Senseless
Ten people killed in Buffalo, New York, specifically targeted because they were African-American.
One person killed and four critically injured in the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in California, just one day after the mass shooting in Buffalo.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 201 mass shootings in the United States so far this year, defined as four or more people being injured or killed. Last year, there were 693 such shootings in our country (www.nytimes.com).
It seems as if every year, we face at least one such traumatic loss of life in this country – Columbine, Sandy Hook, the Pulse Night Club in Orlando, Parkland High School, the Tree of Life Synagogue, Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. Each and every time we are horrified as a country, we worry about our children going off to school, or going to the mall or grocery store. But not soon thereafter, our shock fades and our attention is diverted and these tragedies drift into the background.
I have preached numerous sermons through the years after such national tragedies – I am sure I will address these latest shootings in my message this Sunday. But I will not deny that it seems pointless at times – for nothing appears to change. These tragedies keep happening, and I have to ask God, “How long, O Lord, how long?”
I never grew up around guns – I know many of you did, and perhaps continue to enjoy hunting as a form of sport, and I totally respect that. If you do, you likely observe wise gun safety and teach that to your children and family, which I appreciate deeply. I have to believe that we can find consensus on how to change our gun control laws so that these weapons are not so widely available.
And then there is what motivated these most recent shootings: hate. White supremacism spurned the shooter in Buffalo, and political hate seems to be the motive for the suspect in California, a Chinese-American who targeted Taiwanese Presbyterians. If there ever was a stark sign of the effects of our growing societal polarization, it is the growing forces of hate and divisiveness that is infiltrating our schools, our neighborhoods, our city councils, and yes, even into our churches.
We are an Easter People, which means we are not called to recede into a shell of protection and comfort, but to step into the fray and be agents of hope, peace, and justice where it is most needed in our world. No one said being a disciple of Jesus would be easy. But we aren’t alone as we move forward in faith; as we will hear this Sunday, Jesus promises us the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to teach us everything and remind us of all God has promised (John 14:25). May we not shrink from the call that is before us, but instead show this world that no matter how dark it may seem, that darkness will never overcome the light of God in Jesus Christ.
With a full and grateful heart,
Frank
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