I must admit, I missed all the news Sunday night. I had stopped watching TV not long after dinner and went to bed around 9:30. So I woke up to the news Monday morning. While the world is still digesting what has happened, I thought I might jot down a few thoughts.
My first thoughts were probably similar to most Americans - a sense of relief, that a great evil had been removed from our world. But I also began to think about how this was all accomplished: from within the proper authority in this matter – government. It's the government’s job to defend and protect its citizenry and it properly wields its power when it accomplishes just that. President Obama has the authority to protect the nation and did exactly what he is supposed to do as Commander in Chief. The soldiers who carried out the mission had the authority to do exactly as they did by killing Osama bin Laden – an enemy of the state. They all operated within their vocations and performed their jobs very well in service to others.
God has eliminated a great evil from the earth (Romans 12:19). But he didn’t strike down bin Laden with a lightning strike from the heavens . While that is not beyond his power, the vast majority of the time, God uses means to accomplish his intent. Our God is both the Lord of the Church and of all the nations. He uses the Church to reveal himself and his love for the world in Jesus Christ – the head of the Church through means – Word and Sacrament. And God uses government and its means – the power of the sword, to keep the peace and bring about justice. Paul writes about this in Romans 13:1-7.
Yesterday was a victory for our nation. Yet, I would say, a muted victory because the war on terror will still go on. But maybe, God willing, we have witnessed the beginning of the end.
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