Two weeks ago, Michael Kennedy walked into the police station over in Chantilly. He took out a gun and started firing. Detective Vicky Armel was killed immediately. Officer Michael Garabino lived for a week and half before he too finally died from the injuries sustained on that day. The shooter then turned the gun on himself.
From all accounts, Vicky Armel was a committed Christian who diligently served her church, her community, and her children. It was tragedy. I wish I could say it was one of those unique, freak things that happen. But sadly, it seems way too familiar.
It was only a few months ago that police in North Pole, Alaska, averted what would have been a murder-suicide spree by six teenagers only one day later. Last year, seven people – including a teacher and a security guard were killed in Red Lake, MN. It hasn’t been that long since the massacres in Pearl, MS, Jonesboro, AK, West Paducah, KY. And then of course, we all remember Columbine.
But we should not think that this is restricted to our day. Thursday marked the 79th anniversary of what has been called the Bath School District Massacre. On May 18th, 1927, Andrew Kehoe was a disgruntled former member of the county school board in Bath, Michigan. That morning, he killed his wife, then set fire to his property to cover it up. He proceeded to the schoolhouse whereupon he detonated a cache of dynamite under the north wing of the school. Teachers and children who did not die from the blast perished in the five story collapse of the building. The spree didn’t end until Kehoe, still concealing his intentions, called the superintendent of the schools over to his car. There, he pulled out a rifle and shot him at close range. The bullet apparently passed through his body into even more dynamite hidden in Kehoe’s car. The resulting explosion mercifully ended his rampage that day. In all, nearly 45 men, women, and children perished that day.
As we continue in our series on the 10 commandments, we come to the one that simply says, ‘Thou shalt not kill.’ We’re so used to the pretty prose of the King James that we miss the force of the original. In Hebrew, it’s just two words: “No Killing!”
It’s really not that hard. I wonder, what is it that drives men to do such desperate deeds?
Now I know that when we get to this commandment, the temptation is to argue around the margins. Is capital punishment killing? Is abortion?* Is suicide? What about war? What about euthanasia? (To which both my wife and I often wonder, ‘What about old people in Asia?’)
**[NOTE FOR THE WEB: My congregation holds a very different view on the sanctity of life than I do. This raised an interesting question for me as a pastor - How far do you lead? Ultimately, I decided that this sermon wasn’t the place to change hearts. Am I waiting for the Spirit’s clearer call or just being a coward. You get to decide. Sometimes, I think you need to pick your battles, and to know when discretion is the better part of valor.]**
Well, there are good and thoughtful answers to all of those questions. But, there are even more bumper stickers, and so I don’t really want to get into those questions this morning. If you are interested, I’d be happy to point you to articles and sermons, and other writings. Just to name one source, our Roman Catholic friends have been doing a great job talking about our God and the “culture of life.”
But take a step back from the edges. Let’s remember a simple, clear, easy to see, easy to understand fact. God loves life! Why is that we make that so complicated?
Why do we kill?
Now, I doubt any of us have actually pulled the trigger in cold blood. I know none of us has served a life sentence for taking a life. And yet, clearly it is a rule that broken far too often. And we’re not even talking about Jesus’ warning that when we hate our neighbor, we’ve killed him in our hearts.
I don’t know if you remember, but when I began this series, I called it “Laws of Love, Laws of Life.” I was originally thinking that these were simple rules that would tell us about God’s love, and how we could live good lives.
Honestly, until May 8th, I thought this Sunday’s sermon would simply be an esoteric thought. But, the sheer proximity of the Chantilly spree shocked me. My brother isn’t sure yet, but he thinks that the detective who tried to help when my sister-in-law needed to be institutionalized, was none other than Vicky Armel.
And so, in light of recent events, I keep coming back to the question – now with a renewed urgency. What is it that drives people to kill?
I have prayed about this, I’ve meditated on this, and I think I know. The answer is pretty simple. Men kill when their hope is gone.
Earlier, we read from Ecclesiastes, from Job. There is a huge gap between those who have hope of resurrection, and those who don’t.
Walk the halls of a high school today, and you’ll see kids dressed up like vampires, bored with life, looking for anything to take their minds off the numbing fact that this is all just ‘going through motions.’ They look for a little bit of excitement. As the Bible says, the best that someone who doesn’t have hope in the resurrection is simple: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.
They know that. What’s one more day anyway? I remember a friend of mine took up smoking his last year of high school, knowing full well what it was going to do to him. He said, “Why not? I’m just worm food anyway.”
That is lack of hope. That is a horrible way to live.
On the other side, there are those who have a misplaced sense of hope. I know that it’s not particularly politically correct to speak bad of Islam, but think about their hope. If you’re a woman, the best you can do in heaven is be part of a harem. If you’re a man, its all about ‘What can I get for myself in the next life.’
You cannot reason with a man whose best hope is to kill as many “infidels” as he can on his way out.
You see it in Israel and Gaza and Iraq every day. Men who think they have no hope left here bomb themselves with the only hope of taking others out with them. They are lured into a false hope about 72 virgins in the next life, and none in the present.
(Aside:) I saw a funny cartoon the other day. As you know, Zacharias Moussoui’s jury didn’t allow him to become a martyr. This cartoon shows him being led in a cell, where the jailer says to him: ‘Sorry, you’re going to have settle for 72 vermin.” But in all seriousness, did you hear what happened after his trial? Mousoui had pled guilty because he didn’t thin a jury could found that would be unbiased. He assumed he was going to die. When they spared his life, it shocked him. And then, he tried to change his verdict.
One of the things that makes America great is that fundamental fairness. Every one gets to participate in the culture of life. We all have an equal chance before sovereign God.
But there are too many who are ignorant of that fact. It might be the suicide-bomber who thinks God is merely vengeful and a rewarder of those who think that God only acts according to their small idea of him. Or, it maybe the simple suicide in which a young man or a young woman thinks that his or her death will just a private and meaningless act – affecting no one but their own little lives, in total ignorance of the great love their heavenly father has for them. But kill because they have lost all hope.
And that brings me back to this commandment. When God says, ‘Thou shalt not kill,’ he says it because he means it. He says it because of who He is. You see, our God is a God of hope.
Listen to what Paul says in Romans 15:4-6–
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of steadfastness and encouragement [you could also say ‘May the God of hope’] grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6 so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
If our God was just a God of chance, he couldn’t say that. He’d have to say, ‘For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by hard work, smart choices, and good luck, you might avoid me squashing you like a bug.’ But no – he says, read what I’ve written you, and you’ll see that I love you.
What a difference that makes!
If you have ever been to a funeral, I’m sure you have these words from 1 Corinthians 15.
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
It’s completely true. We as Christians know that even if someone has been killed, there is hope. We wait for glorious resurrection bodies. It’s a hope greater than what we have now.
But, I want to turn that around this morning. I’d suggest if our only hope is for the next life, then what would we be still be lollygagging around here for? But you know that Jesus himself also said, I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.
You see, we have hope in the hereafter, and we have hope now. That’s why our God is a God of life – because he is a God of hope, he wants us to enjoy all kinds of life. Ending it unnecessarily is an affront to a God who is hope.
Why do we lose sight of the fact that our God who is the author of our lives is the central fact of our hope?
Ashley Smith got a Ph. D. in that life lesson back in March, 2005. She’s never going to get the real kind – her life has been rocky ever since she was born in 1978. In 2001, her husband was stabbed to death. She is a single mother who admits to a serious drug problem. But the God of Hope reached out to her so miraculously last year that she was scared into going off drugs cold turkey.
In the unlikeliest of ways, she learned hope even as she gave hope to man named Brian Nichols. Brian is my age. He’s just a month older than me. He came from a middle-class Pennsylvania family. Like me, he was a computer programmer, but he got into drugs. He raped a woman, and was sent to jail. The previous trial resulted in a hung jury, and he was returning to court. While changing into civilian clothes, he thought he found his best hope.
The woman guarding him was much smaller than he was, so he overpowered her and took her gun. He escaped into the judge’s chambers and murdered a judge, a court reporter, and deputy pursing him. On his way out the building, he probably shot and killed a customs agent too.
As he fled in a stolen car, he eventually decided to take refuge in a random apartment. It was the apartment of Ashley Smith. He tied her up, bound and gagged her, and waited. He asked for drugs – she gave him her meth. But something inside her clicked. As she later recounted, “It became real to me that day that I could die and see Jesus. And what am I supposed to tell him? Excuse me God while I wipe the drugs out of my nose!”
For some reason, Nichols allowed Smith to read. She just happened to be reading Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life, chapter 32 to be exact. It talks about how God formed you to serve him in your own individual, unique way. But Nichols didn’t stop there. He asked her to read the Bible. For hours this continued, until convicted of his own sin – not by judge and jury – but by the God of Hope who loved him – he walked out and surrendered.
He later told her, even as he knew he was headed for jail, that Ashley Smith had saved him that day. But the truth is that it wasn’t Ashley Smith – and I suspect she would admit that.
No, it wasn’t the Unlikely Angel – it was the God of Hope who did it.
Would you pray with me?
Long Branch Baptist Church
Halfway, Virginia; est. 1786
Sunday, May 21st, 2006
Enter to Worship
Prelude David Witt
Invocation Michael Hollinger
*Opening Hymn #425
“Heaven Came Down”
Welcome & Announcements
Morning Prayer
*Praise Hymn #335
“Standing on the Promises”
*Responsive Reading [See Right]
*Offertory Hymn #438
“He Lives”
Offertory Mr. Witt
*Doxology
*Scripture Exodus 20:13
Sermon
“Laws of Love, Laws of Life: Undying Hope Within”
Invitation Hymn #337
“My Hope is built on Nothing Less”
Benediction
Congregational Response
May the grace of Christ of Savior / And the Father’s boundless love
With the Holy Spirit’s favor / Rest upon us from above. Amen.
* Congregation, please stand.
Depart To Serve
Responsive Reading
It seems so tragic that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate. That is why people are not more careful to be good.
Instead, they choose their own mad course, for they have no hope.
They think there is nothing ahead but death anyway. There is hope only for the living.
As they say, “It’s better to be a live dog than a dead lion!”
The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered.
If I hope for the grave as my house, if I make my bed in darkness, if I say to the grave, ‘You are my father and mother,’ where then is my hope? Who will see my hope?
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that is seen is not hope.
Who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance.
Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated,
but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord.
Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence.
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.
May the God of Hope grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
-Ecc. 9:3-5; 1 Cor 15:9; Heb 11:1; Rom 8:24-25; 1 Pet 3:14-16; Rom 15:13
