As the events that took place yesterday morning in Newtown, CT begin to
unfold and a timeline is created, many ask why pray now - for God didn't save
those children.
No, God didn't save those children. God didn't stop the events that
lead up to this horrible event and didn't stop Adam from committing a horrific
crime. Instead evil prevailed and 20 young children were lost yesterday
along with 6 of their teachers / caregivers. As a nation, our heart
is weeping for the lost of so many, especially so many young. Our
heart is heavy with the knowledge that in less then 2 weeks Christmas will be
here and so many families will be grieving instead of celebrating, unable to
find the hope of the season.
But does that mean that God has forsaken us? Left us? Does events like
yesterday prove that there is no God? Is our prayer really too
late???
I had a previous blog on the fact that God doesn't leave us, we are the ones
who push God out and ignore the Divine presence. Events like yesterday
don't prove that God has left us - God never promises that nothing bad will
happen or that all good will come. In fact, the idea of living in
"all good" only comes with the Kingdom of Heaven not with believing
and praying. Bad is still going to happen, evil is still reigning and no
matter how much church we attend or how hard we believe we are still left with
the knowledge that bad things can still happen to us. And no matter how
much we want to see our county as "God's country" or a
"Christian nation" the reality is that God stopped protecting
"his chosen" when Jesus opened salvation to all.
But God can still be found in the tragic events of Newtown. God was in
the teachers who shield the survivors and remained clam. God was in the
strength it took for the first responders to do their jobs even though most of
them knew children in that building. God was in the brave children who
were able to escape that room and God was there with all those children during
the shooting - providing a clam, strong and loving presence. Amongst the
chaos, God was there. And now, the prayers are needed for those families
who lost loved ones and for a community that will never be the same.
I am reminded of a quote I read in a book once: "More and more people
find themselves drinking at the wells of each other's spiritual traditions, and
engaging in a deep and common quest" (Jim Wallis). Collectively, we
grieved yesterday and are still grieving today for the lost of so many.
Our prayers and thoughts going out to those families are helping to fill the
wells that this tragic event has sucked dry. As we continue to look
to each other and to God for understanding, it is there in our prayers and in
the connection of the Divine Spirit within us that we will find hope.
Hope in the future, hope in the Kingdom, hope in faith.
As Christmas approaches and for some of us the hope seems lost. Let us
remember that for many of those living in Mary and Joseph’s time, hope seemed
lost. They were being ruled by Rome,
society wasn’t the same and it felt that God was missing – especially to many
of those who were lower class. And when
this baby was born, the hope that he brought wasn’t understood – it took
another 30+ years, a lot of teaching and a resurrection to fully understand the
hope that this Emmanuel gave to the world.
We might not ever understand when tragedy comes our way and we might never
be able to stop the evil that still exists in this world. But we can choose to find hope, hope in the
knowledge of our faith – hope in the presence of the Divine – hope in the
collective Spirit that transcends us all.
Even if this Christmas is still too early for us, if we begin to accept
the Spirit within us, one day we might find the hope that Jesus brought
us.
