A time for silence and lament (The Christian Century)

CENTURY BLOG

A time for silence and lament

Jan 11, 2011 by Richard A. Kauffman

The tragic shooting in Arizona has become a cultural Rorschach test. People see what they want to see about what's wrong with our culture, who the bad guys are and what should be done about it.

It's said the shooting was the result of overheated political rhetoric, a lack of gun controls or too muchviolence in movies and television. Many believe the shooter was motivated by the political right, otherssay it was the left. As if to trump all other explanations, Scot McKnight says the problem is the evil that lurks in all of our hearts.

We may never know what motivated Jared Lee Loughner to go on a killing rampage. One thing is clear: he was mentally unbalanced, and he didn't get the help he needed. He fell through the system, if it's even accurate to say there is a system through which one can fall.

We humans are meaning-making animals. We like to make sense of tragic and evil events. But does it make sense that a crazed gunman shot one of the brightest, most independent-minded voices in Congress? Does it make sense that the same gunman killed a bright-eyed, nine-year-old girl, born on 9/11, who was interested in government and wanted to meet the congresswoman? Some things just are senseless, and we should be cautious about adorning them with explanations and meaning.

One of the most remarkable scenes in the Bible is when Job's friends first come to see him after he experiences devastating loss and illness. His friends "sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was great." Job's friends were doing fine until they opened their mouths and tried to explain the reasons for his plight.

It's true that we need to learn whatever we can from this episode, if for no other reason than to try to prevent such things in the future. And the impulse to find acts of courage and redemption in the face of unspeakable evil is a necessary and noble one.

Now, though, might be a time for silence, a time for just living with the tragedy without needing to explain it. Now is the time especially to mourn those who were killed and to support the survivors and all the family and friends whose lives were unalterably rocked by this senseless event.

If we say anything at all, perhaps it needs to take the form of lament.

Snapshots from Tucson

An Interfaith Response

Snapshots from Tucson - Becky Garrison - God's Politics Blog

As an example of the interfaith response, here is a prayer from Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon of Temple Emanu-El that is circulating on Facebook:

A Prayer for Our Community, for those Wounded and Lost, and for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

At times of great moral outrage, when truly terrible acts are committed, we fluctuate between two emotions: after the initial shock, we are horribly devastated at the tragedy and unspeakable loss; and then we often are very angry, furious at the violent and unprincipled slaughter that one individual has perpetrated.

These are natural emotions, fully human, and they must be experienced completely before any healing or understanding can be effected. But the heart of the matter, the ikar, as the Talmud would describe it, is that after we are shocked, after we are devastated, after we are furiously angry, we must come to terms with what the lives that were stolen meant. We must embrace what the real value of a good human being is: a promising child, an outstanding jurist, a loyal aide, a parent, a sibling, a child, a friend.

We are taught in Jewish tradition that each human being is created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God. Today those images were shattered.

It is up to us to pick up the pieces, and to make of those broken lives some holiness in our damaged community.

May the Holy One help us to comfort those who have lost a piece of their hearts today. May the Holy One teach us how to take this terrible damage and make it into something whole once again.

May God give us the strength to face these losses with intelligence, courage, and determination. May God bring those who were wounded to healing and recovery, speedily and soon. And may we remember to listen to God.

One special note of prayer: Representative Gabrielle Giffords is a good friend — to me, personally, to our congregation, to the district she has served so well, to interfaith work and understanding, to so many good causes and purposes. She is a completely principled person, a warm and caring woman, a good, even a great Arizonan, all without pretension.

She lies terribly injured now. We pray that the Merciful One will help her heal, and be whole again as well. We need Gabby Giffords, and she needs our prayers.

May we offer them with all of our strength and care. May this be God’s will. And ours.

A Passion for Excellence

Excerpt from Acts 8:4-13

“But when Philip came to town announcing the news of God's kingdom and proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ, they forgot Simon and were baptized, becoming believers right and left! Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. From that moment he was like Philip's shadow, so fascinated with all the God-signs and miracles that he wouldn't leave Philip's side.”

Reflection by Ron Buford

The Simon in this story, a great magician and healer, is fascinating. A new guy, the great Apostle Phillip, comes to town and dramatically upstages him, Simon does something that most of us find challenging. 

Simon’s followers just up and leave him on the spot. But here’s the surprise . . .  Simon goes along, too!

Simon’s desire for excellence eclipses any feelings of shame he might have had. Without bad-mouthing Phillip, like a good scientist, he apprentices and shadows Phillip’s every move. Determined to learn, though not at all a novice, his passion for discovery is unrelenting.

Passion for excellence with focus produces results, at any age. Simon models this ability, turning envy into a stepping stone to greatness, despite the taunting and teasing he must have received.

The biblical story says Simon was baptized. Why? Phillip knew that the power Simon sought would only come when Simon’s hunger was fed not only by study, but also by an infilling of God’s mystical power from above.

Whether healing through science and surgery, taking the hand of a child, baking a cake, doing research, preaching a sermon, or sending a get-well card, let us strive to study and do excellently, to learn from the best and do our very best.  We can do this knowing the One who acts alongside us: the One who is still speaking, still acting, still enhancing the good; still transforming even our deepest, most secret darkness into light.

Prayer

Gracious God, whether I am continuing the work of a great predecessor, intimidated as I work  with someone great, or even being displaced by someone who is doing greater things than I ever imagined, help me recognize, celebrate, and learn – preoccupied not with myself, but with the ongoing fulfillment of Your promise, Your coming realm on the earth. Amen.

About the Author Ron Buford, former coordinator of the UCC’s God is still speaking campaign, currently serves as Director of Development for the Northern California Nevada Conference. A consultant, group leader and speaker, he appears in Living the Questions: Resourcing Progressive Christians.

Daily Prayer - 01/11/2011

Jeremiah’s Call 

4 The Lord gave me this message: 

5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” 

6 “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”7 The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you.8 And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”9 Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth!10 Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant.”

Jer 1:4-10 (NLT)

  

As a pastor I would love to be able to say that I, too, had such a calling; the clear, distinctive voice of God ringing in my ears; the undoubtedly comprehensible knowledge that this leading to Christian ministry was the very hand of God, in my life. While the leading part may be true, my journey has certainly not been as lucid as that of Jeremiah’s, and probably not so for most other pastors I know as well. Such an experience does not appear to be the norm in God’s most intimate interactions with God’s people today. (In fact, outside this voice of God, Jeremiah's future probably didn't seem very clear at all to him, either).

But God does call us each, I believe; a calling that might initially take shape as an “Ah Ha!” moment for us; or that deep sense of  inner certainty that stirs our very souls, and suddenly makes our faith journey less dense and redirects the direction we had set for our lives. Something read. Something heard – maybe for the umpteenth time – but really for the first time. A friend’s touch that eases the pain. An embrace that frees us from the loneliness of our lives. A sermon remembered, long after the echo of the words has died. A life-death moment, in which life prevailed. All of these – and more – are ways in which God often graces the very fabric of who we are, and lifts us to new heights of being, by drawing us closer to the very source of life itself.

This call – this act of God – this very presence of the divine opening itself to us – into us - is only half known, however, unless it invokes a response from the very depths of who we are. For being called means also to follow – to follow that God-voice within. To be called by God, as was Jeremiah, means that in some way, great or small, our life steps out on a new path; a path not yet traveled, at least in the ways we are use to traveling. It means an honoring of the very One who calls, and an intimate acknowledgement on our part that what we are called towards is now binding upon our lives.

This calling/following may lead us to new places, experiences, events of joy and happiness, which we never realized as even possible. This calling/following may also lead us, however, to places, experiences, events that are ones that we would rather not engage. That’s the unknown with which we struggle, when we encounter the voice of the Lord, and when we respond by giving ourselves over to the new reality that we are being led to inhabit. The invitation may be clear – the gifts may be recognized – yet the where and how of the playing out of our response may be murky at best. This is the threshold of faith – the placement of complete trust in the One who has called us by name. Maybe even from our mother’s womb.

So, what is God calling you to this day? How has the Lord set you apart to be a voice to the world you encounter each day? That is what you – what I – get to wrestle with each moment of each day. I can only pray that we are listening.

Speak to me this day – this moment, O Lord. Make clear(er) the pathways down which you wish to walk with me. Joyous or non, I will honor you by stepping out in faith and trust, knowing that as your precious child we make that journey hand-in-hand; and all for the glory of your Kingdom.

Amen.

Rev. Michael Kirchhoff