A Funeral for a Fallen Police Officer

Fresno County sheriff's deputy Joel Wahlenmaier was gunned down last week by a crazed man. The gunman, Rickey Liles, had grown hostile to everyone and everything. He had become the bane of Minkler, a tiny community southeast of Fresno.

When sheriff deputies showed up to issue a search warrant for his property, he gunned down Wahlenmaier and injured another officer. Liles later killed a Reedley police officer with a high-power rifle. The gunman died of a self-inflicted gunshot some time later.

When I drove past People's Church this morning, I could see a massive assembly of police officers, dignitaries and the like. Police forces from across the region sent representatives. I saw police cruisers from Native American tribes, San Jose, Modesto, San Francisco and many surrounding communities and counties. It was probably the largest collection of police vehicles I will ever see. They are here to pay honor to a valiant public servant who did not deserve this tragic end.

What causes a man like Rickey Liles to lash out and take the lives of two fine men? What sick and twisted logic can justify his actions? How could he have grown so angry and bitter?

Of course, nothing justifies the actions of a man like Liles. Some might speak of psychological problems or depression. Perhaps he had a long list of grievances toward the government. One could name all kinds of possible causes.

I have a bizarre name for the real cause. This is what I think is the problem. Ready? Here's my "profound" answer:

SIN

What is sin? Sin is rebellion against the ways of God. Sin is putting ourselves on the throne and thumbing our noses at God. Sin is about listening to the world rather than God. Sin is about saying, "I can manage on my own!" This is impossible, of course, but many people think they manage just fine by themselves. (See Rom 1:18-31.)

How does sin manifest itself? We see sin in all kinds of wicked behaviors. We even see sin's handiwork in various sicknesses. We see sin at work in many psychoses, neuroses and disorders. We see sin in various forms of damage that wreak havoc on our world. When sin takes control, it can do amazing damage.

All of us suffer from the effects of sin. Some suffer more than others. Some suffer because of the sin of others. It's not a trendy word. Not p.c. But it's what the Bible says about behavior that runs contrary to God's way of doing things.

Let's not be afraid to call Ricky Liles' behavior what it was: sin. And let's not lose sight of how much damage sinful actions cause in our own lives, in the lives of people we love, and in the lives of people loved by others. I long for the day when sin no longer plagues us.

But in the meantime, how does God tell us to overcome sin? With love. Love is the answer. Learning to love others is a way to battle sin in our own lives. Acting with love helps us avoid sinning, since sin typically hurts others.

Not only does love help us avoid sin, it also is our required response toward those who sin against us. It's easy to love a heroic officer who leaves a family behind. But it's not easy to love crazed man who killed two people. This kind of love, however, is the very thing God calls us to demonstrate.