I write this with a heavy heart grieving for those families in Uvalde. Please be in prayer for the families and the community. I cannot imagine the depth of hurt and grief that they are experiencing. In times like this which are becoming far too common we need hope. I turn to the words of Peter in his first letter. 1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
The source of our hope is in God, a God who simply loves us and can do nothing else, a God who never stops seeking us. Biblical and Christian hope does not mean living in the clouds, dreaming of a better life. It is not merely a projection of what we would like to be or do. It leads us to discover seeds of a new world already present today, even when the Kingdom of God seems so far away. It is because of the identity of our God, because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we can have hope in the worst this world has to offer.
There are days when hope waxes and wanes. There are days when all we feel is numbness. While hope is something we need to have and to strengthen, there are going to be times when it is impossible to feel. Instead of being steady, down on the end near the anchor, we find ourselves literally at the end of the rope, being whipped around like a kite in a springtime storm. However even when we may not be able to feel hope, to feel our connection to God, it doesn’t mean hope is gone; it still exists whether we feel it or not. Thus, our Christian life never is held hostage to feelings because there is always hope that is beyond hope. That, I think, is what it means to say we hope in our salvation. We are not alone even when we feel utterly alone.
I believe this is what Peter was relating to the readers of his epistle…that even while we wait for eternal life here on earth, suffering trials, we still experience what we truly hope for, the salvation of our souls. Each time the Lord gives us the assurance that our sins are forgiven, each time the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to praise God even and especially while we feel persecuted or when we are suffering, God is strengthening our faith and drawing us closer. This is true not only for us as individual Christians, but also for the body of Christ, the church. The church is in much need today of remembering it too has received God’s gift of hope.
Yours in Christ,
Jim and Laurie
A letter from our Executive Presbyter Rev. Sally Watson
Beloveds,
God our shelter, hold us under the shadow of your wings as we bow before you in grief and pain.
We pray for each family who has lost a beloved child, a parent, a friend;
we pray for those who have witnessed horror, and are wounded in body or spirit,
for each of them is a child made in your image.
We pray for ourselves, that we will find strength to support the brokenhearted,
grace to find our way in the darkness of grief, anger and loss;
light to sense your presence, even in the valley of the shadow of death.
Restore our hopes, our hearts, even as we weep with grief and tremble with anger.
Fill us, your wounded, willing people, with a peace that passes understanding,
the courage to nurture healing and hope,
and the willingness to bear the Christ light, even in these days of shadow.
In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
We are heartbroken at the tragedy that has occurred in Uvalde today. We have been in touch with the Clerk of Session and also with the Rev. Gini Norris-Lane, their Moderator. While we are grateful to hear that no one in our congregation was wounded and that all their families are safe, the entire community has been impacted and is shaken.
The city is next to impossible to access this day as the details are still unfolding and there is understandably a lot of police activity. So much is yet unknown. So, the congregation is planning a service of prayer and wholeness for Wednesday night, May 25, at 6:30 pm. The church is located at 300 N. Getty in Uvalde. If you are able to join us, we know it would mean so much to the congregation. If you're not able to attend, please keep the congregation, the schools, and the entire city in your prayers. Please contact the Presbytery office if you need more information.
In the meantime, we offer this prayer written by the Rev. Laurie Kraus, the Associate Mission Director of Compassion, Peace and Justice of the Presbyterian Church (USA):
God our shelter, hold us under the shadow of your wings as we bow before you in grief and pain.
We pray for each family who has lost a beloved child, a parent, a friend;
we pray for those who have witnessed horror, and are wounded in body or spirit,
for each of them is a child made in your image.
We pray for ourselves, that we will find strength to support the brokenhearted,
grace to find our way in the darkness of grief, anger and loss;
light to sense your presence, even in the valley of the shadow of death.
Restore our hopes, our hearts, even as we weep with grief and tremble with anger.
Fill us, your wounded, willing people, with a peace that passes understanding,
the courage to nurture healing and hope,
and the willingness to bear the Christ light, even in these days of shadow.
In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
