"A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." - Jeremiah 31:15 and Matthew 2:18 (NIV)
They were children. Someone's children. God's children. However else we may remember the victims of the shooting in Orlando, Fla., this past Sunday-let us, first and last, remember their humanity. Let us remember them as children. ...
And, like Rachel for her children, let us weep.
As I have experienced profound sorrow over this most horrific tragedy, I've also been struck that this event has the potential to take us to so many unhelpful places. It has all of the touchstones of the conflicts that plague our nation's public life: Gun control, Muslim inclusion in American society, violence against the LGBTQ community and societal homophobia. I'm hard-pressed to think of a set of issues with more potential to divide us. It is certain this event will be used by all sides to score rhetorical points and clog up Facebook.
That's why I believe it's God's holy hand that had me wrestling with the following text that was read in church Wednesday and will be read on Sunday:
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So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. 2 Corinthians 5
Into this conflicted and divided world, we are sent as ambassadors for Christ. Into this world where the LGBTQ community feels ostracized and needs places of sanctuary and deep community that they have not found in our churches, we are sent as ambassadors for Christ. Into this world where Smith and Wesson stock rises by 6.8 percent in anticipation of the increased gun sales that will follow, we are sent as ambassadors for Christ. Into this world, where ramped up anti-Muslim rhetoric only serves to fuel Muslim extremism, which only serves to ramp up anti-Muslim rhetoric, we are sent as ambassadors for Christ.
Somehow. Some way.
As ambassadors, having been given a ministry of reconciliation, we are all called on to think about what part we might play in God's work of reconciling the world to himself in Christ. Sadly, I don't have it all figured out. But I offer some thoughts, born out of my reflections on what we can all agree is good and godly, faithful work:
• Keeping guns out of the hands of terrorists and criminals.
• Prayer and support for those who work to protect us from harm.
• Prayer and support for those who respond to emergencies. For law enforcement and medical personnel who have responded to the call of duty to serve this nation.
• Prayer and support for the family and friends of the victims.
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• Prayer and support for the wounded.
• Prayer and support for those who are mentally ill.
• Prayer and support for the Muslim community.
• Prayer and support for the LGTBQ community who feel ostracized from God and the church and who need the ministry of reconciliation spoken about in Second Corinthians.
Most importantly though, it's important we not get caught up in all that might distract us from this central truth: They were children-children that God sought to reconcile to himself, in Christ. This must be our common appeal, in the midst of these dark times. Let us first, and last, remember their humanity. And our humanity. Shared. A bond as strong as Rachel's was for her children.
Steven Rye is senior pastor at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Baxter.
