Dear Members and Friends of St. John,
Kathy and I were witness to a sad but moving scene on Friday
evening, April 20. We are on vacation in
Florida. Kathy was able to attend a
quilting conference in Arkansas the first week of our trip, and then we came to
Florida to visit my family. My 90-year
old dad, and my siblings all live in and around Gainesville, Florida.
On Friday, we drove to Chiefland, Florida, so Kathy could
help my sister set up at her church, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, for the
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League Joyshop that took place the next day. I went golfing while Kathy and Martha worked
at church. However, in order to get to
Chiefland from Gainesville, a person drives through the little town of Trenton,
Florida, population about 2000.
Unfortunately, you probably heard about Trenton last
week. Two police officers, Sgt. Noel
Ramirez and Deputy Taylor Lindsey, were shot and killed on Thursday while they
ate lunch in a small Chinese restaurant in Trenton. The man who shot them then went to his vehicle
and took his own life.
According to
news reports, Gilchrist County Sherriff, Bobby Schultz said, "I
don't have answers as to why this happened." Schultz said the 29-year-old
Ramirez was a 7-year-veteran who was married with children. Lindsay was 25
years old. A statement released Thursday night said the men simply sat down to
eat and that there was no crime in progress and no disturbance. “It's important
to remember that attacks like Thursday's can happen anywhere, even in small
cities like Trenton. After 26 years of doing this, there is nothing that can
prepare you for senseless deaths," Schultz said.
I confess that as Kathy and I drove through Trenton on
Friday morning, and as we drove past the restaurant where the two officers were
murdered, I personally felt a tangible grief and sorrow over these senseless
shootings. A pall of loss hung over my soul
the whole day.
But, as we drove back to Gainesville on Friday evening,
we were touched and we were deeply moved.
It seems that we had chosen to return to Gainesville a little before the
bodies of the fallen officers were to be brought back to Trenton from the
Gainesville Medical Examiner. So, as we
drove into Trenton the streets were lined with people, sort of like a
parade. Cars were parked. Families gathered at the curb. People held flags. Others wore blue in support of these fallen
policemen. However, it was not only in
Trenton that people lined the streets.
At most every driveway and business along this rural drive for 30 miles
into Gainesville, people lined the streets to honor the fallen officers as
their bodies were to be transported home.
Kathy and I were overwhelmed by the support given by the people of North
Florida.
Hopefully, you know that God cares for you eternally
through the life and death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. "For God so loved the world that he gave his
one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life.” (John 3:16) But, God also cares for us temporally
in many ways. Did you also realize that God cares for and protects the people
of this world through civil authorities?
God inspired Paul to write in Romans 13, “1 Everyone must submit himself to
the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has
established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2
Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God
has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For
rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do
you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right
and he will commend you. 4 For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you
do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's
servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. (Romans 13:1-4) God cares for
all people by establishing authority to
punish those who willingly break the law, in order to protect those who keep the
law.
Unfortunately, this shooting is not an isolated incident
in our country these days. A news report
from April 24 says that, “Since the start of 2018, at least 31 law enforcement
officers across the U.S. have died while on duty - with 19 of the deaths caused
by gunfire.” Perhaps you heard of other
recent shootings, including the one in Dallas.
It seems that those who are putting their lives on the line to keep the
law have become targets.
Truthfully, there are no perfect leaders and no perfect authorities. There are also no perfect parents. Neither are there any perfect citizens. But, God’s plan is to protect and care for
those who seek to live law abiding lives by providing authorities who will
bring wrong-doers and criminals to justice.
Pastor Richard Allen, who
served officially at St. John from 1999 through 2015 (and still serves), and
who also served as a chaplain in the U.S. Navy, used to have a sign on his office
wall which read, “Only two people have been willing to lay down their life for
you – Jesus Christ and the US servicemen.”
It seems to me that we should add “first responders” to that list of
those who lay down their lives for us.
I know that Kathy and I were deeply
moved on Friday evening to see so many along the road to Trenton honoring the
officers who lost their lives simply because they were protecting ours.
A Child of God, Grieved by the Senseless Rebellion and
Violence Against those who Serve Us!
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Here are a
couple of articles that have run in local papers about this shooting.
·
This article tells of the shooting of the
officers. http://www.gainesville.com/news/20180420/trenton-aches-after-officers-shot
·
This article tells of their services. http://www.gainesville.com/news/20180424/gilchrist-deputies-remembered-as-good-good-men
P.P.S. Here are
some pictures from our vacation. I’ll be
adding more pictures as our vacation progresses. https://photos.app.goo.gl/3Iz1u7xY2gq6UkP83
******
ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ - I am
sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and
friends whose e-mails I have. (I am regularly adding new names of friends
and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for the first
time.) However, if you do not want to receive this e-mail, please let me
know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message.
******
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