“Father McKenzie writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near.
Look at him working. Darning his socks in the night when there’s nobody there
What does he care?
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?” – from “Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles
After the Christmas Eve tragedy out in Covina (about 20 miles from us), I cannot help but think of the need for those of us who have faith, peace, and love to look to serve and help those who do not. How sad is it that so many people find themselves in desperate situations, unwilling or unable to get the help they need. Instead, they choose to destroy others on the way towards destroying themselves.
The gunman wore a Santa suit, shot the 8 year old girl who answered the door before shooting indiscriminately into his in-laws’ home, used a homemade blowtorch to burn down the house, and apparently planned to escape to Canada before choosing instead to kill himself. So far, nine people have died.
This situation is incredibly tragic. What makes this even more difficult to understand is that the gunman served faithfully at his local church as an usher at the service designed for young people.
Those of us who are church leaders have two problems: 1. People do not want to hear our message. 2. Those who do, don’t believe it.
How can this happen? A man who decorated his lawn with Christmas decorations at his house in an upscale part of Los Angeles county (Montrose) appears to have become so bitter after his divorce and losing his job, that he decided to bring destruction to others rather than the message of peace on earth he has most certainly heard at his church over the last several weeks leading up to Christmas.
We cannot assume that someone serving in a church or decorating their house for Christmas is doing ok. We need to ask questions – even if it makes us or the one we are concerned about feel uncomfortable. Too often, we all seem to be shocked when someone snaps.
At the same time, when we are struggling we need to be mature enough to ask for help.
Jesus really does bring peace in the midst of pain, hope in the midst of despair, and love in the midst of bitterness, but only if we let Him.
May God be with those directly affected by this horrible situation – those who lost loved ones or friends and those who knew the gunman. May we all look to help those needing it, and get help when we need it.