Tragedy at Westroads

I watched the news as the terrible details came to light.  A disturbed 19 year old decided that his life was too much to bear and wanted to make everyone else feel his pain...so he created as much pain as possible.  The senseless deaths of 9 people at Westroads Mall has brought pain to an entire region, let alone the families that have lost treasured family members.  How do we make sense of this?

We really can't make sense of this, because it is senseless.  The 19 year old committed suicide, which in itself is a selfish act.  A suicide alone causes pain and unanswered questions to all those left behind.  The emotional impact of suicide can go on for years for family members and friends who ask over and over, "what could I have done to prevent this?" 

Undoubtedly, this young man was in pain.  But he decided that he wanted all of us to feel his pain.  And he brought his pain into the lives of people that had nothing to do with his pain at all.  This is a purely selfish act of evil. 

Theologically, this is a tragic example of sin gone wild.  Martin Luther described sin as "a person turning in on themselves."  Sin is self-centeredness that drives a person away from the will and love of God.  What happened at Westroads on Wednesday is an extreme example of what sin can do in the lives of people.  The after effects of this sin will be felt be the families of the victims for years and years to come.

Of course, what makes this even worse is that it happened during the "Christmas season".  This is to be a season of peace and joy, not terror.  And yet, in the midst of all the Christmas decorations in Von Maur, killing and death took place.  Yet, as the people of God who know the real story of Christmas, we know that it was into this kind of messed up, evil, sinful world, that the baby Jesus entered.  God chose to send his son into a world full of this kind of sin and violence.  In fact, this kind of sin and violence would one day take the life of Jesus.  But we also know that his death was not the "end of the story." 

So it is with the hope of the resurrection that we reflect on what happened at Westroads. Hope that God is greater than the power of sin and evil in our midst.  Hope in the promise of eternal life.  Hope that one day he will come again and things will be changed forever. Hope that the grace and love of God will surround the families of those who lost their lives with comfort.  Hope that sin and evil will ultimately not win out, but victory in Christ Jesus will. 

So today we grieve with Christian hope.  When you think about it...isn't this what Christmas is all about...God coming into this world through his son Jesus, to save us from sin and evil.  All we can say is, "Come Lord Jesus.  Come quickly! Come now! Come!"

Pastor Greg

Comments

[Kim]

This morning I met with Sandi Fabry, TeamMates coordinator in Lincoln. One thought kept her awake last night as she thought about the horror in Omaha. Over and over she asked herself, "Would a mentor have made a difference in that young man's life? If he had had a mentor, would that have changed his future -- and the futures of all the people whose futures he took away?" She believes it would have. Could one caring adult in his life, at the right time, have made a difference? All we can do is ask...and pray...and look for the ways God can use us to make a difference in the lives of others - to make his kingdom come on earth.