This sermon was based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Many people are familiar with this Biblical passage from a song written by Pete Seeger and also made popular by The Byrds.
Today will not be a typical sermon:
*It deals w/ a specific issue, not general every day issues.
*I felt this issue needed to be addressed in the church because over next few weeks/months you will hear everyone from TV preachers/politicians/news analysts analyze this situation, but as Christians, we need to let scripture form our minds, not those people. (Even my words are not the last that should be said on this issue. You may find that you agree, you may find that you disagree, and that is fine. But in your agreement/disagreement, make sure it is by God's word and not the words of some political pundit that influences your thoughts).
Last Sunday Night if you stayed up late enough, you heard: "Osama bin Laden was killed"
*For many of us, this moment brought back memories; some of those memories were things we would have liked to have forgotten.
-Many can answer the following question: Where were you on 9/11?
*Tragic events do that to us. Many people can answer the following questions:
-Where were you when JFK was killed?
-When Challenger exploded?
-Bombing of Pearl Harbor?
-Other tragic events in your own life?
I was conflicted all week IF this should be addressed
*I felt that the best response is silence
-Not silence meant to avoid issue, but silence meant to allow people to form own opinions.
-Then I had a discussion w/ a friend who pointed out a painful reality to me: Often the pulpit is too silent on social issues – OUCH!!! – At that point, I realized it wasn't the Holy Spirit being silent to me, but I was shutting out the work of the Holy Spirit. Once I came to realize my friend was right, I was bombarded with thoughts.
Ecclesiastes talks about there being a time for everything, but we must ask: Are these God’s words (or are they at least words inspired by God)?
-Before you shut me out as a heretic, let me explain: Scripture IS inspired.
-But, Not all scripture is God’s word. For example, the words of demons to Jesus are not God's words, though the do fulfill God's purpose in showing Jesus' power over the demons).
-By all accounts and analyzation, It seems that this passage IS God’s word (or God's inspired word through the author) – It does not say that God condones all things, but that everything is in God’s hands.
-This passage is an example of Ancient Hebrew writing where limits are defined in order to encompass everything in the middle. For example, God created Man and Woman....but those limits also include children, teens, young adults (Everything between Man and Woman). God created Night and Day...but those limits include everything in between (twilight, dawn, etc.). This passage is a message that God's hands are in all things.
On to the topic: Osama bin Laden:
*He was a Blood Thirsty Terrorist
*He was a Murderer (3000+ in 1 day on 9/11) + other’s who have died in attacks in other countries and deaths from resulting wars. The blood on this 1 person's hands is in the Tens of Thousands (maybe even hundreds of thousands).
*Osama bin Ladan was a man of violence and hate.
*He said he spoke for Muslims, but except for a very small minority, the majority of Muslims reject him and his teachings. – We cannot judge Islam based on his interpretation of Islam.
*If we accept bin Laden as a true Muslim, then we must be willing to accept those who have used Christianity and a perversion of the Christian Message to murderous ends. Though there are many examples throughout history, here are 2 who have perverted the Gospel and taught hate and lies:
-Jim Jones- Cult leader in Jonestown
-David Koresh- Waco, TX
This next part is hard to swallow...even for me. But, as Christians we must recognize it. Osama bin Laden also had a side we never saw and probably never contemplated:
*He had a soul. What he chose to do with that soul appears as if he separated it from God to attain his own evil and violent ends, but none the less, he did have a soul just like all of God's creation.
*He was Created by God to Love God as were we.
*He was knit together in his mother’s womb as were we.
*He was loved by God. Obviously God didn't approve of his message, but God loved the person none the less.
*As a God of Justice and Reconciliation, I'm sure that through out bin Laden's reign of terror, God worked on his heart to change him. From all appearances, bin Laden rejected this.
-As far as we know, he didn’t respond to the Love of God.
-As far as we know, he rejected the good news of God.
-Obviously, he didn’t live the love Christ Taught.
All week, I was conflicted. How should we Christians feel about his death?
*Is it ok to celebrate?
*Should we mourn his death?
I believe the answer is somewhere in the middle.
*Christians believe in Justice, not Revenge
-Whether he should/shouldn’t have been killed is really a non issue because he chose his own path. I would guess that capturing him would have resulted in his death in one form or another.
-It's OK to be honest – All of us are at least partially glad he’s gone!
*It's nice to know he will never kill again!
*It's nice to know that the grieving families don't have to think that this murderer escaped justice.
-Maybe some of us would have even like to have been the one to pull the trigger.
*But, do we celebrate?
*Ezekiel 18:32 says: "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live."
*In this passage, Death means separation from God/Hell – It doesn't mean physical dying
*We can celebrate he will never kill again
*But, we fool ourselves if we think others will not fill his spot.
*The death of one man, no matter how evil, does not rid the world of evil.
*To celebrate his death (as in having parties, screaming cheers, etc.) only shows that we have the same tendencies he had. When the 9/11 attacks happened, bin Laden celebrated. We can be glad he cannot kill anymore, but to celebrate a death shows we are not any better.
*This would have only been a cause to fully celebrate ONLY if he chose to renounce violence, if he turned himself in to face justice, or if he converted his way of life to one of peace and love.
*Do we mourn?
*We don't mourn in the way we do when a loved one dies.
*We can mourn what could have been!
-He had a talent for organization - He had the largest terror network in the world. Imagine if he used his talent for peaceful purposes. I mourn that this wasn't the case.
-We can mourn because he used his talents and skills for evil purposes.
-We can mourn the wasted life. He chose to follow the path of evil, and while God wants none to perish, there are limits by which we must abide.
Admittedly, this situation leaves more questions than answers. What I have outlined is not by any means close to the final word that should be said on the subject.
We need to pray, educate ourselves, and pray more!
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