I wanted to share what The Rev. Dr. Jim
Harnish wrote on his Facebook page as a response to the tragedy at Sandy Hook
Elementary School in New Town, CT. I believe he captured what we are all
feeling. Again, wise words from a wise pastor and teacher.
First, We Cry
Reflections
on Sandy Hook Elementary School
First, we
cry. The only appropriate way to begin to respond to the unthinkable tragedy at
Sandy Hook Elementary School is with tears. They are the tears that flowed in
the little town of Bethlehem when, after the birth of Jesus, old King Herod
slaughtered their children.
‘A voice was
heard in Ramah,
wailing and
loud lamentation,
Rachel
weeping for her children;
she refused
to be consoled, because they are no more.’ (Matthew 2:18)
Matthew was
quoting the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah, which is at least to say that the
tears we cry have been cried before and they will, no doubt, be cried again.
They are the tears of all the parents who see their children die as a result of
our wars, the injustice of poverty, the scourge of AIDS, the horror of hunger.
But once
again and far too often, they are the tears we cry at another mass murder in
our violence-addicted culture. Seven of them in the past year; the highest
one-year count in American history. But this one would be unthinkable – our
children – except that we’ve been here before at an Amish schoolhouse in
Pennsylvania.
And so, we
cry. We allow the tears we shed to break open a place in our hearts for deeper
compassion, greater love and a wider willingness to share the pain of others.
Then, we
shout. Like the Old Testament prophets, we shout our indignation at such a
brutal intrusion of such sheer, unmitigated, demonic evil. The Governor of
Connecticut was correct when he said, “Evil has visited this town today.” In
the spirit of the Old Testament prophets, we shout our offense at bold-faced
evil that is the ultimate contradiction of the life-giving, loving purpose of
God.
And we shout
the difficult questions that we often avoid.
Why is it so
impossible to have a meaningful conversation about gun control in this country?
What will it
take for us to confront the pervasive violence that seeps into our homes on our
television screens and in our kids’ video games?
When will we
acknowledge that there are tragic consequences when we take away funding for
mental health services?
What can we
do to calm our angry rhetoric and create a more civil society?
We cry, we
shout, and we pray. We turn to the God who entered into the violence of this
world to reveal the way of forgiveness, love and peace, We lift our hearts
toward Heaven in the hope of hearing, even in the midst of our pain, the voices
of angels singing, “Do not be afraid.” We claim the Advent hope of Zechariah:
“By the
tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from
on high will break upon us,
to give light
to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our
feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79)
In worship on
Sunday, we will lift our prayers for the people most directly impacted by this
unthinkable tragedy, for all who love and support them, and for all of us who
share this dark hour together. May the God of all grace surround those who have
suffered incalculable loss with immeasurable love and draw all of us into the
embrace of his peace.
The Rev. Dr.
James A. Harnish
Hyde Park
United Methodist Church
500 W. Platt
St.
Tampa, FL
33606
813-253-5388
No comments:
Post a Comment