NIU Tragedy Memorial Message- One Year Later

Focus Your Eyes On Jesus And Number Your Days Aright

Key verse: Hebrews 12:2 2-14 -09 NIU Memorial Message
Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

February 14th is a day to celebrate love. But due to the events that occurred one year ago, this day has become, for many, a day of tragedy instead. Can this day ever be redeemed to be a day of love again? Yes. For those with eyes to see, February 14th is still a day of God’s love and we will see why. On Saturday, NIU sponsored a day of events and programs intended to remember those whom we lost. It was time to reflect on the tragedy that affected our campus and our community. These events are important because they promote healing in the hearts of the Huskie community and the people of DeKalb. There were many events that some of us attended. There was the commemorative ceremony at the NIU Convocation Center, entitled, “NIU remembers: A Legacy of Character.” There was the Art Exhibit entitled, “Today, We Are All Huskies.” There was the presentation of the Memorial Wreaths at the Martin Luther King Commons. There was the unveiling of the proposed memorial garden. And there was the Candle light vigil and reception also in the Martin Luther King Commons which our family, Tim and Carrie attended. In memory of the five students’ giving spirits, and in tribute to the generosity of the community that rallied around the campus, there was the beginning of a campaign of kindness called the “Huskies Acts of Kindness.” Hundreds of people performed random acts of kindness (to counter the random act of violence.) and posted small notes on a board. The question is, how can we see God’s love in the past events and in all events? How can we see God’s good conquering evil? What can be our response in light of the past events? Let us see.

Part l: Focus On Jesus And You Will See That Good Does Conquer Evil. (Hebrews 12:2)

Last week, at Haish gym, I noticed that one of my friends was on the tread mill without the television on . I asked him why there was no TV, when it seems that everyone watched TV, as they trotted off their miles. His wife said, “He doesn’t like watching TV. There is too much bad news.” Our conversation drifted towards how our society is being desensitized because of horrific images and how important it is for us to fill our minds with good things. I asked one friend if they went to any of the NIU shooting memorials. He said, “No, I would rather try to forget things like that.” In a sense, we really do have to struggle hard to protect our hearts. The Bible says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Php 4:8). The Bible also says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Prov 4:23) But for us, we can not just forget about what occurred. NIU is our mission field, and the students of NIU are the flock of our pasture. We need to face what happened, see God through all of the terrible events, find meaning in it and respond accordingly. We need to have a personal response to this tragedy that draws us closer to God and closer to each other.

Let’s review on what happened. On Thursday, February 14, 2008 at 3pm, a former Masters Degree student, entered into the Cole Hall lecture theater, 15 minutes before the end of class. There were 100 students in the 300 seat auditorium. He stepped onto the stage and began to shoot. The shooting only lasted a couple of minutes, but before it ended, 21 people were shot. Two were dead along with gunman, who had shot himself. Another three students died later. Dead are 20 yr old Gayle Dubowski, 20 yr old Catalina Garcia, 32 yr old Julianna Gehant, 19 yr old Ryanne Mace, and 20 yr old Daniel Parmenter. These students were in the prime of their lives, with promising and bright futures. They were well on their way to be sources of blessing to their communities. One was a reliable fraternity brother; another, a twenty year-old recognized for her deep faith; another a young woman who mentored others who shared her Hispanic background; another a former soldier studying to be a teacher and yet another, an honors student planning to be a counselor. Each of the five students killed in the shootings is remembered as caring and generous. They left a legacy of character. Our society did loose a treasure when we lost these students. But how can we tear free from the grip of darkness, that threatens to overshadow our hearts, and see God’s goodness conquering evil?

We know a God who works all things out according to his purpose. History does show that good does triumph over evil. So, the question remains, how can we interpret the good purposes of God in a heinous event? I liken our attempt to see the good in a senseless act to trying to see the 3-D images in a stereogram algorithm. Have you ever seen these pictures? At first, the picture appears to be a mess of blurred lines and a pile of images that don’t seem to make sense at all. They are chaotic and seem to have no meaning. It looks like a complicated mess actually. But hidden within these images are 3 –D images. I asked one lady at work if she ever saw one of these pictures. She said that she only saw it once. When I first saw these things I lied that I could see it. I said, “Oh yeah, I see it. Wow!” But really I could not. Everyone said, “You’re lying.” And I was. The technique to see the 3-D images is really an art. In order to see these images you need to first believe there is something there and then focus your eyes beyond the images themselves. They appear a little blurred and you look cross eyed, but you need to keep your eyes focus in that virtual spot and draw closer and closer to the image. Then, after many attempts, suddenly you are amazed to see a 3-D picture that you never imagined could be there. It slowly immerges out of the blurred lines and the chaotic patterns. If it is your first time, you are amazed. You exclaim, “I see it! I see it!” and nobody thinks you are lying this time. You can’t believe that it was there, all the time, right under your nose. You invite others to see it, but many can not.. And so it can be a very personal experience. Once you see it, it is like riding a bicycle, you know what to do….focus, draw near, keep focusing and voila! There it is! …even with a totally different picture. It becomes easier and easier.

And so it is with finding the meaning and the good in senseless tragedies. Events in this world seem chaotic and senseless. But we have to believe that there is some good to be found and seek it out. Romans 8:28 reads, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” It is basic Christian faith to believe the God works for the good of those who love him…in all things. “All things” means, “All things.” ….the good and the bad and even the terribly ugly. There is something good that does come out of tragic events. Think about the senseless evil acts perpetrated against Jesus himself. All he tried to do was preach about the kingdom of heaven, raise disciples and draw people to himself and to his kingdom through his sacrificial love. The devil hated Jesus. Evil men tried to persecute Jesus. Eventually the devil used evil men to inflict unimaginable suffering on Jesus. He was mocked flogged and crucified. How horrific! What good can be seen in this? But there was! Through Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection eternal salvation was procured for all who put their faith in Jesus. There is good to be sought out and discovered in all things.

We need to make an effort to see beyond the events, beyond the chaos, and focus on Jesus Christ. Hebrews 12:2 reads, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” We need to keep our focus on Jesus and draw closer to him, never breaking our focus. If we don’t give up, then eventually we will see something in the events that we never thought were there before. What we see is very personal. Some may not see it or understand it. You may not fully understand it yourself. But God eventually opens our hearts to understand why and find meaning and direction in the midst of chaos. It is between you and God. Not only that, we can train ourselves to see the good in future tragedies that we all are surely going to face in our lives. These are unavoidable and so, why not be prepared?

At first, the events of 2/14/08 seem senseless, but one year later we can begin to see some of the good that occurred.. Let us take a brief survey of the facts. From the speech of President of Peters, at the candlelight vigil, it is obvious that the NIU and DeKalb/Sycamore communities are drawn closer than ever. The moto, “Forward, Together Forward.” revealed the resolute Husky Spirit. The whole community struggled to not let this tragedy define them, but rather to let love and togetherness define them. There is a sense of closeness and love among the people of our communities. This day has become a day filled with random acts of kindness. The five students left behind a legacy of character. There were yearly scholarships, of $4000 each, created for 5 NIU students generated out of a trust fund. These five students were honored today for their character, their ambitions and their service to Northern Illinois University and the world around them. A garden, with a curved peaceful walkway and five illuminated sections of cardinal, red granite will be built. More than 20 dawn redwood, white oak and evergreen trees will be planted at the site, which will also include benches for visitors. Additionally, a sculpture will be commissioned for the Memorial Garden. I plan to have many 1:1 Bible studies in the peace and the beauty of this garden. All year long there was a “Peace Room” at the student building. Methodist churches, from across Illinois, knitted 500 prayer scarves that were handed out at the NIU. Heroic acts of caring were revealed by our first responders at NIU and at Kish Hospital. I believe that many people have put their hope and trust in Jesus through this event. The list of good things that come out of this keeps growing. Can you see them? Believe that they are there; make an effort to seek them out by focusing on Jesus then God will open the eyes of your heart to see that, in Christ, God’s good does indeed conquer evil.

Part ll: Teach Us To Number Our Days Aright… (Ps 90:12a)

How tempting it is to just think about tragedies and have no personal response. We simply say to ourselves, “Oh, that’s terrible” and then move on. But there is a proper response and a personal lesson to be learned, a lesson with eternal consequences. How should we respond when five, promising, young students loose their lives? Listen to a few excerpts from Psalm 90.
“ Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. 2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God…. 10The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span [a] is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away… 12 Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. 14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days…. 16 May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children. 17 May the favor [b] of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90: 1,2, 10, 12, 14, 16-17)
Last year I wrote about being proactive and reaching out to others before something bad happens. This year I want to encourage us all to “number our days aright.” We are living in a society where we don’t like to think about the end of our days. We avoid the subject of death. Those at the end of their lives are mostly out of sight in nursing facilities. We shy away from the dying. Students are noted for thinking that they are immortal. They think that their 40’s and 50’s are so far away that they will never reach them. Most think they will live to 90, go to university, own a house, get married, out live my parents and not outlive my children and that they will be able to enjoy things like traveling and visiting friends and relatives freely, all of their lives. The five students also may have had hopes like this. They never imagined that their young lives would come to an end in a matter of minutes. But they were. So may ours. We must learn number our days aright, be satisfied with God’s love, reveal God’s glory to others and serve God’s purpose in our lives.
The topic of numbering our days aright is dealt with in one of Jesus’ parables. In Luke 12b there was a certain rich man. The ground produced a good crop. This was God’s grace. But he thought of the crop as his own possession. He decided to retire early in Luke 12:19. He thought to himself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” But in verse 20, God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” At the moment he was the most wealthy, he died. He could not bring his treasure with him. He was taken from this world to stand before God. Sobering isn’t it? He should have saw the end of his days and numbered his days aright.

So how can we number our days aright. In Luke 12 verses 29-31 Jesus tells us how, “And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” This is related to what Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” In numbering their days aright, Jesus’ disciples must be different than ordinary people. The disciples of Jesus must seek the kingdom of God as of top priority. When we do so, he gives us all that we need in abundance. The kingdom of God is our ultimate reward! Briefly, let us think about the kingdom of God. God’s kingdom is built by the blood of Jesus; it is forever (Rev 5:12). In this kingdom there are no tears or sorrows (Rev 21:4). There, we dwell with our Lord Jesus Christ and enjoy eternal life with him. In his kingdom, the grace of Jesus, and the peace of God abound. While on earth, we live, by faith, as holy pilgrims. Such is the life of those who number
their days aright.

There is another characteristic of people who number their days aright, within Luke 12. In verse 33 Jesus goes on to tell his disciples, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” Faith in God’s kingdom must lead us to live sacrificially for the glory of God and for the sake of God’s people. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (34) When we number our days aright, we can be really useful in the work of God. Let us decide, today, to number our days aright right now! “For he (God) says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is
the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor 6:2)

In conclusion, when faced with tragedies, let us focus our eyes on Jesus and never stop. Let us see the good in every tragedy. Let us number our days aright, deciding to seek God’s kingdom first and serve God’s purpose in our lives well. Especially, at this time, let us pray for the families of those who were slain. Pray for the healing of the hearts of all in the NIU community. And pray that the students’ legacies may continue to be legacies of character, love and service for years to come.