Dearest friends-

By now most of us have heard the news of today’s tragic shooting at a school in Newtown, Connecticut. Heard it; likely. Absorbed it; hardly.

Pardon my impulse to greet you at this time in this matter, but I simply felt the need to reach out – in part to ask for and share prayers all around, and in part to try to measure this event – in this season.

Most of us can barely imagine the horror that must be afoot among those most affected by this senseless killing; parents, sisters and brothers, schoolmates, colleagues, law enforcement and first responders. Our first prayers are lifted in the names of these victims and the victims who lost their lives.

But what is a community of faith to think, much less say, at a time like this? First, probably something like, “Why… in GOD�S name?�

We are diverse in our faith traditions, even in our language of the spirit, to the extent that we possess as much. But we are united by something: a common and beloving creator; by chance meetings together; by history of worshipping together; by having grieved in common at one time or another; even by the simple coincidence of living in a shared, if extended circle. And we are called, in God’s good time, to re-affirm our diverse faith together, especially when tragedy upends so much of what we take for granted.

Whatever we feel: despair; intimate or disembodied grief; numbness; disgust; desire for revenge; anger at some remote, disengaged God; whatever… we feel it together. And there is hope in that. God is big enough to embrace us at such a time. God is crying too; perhaps harder than we could imagine. And the spirit of hope that the Creator instills in us is – or can be – the best thing we have going for us. Finally, the world needs gentleness; and it needs it from all of us. We may well not feel that way in light of events. But it returns, in its own good time. And it is what the world most aches for.

In Christian language and tradition, the Prince of Peace is soon to arrive. We’ve been preparing for it, whether we “believe� the story or not. Way down deep, we do remember that evil never gets the last word. We are invited to share that truth with each other, even when it’s the most difficult to do so. People of both deep and ragged faith have been rising to this invitation for thousands of years.

I invite all of us to worship, weep, sing, and try to re-learn hope together… In our sanctuary on Sunday at 10 AM, or, if you prefer, from a place where you are most safe and feel most sacred. We are one in the spirit, and that spirit is the final victor over our greatest sorrows. Please know that you are always welcome, and that God is always with you – whether you’re crying, laughing, dancing, or broken-hearted.

Alan F. Parker, Pastor
United Church of Craftsbury (UCC)
PO Box 378, Danville, VT 05828
802-684-1030/802-535-6433

“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?� Micah 6: 8