Verble, at the counter, on this Saturday morning, saying,
"When the President at the eulogy yesterday said that the Lord works in mysterious ways, it got the natural callback response from the congregation. To me, it sounded disingenuous, somewhat hollow, like he knew his audience and he knew how to speak to them, what terms to use - but then, he's a politician. Knowing what to say to what people currently in his vicinity, that's his job. And he does it well.
"Still though, he is right. The Lord does work in mysterious ways, and while we try to wrap our heads around why a 21 year old white boy with no obvious direction in life would want to slaughter old black men and women, in a church, during a Bible study, we have to remember that while the Lord works in mysterious ways, evil works in obvious ways.
"Clementa Pinckney had a calling to serve the Lord from the age of 13. He pastored his own small church at the age of 17. He was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives at 23 and the State Senate at 27. (Now don't correct me if I'm off a year or two on the relative ages, OK?) But it just surprises me how Dylann Roof will never, I repeat NEVER, have the opportunity to work in that level of government and possibly do real good for the people of the state of South Carolina.
"All Dylann Roof has assigned his life to is a picture of a mangy-dog, feral white boy, holding a gun and a Confederate battle flag. Clementa Pinckney leaves behind a wealth of accomplishments, a series of sermons, and contemporaries in public service who can say they were better off for having known this man.
"For me, I wish, fiercely wish, that while Dylann Roof had been sitting there for that hour on that Thursday in June, listening to Bible study, that the words he heard would have entered his heart, softened his resolve, and yes, I don't imagine he would have rushed into the arms of the people saying 'I'm saved I'm saved' because that's just fairy stories, but instead, he would have realized that these were holy people serving a holy God, and that he had no cause to take their lives, and that he would have just walked right out that door.
"But God allowed him to murder and slaughter people in prayer, and we have to ask why. We as a culture don't even ask that question any more. We instead fight about guns and flags, which is like fighting over the color of the band-aid instead of staunching the flow of blood from the hand that's been severed from the wrist.
"But where was I? Oh yeah! The only reason why God would have allowed that is because He has something even greater in mind. The choices we make are our own, and we have full responsibility, but I think there are things we will never know. Mysterious ways.
"Dylann Roof is not saved, I think we are all safe to say that. But what if, just what if, when he's spending the rest of his life in prison - and by the way, wouldn't it be just delicious justice if he gets an all Black jury? Man, that though just makes me chuckle! - but imagine if, while he's spending his life, he starts to listen to Pinckney's sermons? What if he starts learning about the history of the AME church? What if he does get saved? What if he then writes a biography of Pinckney? What if, in that way, he immortalizes the man whom he killed?
"I know, that sounds like fantasy, and maybe won't happen. But maybe it will. Only God knows and only time will tell.
"I like to think more that this is plausible: the church reopened and I hear tell that thousands filled the park across the street for the eulogies and services. The people in those crowds were motivated to go to Charleston out of a sense of solidarity and compassion for fallen, decent people. I truly believe that, somewhere in that crowd, is one person, just one person, who needed to have that spark to realize the truth about salvation through Jesus Christ, and will commit their lives to God, and then, when they shuffle off this mortal coil, will be with Reverend Pinckney and the other victims, dancing with our Father in Heaven.
"But then, you will ask, 'God let nine people be slaughtered to save one?' and I will tell you, 'Remember, that's ten saved souls.'
"Mysterious ways."
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