All of us were struck once again by the evil that occurred in Newton, Connecticut yesterday. We turned on the news to hear about a tragic slaughter of some 20 young children, and several adults by a 20 year old man. WHY? WHY? What causes a person to do such horrendous things? We don't know, and probably will never know. Evil comes in many forms and it needs no reason...it is what it is, Evil.
I didn't intend this day to write about the story of the infants of Herod's slaughter. Yet unfortuately, it is part of the Advent story:
Matthew 2:1-18 (NIV)
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him...
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.
17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him...
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.
17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."
Yesterday People all over this country wept. I wept, the President wept, Teachers and Principals wept?Moms and Dads, kids.
WHY? Why did this occur?
It's easy for us to start our sentence with "Why God....."
But let's be clear, here with Herod, and yesterday in Newton, God was not the cause.
It's not God who was behind the shootings. It was not God disrupting the lives of a nation. It was not God who killed 20 children, and several adults.
I think God wept too!
"But, surely if God is sovereign, and powerful, he could have stopped this? Why didn't God stop the young man? Why did God allow Herod to kill the infants? Why did God allow _____________ to get cancer? Why? Why? Why?
Our questions could go on and on. Here's the problem, we don't need "reasons", we need a "savior". There comes times when understanding ends, or it is incapable of addressing the depths of human misery.
But, this I know...God is not offended by our Why's.
Do we believe that he hears? that he cares? I find the words of the Psalmist to be encouraging:
Psalm 130:1-8 (NIV)
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
2 O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
2 O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.
Look again, carefully. Here is the answer. "Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord...." is the one bookend. The other bookend is "He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins."
What we need is a Savior. One who comes and understands our suffering, the evil that invades the world and causes horrendous evil to occur. We need one who knows that suffering must end. One who experiences the depths of human misery and rises above it all to show us the light of life.
And that is what we have - Jesus, our Suffering Savior came into this world as a lowly infant. Even in his coming the enemy of our souls - the enemy of God - struck a blow to destroy...the suffering does not end as long as evil exists.
But the Savior has come...and he said "It is finished" and it will be. The world is a composite of ugly and beautiful...of joy and pain...of misery and ecstasy. The world is a battleground of Spiritual forces...of good and evil. Warfare, this Cosmic, Spiritual Warfare in the heavenlies has casualties.
But only the gospels, and The Gospel, proclaims that God entered into this world of evil that humans created. Only the Gospel declares that God did not destroy the world and start over, nor did he stand at a distance and say "too bad". Only the Gospel declares that God entered the world, born in blood, in a stable full of animal crap, and that he lived a life that demonstrated that God was good, full of mercy, and wanting to redeem all - for "God so loved the world that he gave (to suffer and die) his one and only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Newton, Connecticut lives in the litany of those terrible horrendous places...Columbine, the Twin Towers, the Killing fields of Cambodia, Auschwitz....and on and on we could go.
Where is God? He is there...in the suffering...in the killing...weeping too!
Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV)
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.
16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin.
16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
A Prayer: "Today Father, our hearts are heavy. We don't understand when people are gunned down...whether in a Mall, or a theater, or a school. But most of all we don't understand it when it is children.
There are times when our prayers seem so powerless...when we feel so sick inside that we don't know what to say, or what to do. So, we turn to you Lord. You understand suffering. You understand the human cry of emotions from deep inside the soul. You understand the questions, the anger, the gut-wrenching feelings of frustration and groanings that don't seem to end. We pray for you mercy. Jesus you came to suffer for us, to bring about a great victory - for you Kingdom to come upon the earth. Once again we say, Father please, let your Kingdom come. Be the mercy for the families, relatives, friends in Newton. Rescue and deliver us from all evil. Help us to be the people of mercy, grace, and love - even though the evil still exists. Thank you that you know about suffering...you went through it yourself. Help these to get through this with a sense of your mercy and grace. Amen."
There are times when our prayers seem so powerless...when we feel so sick inside that we don't know what to say, or what to do. So, we turn to you Lord. You understand suffering. You understand the human cry of emotions from deep inside the soul. You understand the questions, the anger, the gut-wrenching feelings of frustration and groanings that don't seem to end. We pray for you mercy. Jesus you came to suffer for us, to bring about a great victory - for you Kingdom to come upon the earth. Once again we say, Father please, let your Kingdom come. Be the mercy for the families, relatives, friends in Newton. Rescue and deliver us from all evil. Help us to be the people of mercy, grace, and love - even though the evil still exists. Thank you that you know about suffering...you went through it yourself. Help these to get through this with a sense of your mercy and grace. Amen."
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