When the news of yet another mass shooting, and yet another in an elementary school, broke yesterday, my first emotion wasn’t shock. At some place inside of me, this wasn’t unexpected. Because this happens here in our country. My first thought was, “Oh Lord, not again.” My first feeling was just pure horror. How can this be happening again? A friend of mine reminded me today that the temptation will be to numb ourselves to this horror, to become used to the news. I use the word “temptation” with intention—this is the work of evil, the intention of the enemy. It would be all too easy for the constant horror to make us numb to this reality—19 children and 2 educators are dead. There are 21 families in Uvalde who will never be whole again.
It is a myth of the enemy that we are helpless in the face of these tragedies. We can and we must do better. We must take steps to prevent other families from facing this terror. To make this a place where these things do not happen.
So we will lament together; we will speak the names of the victims together; we will sorrow and cry and be angry and uncertain together. We will check in on parents and school kids, on educators and school staff. We will check in on ourselves.
Then we will work together, to reject the narrative of numbness and acceptability that do not come from God. Instead, we will step into the narrative that God is weaving. Let’s engage the work together by getting up close. Let us create the path together.
– Pastor Megan
