Where is God in all of this?
Rev. Larry Nabours
Friday, October 20, 2006
On October 2, 2006 Charles Roberts invaded an Amish school house near his home taking 10 young girls hostage. As police closed in he shot the girls before killing himself. Five of the girls died and 5 are recovering from their wounds. Indescribable evil invaded this close knit Christian community and victimized 5 devout families. Once again bad things happened to good people and innocent children. The Amish community and these families were not the only victims of Roberts’ actions; he left a heartbroken wife and 3 young children to fend for themselves in the glare of incredible media attention. Their lives were changed forever, and they, perhaps more than anyone else, were left to ponder why?
Police ascertained that Roberts committed this despicable act because he was angry with God for the November 1997 death of his infant daughter, and he was haunted by memories of molesting two young relatives 20 years ago. Anger and remorse, yes, but why this? And if he was angry with God, why take 10 innocent children down with him? Perhaps he saw this devout Christian community as the nearest thing of God that he could lash out at. But if he felt remorse at molesting 2 young girls, why take out 10 more, and leave his own children fatherless? Perhaps he saw himself the “victim” and young girls as the cause of his inner turmoil. As usual, we are left with more questions than answers.
We can surmise that, at some level, Roberts did have faith in God; otherwise one could not be that angry with God. But, in his anger at the pedophilic urges he harbored compounded by his anger over the death of his child, Roberts’ faith was not strong enough to heal and sustain him. I am sure he felt abandoned by God, leaving him alone in turmoil and darkness, and his faith was not strong enough to carry him through his dark night of the soul to God’s healing. Instead of reaching out to a faith community for understanding, sustenance, love, and healing, he lashed out in a demented way.
Where was God in all of this? God was and is in the faith of the families of the victims that allowed them to forgive Roberts, and to reach out to Marie Roberts and her children in love and forgiveness assuring her that they had forgiven her husband and harbored no ill will toward her. God was in the Amish community that gathered these families within their wings of love and compassion to begin their healing. God was in the Amish community and these families reaching out to Marie Roberts including her in their prayers and supporting her in her time of loss and mourning. And God was in the tens of thousands of people of faith that have reached out in love and compassion to these Amish families and to Marie Roberts even setting up a trust fund for these Amish families and for the Roberts’ family.
And God is in the example that has been given to all of us as to how we are to respond when evil invades our lives, and when we feel anger toward God or abandonment by God. God is in this example of how a true relationship with God, deepened by the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study, meditation and worship, and sustained by the love and compassion of a faith community can carry us through the dark times, heal our wounds, and strengthen us in adversity.
F “Sunday Sermon” is a forum for Emporia area ministers to share their sermons, thoughts and observations. This week’s sermon is from the Rev. Larry Nabours of the Allen, Admire and Miller United Methodist Churches.