the future, where he sees the total destruction an annihilation of the
City of Jerusalem, which occur at the hands of the Roma Empire some 35 years
after the first Easter Sunday. He is
moved to tears, and he weeps not just about the pain He encountered in the
present, but also about the pain and suffering and innocent bloodshed that evil
would perpetuate in the future.
So, Jesus decided to take action—action which would
turn the tide against the destruction of humanity and the natural world. Jesus understood that because he was the Son
of God, because He never sinned by choosing to disobey God or God’s
commandment---that he was in the position to do something that no one else
could do. He knew that he could offer his sinless life on the cross; He knew
that by the shedding of his innocent blood, that He could break the power of
sin and evil. He knew that His father
would not let him down.....that His father would then raise Him from the dead,
so that he could offer amnesty to all who confessed their sins. And not only
that, but that He would gather an army of forgiven sinners who, by their own
free win, would stand up to the evil and to sin that hurts and kills the
innocent. And this army would have one weapon—the
know that everyone who choose to believe in Jesus, would receive his amazing
love, and be equipped to share that love with those victimized by evil. And further, this army would do what he did:
offer our lives to oppose evil, even at risking our own security, or comfort or
in some cases, our lives. And we do this
in the knowledge that as more and more people choose God’s plan through Christ,
that one day, the God’s peace and harmony will be fulfilled.
So, now we go back to our story. The murderous Avi was convicted by the courts,
and sentence to live without parole. However, shortly after he entered prion,
he died under mysterious circumstances. Child abusers and murders never live
long in prison. Avi received his justice, which all evil doers will receive in
God’s own way, at his discretion.
Lyn and Nigel—they could have gone down the tubes;
but they did not? Why? Because they were overwhelmingly supported
not only by their parish church, but also by their friends and neighbors and
especially by the Jewish community, who cried with them. They clung to their faith in Christ, knowing
that they felt like hell; but also continuing to believe that Jesus Christ
would guide them through this valley of the shadow of death. AS I sat with them for many days, I saw how
touched they were by the kindness of God as expressed through other people:
For example, they were comforted by the medical
examiner, which must have the worst job on earth. This doctor had the best bedside manner that
I had ever seen.
The Police Department provided around the clock protection
at their home from the press and other spectators, who otherwise would have
disrupted their grieving.
The county prosecutor worked tirelessly to bring the
murder to justice.
The night after the murder, 75 of our parishioners spontaneously
gathered for a prayer vigil to offer prayer for the suffering and mutual
support for us all, for we suffered, too.
The children were part of our family.
Beth’s Youth Group ladder and Ryan’s Sunday School
teacher worked tirelessly to comfort their young friends, who were shocked and traumatized.
The churches “Sonshine Committee” brought meals to
the family, night after night, week after week, and month after month.
There was a newspaper reporter, who snuck into the
funeral—but she was so uplifted by the service, that she wrote a compassionate
article, thereby downplaying the sensationalism o the day.
The support continued to roll in like a flood, and
it upheld this couple during the worst times of their lives.
18 years later, Lyn and Nigel are in a new state
with new friends and a new church. They partially filled the void in their lives
by becoming foster parents. Lyn is now
working for the Police depart as a victim’s advocate. They have found assurance
that Jesus has always been with them; and that they look forward to being
reunited with their children, in the next life.
They openly acknowledge that all this happened because of their faith in
Jesus Christ.
---The Rev. John Donnelly
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