On Friday Janet and I will be headed to Newtown, the town drenched with sorrow that the whole world is watching. Walnut Hill Community Church, a thriving congregation with 3500 members, has arranged two community-wide meetings, Friday and Saturday, Dec. 28-29, on the theme, “Where Is God When It Hurts?” and then two church services on Sunday. (Click on the “Events” tab for more details.) I’ve known the pastor, Clive Calver, for years. Before taking this church he headed an organization called World Relief; his experience directing a global disaster response team with 20,000 employees, he told me, barely prepares him for the local disaster he now faces in his own community. After all, he lives in Newtown and knows many of those affected by name.
I’ve had some tough assignments (Virginia Tech, Mumbai, Sarajevo), but this one is horribly unique. I would truly appreciate your prayers this week as I prepare and then New Year’s weekend as we travel to Connecticut. With her background as a hospice chaplain, Janet is a master at the conversations that will inevitably take place, and she’ll do very important work alongside.
Healing and comfort–that’s what I want most for these dear people. Words can only do so much, and certainly cannot take away the pain, yet I hope that this event could be a time of safety and honesty when people can bring their grief and come away with a new appreciation for why the gospel is good news–even now, especially now.
(This is a generous country at such times: United Airlines is comping both our tickets and two of my publishers are donating some 2000 copies of my books on questions no doubt being asked: Where Is God When It Hurts? and What Good Is God? They’re also offering free downloads to the community that weekend.)
Dear Mr. Yancey, may God use you as the healing balm for the bereaved and beleaguered families. Rgds. Jadson.
May the Spirit of the Lord rest upon you and the hearts be ready to bring forth good fruit. Jesus remains the Good Shepherd especially when wolves have invaded the flock.
Philip,
I am thanking God that you are going to speak with the families at Newtown. I will pray that you can offer words of hope and comfort. Please tell them that not only are people praying for them, but that lessons of love and faith are learned through them. In reflecting on their pain, I know God remains near. I’ve included my reflections in the links below for anyone interested. God bless your ministry, Philip. Nancy
http://www.nancyberns.com/should-we-sing-about-joy-and-peace-this-christmas.html
http://www.nancyberns.com/what-i-learn-from-fear-and-death.html
My prayers and thoughts that your engagement will be like the healing balm to the beleaguered families.
My hope is that we as Christians at least take some time to reflect on our own attachment to guns. Specifically how our own defense of gun rights can coexist with faith in Jesus Christ? I am not at all saying there is one answer here. But we need to start reflecting. I don’t discount the importance of prayers for the victim’s families. But we should ask ourselves how we would feel if our own child had been gunned down in this massacre? I’ve heard many Christians argue that in the wake of Aurora and Newtown we need more guns, not less. They have a right to their view. But I think we’re given a very different example in the New Testament. Did not our messiah proclaim that those who live by the sword will die by it?