The former executive director of American Baptist Home Mission Societies used the term “soaked in sorrow.”
(What many in his Facebook feed may not realize is that his choice of words is one way to translate part of the Hebrew in Psalm 6: “All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow…”)
It is hard to find words strong enough to describe the violence of our society. After having barely enough time to process racially motivated shooting rampages in Buffalo, NY and Laguna Woods, CA, we have now had the worst school shooting since Sandy Hook. No fewer than 19 elementary-aged students gunned down by an 18-year-old — technically a legal adult, but socially still a kid himself — wielding a weapon of destruction.
It is so hard not to feel overwhelmed. Many may feel anger and distress, some may feel numb.
As your pastor, I first want to say that we need to acknowledge the deeply personal effect this has on many of us. Racially motivated violence can invoke so many strong feelings in the hearts of many in our congregation, and something like a school shooting touches parents/guardians in ways we may not recognize. With varying degrees of awareness, we know it could have been our child.
When there’s so much we can’t control, it’s important to focus on the role that we can and do play. I offer these reminders as we grapple with these recent tragedies.
1. We have the language for this. As difficult as it may be, people of faith can play an important role in public and on social media in giving more conscientious witness to the heart of God in tragedies like this, rather than the joining the chorus of more careless messages. This is a good reason to know the Bible and know it well. It is a wellspring of inspired prayers of sorrow, declarations of God’s compassion and justice, etc. We are stewards of the language of God’s heart. Put it out there.
2. Engage in the right kind of “thoughts and prayers.” It is unfortunate that the language of “thoughts and prayers” has become known as an escape hatch for not taking responsible action to curb violence. But as Tom reminded us last Sunday, “prayer works,” and when done right, it plays a special role in remembrance and solidarity. Vadim Medvedev, a resident of Kyiv, Ukraine whose testimony was played at the interfaith vigil in March, said, “We feel every prayer you pray.” We sometimes don’t realize that prayer can serve as the most powerful way to remember and validate victims of violence and trauma. In the coming weeks and months, they will face the awful but expected barrage of hate and dismissal, up to and including the heartless conspiracy that they are “crisis actors” and that the tragedies didn’t even happen. God’s people can and should be the loudest in saying, “We see you, your trauma is real, your grief has reached our ears.” Jesus discouraged public prayer for show; but public prayer for the sake of others is a different story.
3. No, it doesn’t have to be this way. Though the problem is overwhelming, it’s also not hard to understand. While per capita deaths to gun violence are higher in many Latin American countries than they are in the U.S., in terms of the sheer number of mass shooting events, the United States is far and away number 1. We have 5% of the world’s population, but 31% of the world’s mass shootings. Between 2000 and 2014, the United States experienced 133 mass shootings. The next highest was Germany, with 6. Either the United States has a wildly disproportionate share of the world’s evil and violent people, or we have another problem. Last year, Texas passed a law allowing the carry of firearms without a permit against the objections of a majority of law enforcement. No Constitutional right is absolute without limitations or caveats; they are always constrained by the rights of others. Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Similarly, we don’t serve the laws of our land, they serve our lives and interests. When our understanding and implementation of our rights results in carnage and fear, we’re missing the point and need to make a change. Curbing gun violence is not a political issue that is off-limits for Christians and their leaders; it is a deeply spiritual issue so long as we bear the image of our Creator and claim the command to love our neighbor. American Baptist Home Mission Societies supports common sense gun reform that has nothing to do with taking away people’s rights or the ability of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves. You can read more here: bit.ly/letterABCUSA.
Today happens to be our day of prayer and fasting. Although we sent out a prayer guide having to do with the 1 million American lives lost to COVID, we obviously must also pray today for all of these victims and situations. Join us for a Zoom gathering at 8pm tonight.
