In just 10 short days we have witnessed two mass shootings. One targeting the African American community and the other another an elementary school shooting. At the point in time, I cannot even read past the headlines of the articles because I know that it will be too much for my heart to bear. I also see it, maybe rightfully so, on almost every post in my news feed on Facebook.
I simply write this letter today to lament. The psalms are full of lament and that is where my heart goes. So, I want to simply let you all know that my heart aches for this senseless loss of life. My heart aches that we cannot be as one as Jesus prays that we would or could be. To be one as he and God are one. My heart aches for the families who have lost loved ones because people have chosen hatred and violence over love and peace.
The words from Psalm 38 seem to express the best at how I feel about this: “ 9O Lord, all my longing is known to you; my sighing is not hidden from you. 10My heart throbs, my strength fails me; as for the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.”
Perhaps the light going from my eyes does not accurately describe how I feel, I don’t feel that far gone, but God does know my longing and my sighing. In fact, Paul even uses the language of sighing in Romans 8:26-27 talking about the Spirit interceding for us with sighs too deep for words. Sometimes, like for me now, simply letting the Spirit sigh on our behalf is enough to let God know what it is that we need, or what we are going through/feeling.
Whatever it is that you are feeling or thinking right now, lift it up to God or simply sigh and let the Holy Spirit lift that sigh up for you. Let God know what is on your heart with the senseless violence that has occurred twice now in our country.
Take some time, if you haven’t already, to do that. Take a quiet moment, or a loud one if that will help, and grieve the loss of life, the violence, and ask God to intercede on our behalf for what is going on in our country and throughout the world. Pray for a peace that only God can give and comfort for all those who are mourning. Let yourself mourn as well.
Blessings,
Pastor Brian
P.S. Yet another scammer is pretending to be me. Several people have reported receiving an email pretending to be me asking for “you to assist me directly in a matter directly” but that I am in a meeting so please email me back. 1. I will never ask for help in a cryptic email. If I need help, I will spell out what I need. 2. I took yesterday off from work for my birthday, I declined having meetings because of that, so the timing was bad on this scammers part. Please, ALWAYS contact me directly if you ever have a question about something I am asking you to do that may seem odd or cryptic, that’s not how I do things.
