April 15, 2013 3:10
CST.
I have been watching news coverage over the last few
minutes as the horror unfolds in Boston this afternoon. Just after 3pm Eastern Time, two explosions
tore through the Boston Marathon. The number
of dead at this time is officially counted at three, and it is my prayer that
that number doesn’t change. It wasn’t
until they showed the video of the explosion and I comprehended that the
unbelieving gasp I had just heard was mine that I realized that I had been
holding my breath for a while.
I am writing these words as tears roll down my cheeks. I’m not entirely sure why I am so moved by
something that happened so far away, to people that I may never know. All I know is that it does. Maybe it’s because in a very real way I do know them. I may not know their names, but the lives they
experience are not so unlike mine that I can’t share in their shock and grief
as those lives are disrupted in massive and confusing ways. Maybe it’s because of a faith that leads me
to the understanding that in my humanity, I am to be in relationship with
others in this world in significant ways and that means sharing in both times
of celebration and of mourning. Maybe it’s
because I am grieving the loss of a false sense of security in the reminder
that nothing in this world is permanent; nor is our safety guaranteed just
because we are “good” Christian children.
Or it may just be some of all
of it.
What I am sure of is the fact that though the inevitable
back and forth of Christians and athiests, secularists and spiritualists, “super”
patriotic citizens and pacifists will begin to separate and polarize many in
this situation, our ultimate destination as we navigate the perilous days ahead
will be determined by our ability to be deliberate in our search for justice. It is my prayer that we search God for wisdom
and restraint in these moments. (For we
will surely need them.)
I admit fully that I am angered by what occurred. I am angry that something so horrific could
take place on a day of such festival celebration, deliberately targeting people
simply going about their days and seeking joyful experiences. And yet, I understand that as a believer in a
Christ who responded to the violence of the cross with love, I am intended to
respond in kind. (Ephesians 4: 26–27 - Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun
go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil).That is a difficult
concept to understand in moments like this.
But I have to remember that God speaks to us from outside of our
experience, and has the benefit of wisdom that sees bi-focally. That is to say, God knows and sees what we
are in the midst of now (Matt 28: 20b, “and lo, I am with you always, even to
the end of the age.”), but God can also simultaneously see where we will be when we come out of the other end of the trial that we feel so overwhelmed by (Matthew 6:
26, “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor
reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you
not of more value than they?”). This is a comforting thought to me, knowing
that I don’t have all of the answers that I want, but that there is One who has
the answers that will be standing with us through all of our sorrows.
I invite those of you who read this and believe in God to
be in sincere prayer. And I will close this
post with these words of prayer:
“God of peace, descend on your
children who so often create war.
Give
us strength in our greatest weakness.
God of wisdom, descend on your children
who so often choose foolishness.
Give us
knowledge of things beyond our own limited understanding.
God of mercy, descend upon your
children who are so often unforgiving.
Give us grace to free ourselves from self-imposed burdens of anger and
hatred.
God of love, descend on your
children who so often forget what it feels like to know love.
Remind us that we can only give love if we
have experienced Yours.
May we seek to be ever more like
you:
loving like you, sharing mercy like you, growing in wisdom given by you,
and may we be just peace makers to the end that You alone are glorified and
Your kingdom is increased.
Amen.”
Your Servant in Christ,
Chris
Wow, praise the God of peace, wisdom, mercy, and love for these awesome reflections of one of His "good" Christian children. These words washed a feeling of peace over me as I read them, having just heard the press conference from the scene in Boston. I take this closing prayer as my own.
ReplyDeleteJanet