Dear Church,
I'm sure many of us were shocked and heartbroken to see the news out of Texas yesterday. For those of us with children and youth in our life, I appreciated this resource list from Bellingham Public Schools to support conversations with young people about tragic events:
https://bellinghamschools.org/about/departments/family-engagement/family-support-services/mental-health/
I had a lovely midweek message about recipes mostly written when I got the news, and I'll link to it here, but I want to take a moment to name some things about how our faith community might respond.
First off, whatever your emotional response to this event, I want to assure you that it's okay, that it's valid, that it is worthy of respect and support. Some of us go right to anger, others to despair, others to feelings of anxiety and overwhelm. Events which threaten our safety, and the safety of our loved ones very appropriately engage our deepest emotions. I hope we will all find ways to care for ourselves around this grief, so that we can nurture ourselves and be ready to care for others who need our support.
If you are looking for a kind space for grief today, Vox Antiqua is offering a concert tonight at 7:00 pm in the sanctuary. Janet Ott will be reading some prayers during the concert, and proceeds will go to World Central Kitchen, which has been active both in Ukraine and now in Texas as well (as well as many other places of conflict and challenge throughout the world).
Secondly, I've had a few conversations about not knowing what to do with friends, colleagues, and church people. Maybe all of us feel the frustration: some of us have lived through so many events of mass violence, and we keep not seeing substantial legislative or social change. I'm very grateful for the positive changes we've seen over the years, particularly in Washington state, but I share some of the feelings: frustration, despair, heartbreak, and rage.
I'm reminded of Darlene sharing Jim Antal's wisdom on Sunday: we can't always know what will be successful, so instead we can pay attention to what's faithful. I certainly don't see a way out of gun violence in the US, but I believe the Spirit sees many ways out of this particular demonic possession of our nation. Even if we can't see the end of the struggle, we can be faithful witnesses against a culture of death, sacrifice, and racism. We can proclaim and model a response grounded in kindness, compassion, and nonviolence, and we can build a community that will keep us in this witnessing for a lifetime or more.
I don't think any of the journeys that the Spirit envisions out of gun violence are easy ones. And they will all need us to support each other, to learn from one another and from other communities, and to be courageously faithful to Jesus' transforming call.
In the midst of it, I'm always glad to hear from you; to share a prayer or share good questions or just lament together. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me or to another supportive church person.
May God give all of us enough courage for this fateful season.
Davi
