Following the unimaginable events at Sandy Hook Elementary, as a pastor, as a parent, I struggled. I would not tell you that it's ok. I would not tell you that all things happen for a reason, or that God has ordained this in any way. The truth is simply that evil exists in our world. It is alive and all too well. So how do we move forward? Perhaps we can look to the spirit of Advent - the time of year when we celebrate the Christ child, and look forward with anticipation for his return.
"Our first step is to cry." We have been gifted by God to cry. It provides us with a much needed emotional release to purge ourselves of feelings that must not stay inside of us. When we read the stories of what happened, when we look at the images on our TVs or newspapers, when we hold our own children and thank God for their safety, perhaps the first, best thing we can do is to cry. But we must be reminded that we are not alone in our tears: "They are the tears that flowed in the little town of Bethlehem when, after the birth of Jesus, King Herod slaughtered their children" (Dr. Charles Killian).
"A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more." (Matthew 2:18)
"We cry, and then we shout." With anger we shout at the evil that brought this horrific event upon us. I am angry. I am angry and sickened. But in the midst of our anger we find hope in the words of the angels who told the shepherds, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11). This message of hope from over 2,000 years ago rings hope for today; for one day all violence will end, one day peace will reign, one day love will be our truth. Until that day we celebrate the fact that the Christ child ushered in the Kingdom of God, but we still struggle because it is not yet fully here. And so...
"We cry, we shout, and then we pray." After the tears, after the anger, we realize what we need the most. We realize that we must turn to the God who has always been here, unchanging and patiently waiting, during the good times and the horrific.
All too reminiscent of a Friday just over 2,000 years ago, on Friday, December 14th, 2012, evil took painful swing at the world. But today is Sunday, and we lift our hands to heaven with joy because we know the rest of the story. We know that on a Sunday 2,000 years ago Christ rose, overcoming death and evil. And on this Sunday we rejoice through tears that the children of Sandy Hook and their earthly guardians have risen to overcome death and evil.
At
Christmas we celebrate the story of prophecy fulfilled, the completion of a
story of hope waited on for hundreds of years. Today, we also wait. Today we wait for joy that will wipe away the pain. For most of us, on Christmas morning the pain will subside as we focus on our family and the joy they bring. But for the parents of Sandy Hook, this will be a Christmas filled with tears. They will agonize over the pain and look longingly to an unforeseeable day when the heartache is over. These parents, in many ways, are waiting for Christ's return. They wait much like a child waits for
Christmas, but their wait is laden with painful anticipation; they are looking for the day when hope is replaced by overwhelming and never-ending peace.
As adults,
we can see purpose in the wait for Christmas. As Christians, we are
like children in relation to our heavenly Father; eagerly we
ask him, “When will
the pain and struggle end?" Patiently, our Father who knows what is best for us responds, “Soon, but
for now I ask you to learn to reside in me during the storm.” It is here that we realize God does not always change the situation. Sometimes, through the waiting, he changes our outlook of the situation. Sometimes, instead of the situation, he changes us.
"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
Thank you to Dr. Charles Killian for providing the basis of "Cry, Shout and Pray" (as quoted above). It was through reading his words that allowed me to follow his pattern, form my own thoughts within this progressive healing process, and finally place them down on paper as written above.
