Dear Nativity Family,
Our world was turned upside down with another mass shooting this Wednesday, August 27. Our perception of safety for our children and their teachers has been violated. We grieve with the families, the children, and the staff of Annunciation Roman Catholic Church and School.
We offer a prayer for this time….
O God, you weep with us as we grieve yet another act of gun violence. You promise to be with us as we seek to make sense of this tragedy. We boldly pray for your Holy Spirit, that we will find comfort in the midst of heartache, direction and wisdom in the midst of confusion and anger, and faith-filled courage to be a hopeful presence as we work together to make changes.
The question remains, how do we find hope and be hope in the midst of such traumatic circumstances? In his sermon this weekend, Pastor Glenn will talk about “Hope in the Midst of Grief.” After each worship hour, for those who would like, there will be times to talk and process the trauma, to learn how to talk with children about the events, and to mutually support one another as a hope-filled community. Several mental health professionals from the Nativity community will be available during this time in addition to church staff.
In the meantime, for families who are looking for ways to address the fears and grief of their children, we share the National Association of School Psychologists’ “Talking to Children about Violence: Tips for Families and Educators” (PDF). This resource offers healthy guidance for these difficult conversations.
This is not the first time tragedy has threatened to overwhelm us and our community, nor will it likely be the last. But scripture gives us words to pray when we can’t find our own. Words of hope, yes, but also words of longing and lament.
How long, O Lord? Have you forgotten me?
How long will you hide your face? You seem so far away.How long must I bear this pain and feel the sorrow?
How long?Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
Give light to my eyes, for evil seems to have the upper hand.I am shaken.
You are my hope, for all things are possible with you.
I trust in your steadfast love;
My heart shall rejoice, for you are with me.I will find joy again, and I will sing to the Lord
because God has dealt bountifully with me.Psalm 13:1-6 paraphrase
Yesterday, Bishop Jen Nagel of our Minneapolis Area Synod shared a gentle call for “tenderness and prayer” as we wisely take time to “tend to our spirits.” She also rightly acknowledged the corrosive impact of living with continual shooting tragedies:
“In a country where gun violence is the leading cause of death for children, we must lament, grieve, and condemn, but also work together to change this reality. The ELCA’s Social Message “Gun-related Violence & Trauma” reminds us that ‘Persisting violence erodes social capital, impairs social networks, and breeds hopelessness…’ In Minneapolis, we are holding the trauma of two days of gun violence as a community, as [Monday] another mass shooter killed one person and wounded six in front of Cristo Rey High School. As people of faith, we are called to ‘peacemaking towards a vast reduction of gun-related violence’ through advocacy, community building, and healing. The pervasiveness of gun violence in the U.S. is not a reality we should accept.”
Together, we will move forward as a community sustained by God’s love, holding both the call to peacemaking and the call to care for one another. We need to be the presence of God for each other, holding one another in prayer, caring for our wounds and working for a better world. Together we are hope—especially when hope for change feels absent. O Lord, hear our prayer.
In Hope and Faith,
Pastor Glenn Seefeldt
Pastor Angela LaMoore
Deacon Kyle Soderberg