I am Mourning for Osama bin Laden...
I believe in a God who is renewing, restoring, redeeming and rebuilding this world, this humanity, this life. This God cares for every living being in this universe. He has compassion beyond understanding. This is the God that I worship and proclaim: a restoring, redeeming, renewing, compassionate and merciful God.
Last night shortly before midnight, the news came out the Osama bin Laden had been killed in Pakistan. I started to see rumblings of this on twitter and then went to watch the president address the nation and the world. After I had heard the address, I went to bed.
Waking this morning, I saw reports of people all over our nation and around the world celebrating bin Laden's death. Something deep in my core was perplexed by this. Is this a time of celebration or mourning? Is this a time to claim victory? Is this the Christian response to this turn in world events?
I believe that God wants to redeem, restore, and renew every person. This would include someone who is an enemy of our nation, an enemy of our religion or even my personal enemy. God's restoration work is available to everyone or it is available to no one. Either all can be redeemed, or the power of the resurrected Christ has limitations.
Osama bin Laden had chosen a life of violence and destruction. This is contrary to the way of the resurrected Christ. The way of Jesus is one that is restoring the world and humanity. The kingdom movement is about redeeming this world that is seamlessly connected to the next. While I might try to follow the way of the resurrected Christ, I too often chose a life of violence and destruction.
Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment." For Christ, murder and anger are the same thing. My bitterness and grudges that I hold against another human being is the same as if I had already murdered them.
I wish that I could say that compassion, grace and love were abundant in my life, but often it is violence, anger and bitterness. I want to say that I live a life that is following the way of Christ but it is usually the way the fallen and broken world. But I am being restored, redeemed, and renewed by the resurrected Christ. Through his people, his word and his Spirit, I am learning what it is to live in God's world, God's way. I want to profess a God that is lovingly restoring this world, this humanity and this life.
So why am I mourning the loss of Osama bin Laden? I am mourning Osama bin Laden because he was not able to experience the restoring, renewing, redeeming work of the resurrected Christ. As a Christian, I feel that we ought to mourn when anyone dies without having the restoring work of the resurrected Christ in their life, whether that be a close friend, family member or a terrorist. The power of the resurrected Christ could have moved Osama's life of violence and destruction to one of compassion and love, just as that power is doing in my life and maybe in yours.
I mourn because I want to see redeeming, restoring, renewing work of the Messiah in every person's life. I can't celebrate violence and proclaim compassion. I can't rely on love to win and work through means of destruction.
Jesus later says in the same sermon on the mount, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'" Jeremiah Johnson said it well this morning via twitter, "Can't help thinking that loving my enemies and rejoicing in his death are somehow incompatible concepts." I would go as far as to say that I should mourn his passing like I would mourn the passing of a friend. This is not agreeing with his actions or his life of violence and destruction but rather coming to a place where we see every other human being as someone who was created by the loving God.
Jesus continues, "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven." For us to be children of the Father, we need to love like he loves. Jesus goes on to state that God causes the sun to rise for the just and the unjust. God doesn't have a list like Santa Claus. He offers his Son's redeeming, restoring work to everyone.
Today, I am going to spend the day praying this prayer for terrorists and all of us.
God of all creation, all humanity, those who love you and those who don't. May we see that violence breeds violence and not peace. May our hearts be open to loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, our neighbors and our enemies. May we find ways to sow peace and redemption rather then hatred and violence. May bitterness be melted away to compassion. May anger give way to understanding. May we mourn over one being lost and not rejoice in death. May we seek to move forward your kingdom of compassion, hope, grace and love and not a kingdom of anger, bitterness, hatred, destruction and violence. Forgive us when we have chosen the latter kingdom over the former. Forgive us as we learn to forgive those who have harmed us. May we be children of the Father as we pray for our enemies. May we be a beacon of the renewing, restoring, redeeming work of the resurrected Christ in this world. May the Spirit be our guide as we seek compassion. It is through the resurrected Christ we pray. Amen.
