Dear friends,
Last Sunday we gathered in the warmth and comfort of our sanctuary to worship God. Cesar Stewart-Morales offered a powerful testimony about what this church means to him, drawing a parallel with the sense of peace and security he felt as a child with his great-grandmother. The choir sang an anthem of gratitude for God’s presence in the sanctuary of all creation.
While we were gathering here, or perhaps a few hours later, a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas was worshipping as well. I imagine they gathered with a similar sense of peace and security, with the warmth of feeling safe in a community of God’s love.
Their comfort was shattered by a brutal and senseless mass shooting, in which more than half of the worshippers were killed.
What a horrifying act. I am outraged at the violation of the sanctity of a church, and even more the sanctity of human life. I am outraged that the shooter was able to get hold of an automatic weapon.
Beneath my outrage is deep sadness—for families devastated by unspeakable loss, for us as we face our own vulnerability, for the shooter and whatever led him to such extreme disregard for human life. I grieve with the people of Sutherland Springs. I grieve for our nation.
Alongside my outrage and sadness, there is also fear. I am afraid something horrible could happen here, to us, or to people I know personally. Even more, I am afraid of the temptation to respond to this event by building fortresses around our lives, our families, and our churches. If our fear leads us to close our doors or our hearts, the tragedy will be compounded exponentially.
This horrifying act raises so many questions–about the shooter, about gun policy, about the connection between domestic violence and mass shootings. Some of the questions it stirs are spiritual in nature. It feels to me that there is something going on in our culture that fosters a deep sense of alienation. How do we begin to heal that alienation? How do find a sense of security without building walls that cut ourselves off from our shared humanity?
I am grateful to have a church with whom I can ask these questions and a faith that guides us as we search for answers. I look forward to gathering again this Sunday, and in the Sundays to come. Together, we will pray for comfort for those who mourn, wisdom as we ask these hard questions, and courage to act, doing what we can to build genuine community and true security.
Peace, Debbie