The gun violence in recent weeks has called us to attention once again, and once again there’s a call for something to be done to stop the senseless killing that takes so many innocent lives. Schools, churches, grocery stores, movie theatres, outdoor concerts, playgrounds, hospitals – there seem to be no guaranteed safe spaces to be found. Just this week it was reported that there are more guns than people in America – a sobering thought.
This paragraph comes from an article by Julia Ledur and Kate Rabinowitz in the Washington Post, published June 2, 2022:
“There have already been more than 240 mass shootings this year in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Thirty-three have taken place since a rampage at an elementary school in Uvalde, Tex., left 19 children and two teachers dead on May 24. Just this past weekend, mass shootings in multiple cities killed 11 and wounded more than 60. Mass shootings, where four or more people — not including the shooter — are injured or killed, have averaged more than one per day so far this year. Not a single week in 2022 has passed without at least four mass shootings.”
How could this be? Why is it so? What can be done to stop it? All questions needing answers that we must find together.
In the weekly Presbyterian News Release, the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) spoke to the issue:
When Will the Bloodshed End?
“There comes a point when there are no words. We have seen the pain and devastation that mass shootings have placed on families, friends and communities. We have heard from those same individuals as they have cried out for action to be taken on gun control. We have heard from our politicians on both sides of the political aisle touting their position on this highly debated issue.
We have also seen that despite all of the cries, nothing changes. We go about our lives and wait for the next mass shooting and then wait for the barrage of arguments for and against measures to keep this from happening again.
While we debate the merits of stronger gun laws, parents, siblings, spouses and children are learning to live a new normal, a normal that means living without a loved one. We offer our thoughts and prayers, attend funerals and go back to our lives. But they must go on with an empty place in their hearts.
When will the bloodshed end? When will it be enough for our society and our government to take the necessary steps to end this senseless violence?
I believe hearts are so hardened that God’s voice is not being heard. I believe our eyes are closed so that God’s healing power is not being seen. But I also believe that God is still here, and it is up to us to hear God’s call.”
Let us pray for an openness to God and to one another, as we seek to find a way forward together.
Elizabeth
Today my brother and his son are retracing our father’s footsteps of some 80 years ago. They’re visiting Paris Island, SC. Officially, Dad was Sgt F/2/25, 4th Marine Division, WWII, veteran of Roi-Namur, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima.
One of his buddies wrote the book Gyrene, and I treasure these words he wrote inside the cover of the book he gave to me: “Your father was one hell of a fine Marine and leader of men. Be extremely proud of what he did for our country. Hope you enjoy this story of your father’s buddies and life and culture. Best wishes and Semper Fi .”
The book was given to me at the group’s annual reunion. For several years, my brother and I would meet and travel together to join them for reunions. There we would hear stories of their life together. On learning I was a pastor, they asked me to help with the evening memorial service and to offer a prayer before meals. What a blessing to sit among them as they shared memories and hopes and dreams. Truly this was the greatest generation, and it was an honor to be among them as they gathered each year.
“Every generation has to defeat democracy’s moral foes. And into every generation, heroes are born, willing to shed their blood for that which they and we hold dear. Today we remember and we reaffirm: Freedom is worth the sacrifice. Democracy is not perfect, but it’s worth fighting for; if necessary, worth dying for … Our democracy is our greatest gift as a nation, made holy by those we’ve lost along the way. Our democracy is how we undertake the constant work of perfecting the union – and we have not perfected it, but we’ve never stopped trying – to open wider the doors of opportunity and prosperity and justice for people everywhere.” ( President Biden, Arlington National Cemetery, May 30, 2022)
From Bridge USA, I share these thoughtful words: “Simply put, we as Americans are not living up to the promise of the greatest democracy in the history of humanity. We have a moral responsibility to uphold the sacrifice of the millions of Americans who gave their lives so that we could live ours. Our call to civic duty begins with acknowledging the basics. We do not have a democracy if we don’t engage. We do not have a country if we don’t have some sense of unified belonging. We do not have a society if we cannot talk to each other. Our call to civic duty requires much less courage and bravery than the brave men and women whom we remember today. We are not being asked to set off to distant shores and lands to lay our lives on the line. We are simply being asked to be better in our daily lives. Our call to civic duty requires humility. It requires us to understand that our rights come with responsibility and that empathy and respect must guide how we engage our fellow Americans. In our everyday lives, we must remember that our actions add up in the aggregate to determine the direction of our democracy.“
Helpful words this Memorial Day 2022.
Elizabeth
As Jesus is preparing his disciples for life without his physical presence among them, he speaks again and again of LOVE. “ A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this will all people know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 14:34-35) As Eastertide draws to a close with Jesus’s ascension into heaven, we’re reminded again and again of his call to LOVE.
In a recent denominational news release, The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Rev. Dr. Diane Moffett, president and executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, discussed the denomination’s future, next month’s General Assembly, and what it will take for Presbyterians to remain faithful to God’s call.
“I think we as a church have to learn how to love again,” Nelson says … “not have big barns or the building of great temples … Are we willing to give of ourselves and of the church, even at the risk of losing the church? I think that’s the kind of love that’s required.”
Moffett added, “Jesus never shied away from controversy. He stood his ground. He never said, ‘Oh, this is too much.’ Instead, he said ‘I’m seeing you devour your widows’ houses. I’m seeing how your laws are exploiting people.’ He called it out, and he called it out in such a way not to condemn, but that the world could wake up to a new possibility … God’s kingdom or kin-dom.”
“Jesus kept making people mad. He kept saying things people did not want to hear, which angered the Pharisees and the Sadducees,” Nelson said. “Take off those robes and do what you need to do for the sake of faith in God. We have to learn how to do that without throwing the towel down, walking out the door, slamming the door, calling folks names and saying, ‘I’m out of here.’ This is not Christian, and it’s not a part of what our faith is all about … It’s not the time to walk away and quit the church. It’s time to come back and equip the church to understand even more.”
They shared the words of a hymn for Matthew 25 churches in the PC(USA)
Jesus, be with us.
Help us each day
to follow the gospel
and live as we pray.
Send us your Spirit
and show us your way.
Jesus, be with us today.
May we as a PCUSA family, join together in singing that song to the glory of God, and for the good of our greater human family.
Elizabeth