Concerning El Paso & Dayton: The Problem of Evil

CONCERNING EL PASO & DAYTON: THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

Most of us have heard a whole Babel of opinions being voiced on the meaning of the cold blooded slaughter that took place in El Paso and Dayton.

• There is a lot of finger pointing: ”It is the fault of the ‘right’, or the fault of the ‘left.’ It is the fault of the white nationalists. It is the fault of guns. It is the fault of illegal immigrants. It is the fault of the President. It is the fault of Islamic terrorists, who inspire more terror. Some people are actually blaming the FBI.
• Also, there are many voices offering , ‘so-called-solutions’: gun control, greater surveillance, more online investigations, more mental health services, more people should carry concealed fire arms, ya-da, ya-da, ya-da.

But all this discussion falls short, because it does not recognize the root of the problem, which is ‘evil.”

Evil doesn’t play fair. Evil does not care about our laws. Evil is the destructive, blood thirsty, malevolent power , working to wound our Creator by terrorizing and butchering God’s children.

1. We must learn to oppose evil in all its manifestations: Hatred, lying, abusive language, gossip & actions, religious bigotry, racism, I homophobia, Islamophobia, Anglophobia, mob violence…all must opposed by word and deed by us; in our conversations and interactions, in our prayers(which are powerful and effective, contrary to those who ridicule us; and at the ballot box. The ‘right’ wing, ‘left wing’, and Islamic purveyors of hate must be identified and condemned. If you hear it on television of the like, stop listening to it. We can do all these things, trusting in the promise that Jesus makes, in the Lord’s prayer, to deliver us from evil.”
2. 2.Next, we all need to become peacemakers. Jesus says, “Blessed are the peace makers, for they
3. If God was not a god of justice, then He would only be a timid and impotent spirit. Paul tells us, ”God is a god of justice. He will pay back trouble to all who trouble you. This will occur when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. He will punish those who have turned away from God and who do not obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

will be called ‘children of God.’” Followers of Christ know that one day, God’s peace will rule the earth, as the angel prophesized at Christmas, “Peace on earth. Good will towards humanity.” We need to accept that the present is not the last word or last action from Jesus Christ, who promises to return to earth to complete His work of peace making. That future is the basis of Christian hope.

So, what does this mean for us? We need to take peace making steps by

1. Rejecting our own innate prejudices by respecting and loving all people of all races and nationalities; loving all sinners; and loving our enemies and political opponents; and loving all men and women, irrespective of their religious backgrounds.
2. Next, we need to pray for and seek reconciliation in our own relationships, and the wider world.
3. Furthermore, we ae not to give up hope, because Paul teachers us that “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance produces character; and character produces hope; and that hope will not disappoint because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

So, we are called to oppose evil, to become peacemakers, and finally to trust in God’s justice.

Else where , we hear, “When God’s justice is done, it will bring joy to the righteous but terror to evil doers.”

So, we are called to: (1) oppose evil; and (2) become peacemakers; and (3) trust in God's justice. Wouldn’t it be better to do these things, than to throw up our hands in the air, saying, “Nothing can be done”?

God’s word say, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” In this case, resistance is the way of Christ. Amen

From a sermon by John Donnelly, Christ Church Quaker Farms, Oxford, Ct, 8.11.19