Ramblings at the End of a Day of (Local) Tragedy

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us." - 2Cor. 1:3-4

The eyes of the nation, and perhaps the world, are on Tucson today. Our city experienced what far-too-many cities across this land have experienced in recent years -- a kid with a gun, firing into a crowd, killing and wounding too many people. (One is too many.)

The internet was filled with false reporting (including CNN and MSNBC); I was thankful for a local station that ran live, streaming, *accurate* coverage. I was able to breathe a bit easier when KOLD confirmed Congressman Gabrielle Giffords (known affectionately in these parts as "Gabby") was NOT dead, had survived her surgery, and that the docs were "optimistic about her recovery." A bullet through the brain...one has to wonder what kind of recovery there will be...nonetheless, it was good news for the moment and I think the entire city exhaled at the same time.

Relief only lasted a moment, though. A 9-year-old child was one of the dead...one of the six (so far) whose lives ended today. Unimaginable grief for those parents...and for all the families who lost a loved one today. There are no words.

I went to church tonight; I knew I needed to worship the God of all comfort, who is grieving with us, and I wanted to worship in community. Pantano Christian Church's service this evening couldn't have been more appropriate. A big shout-out to them for switching up the service, scrapping the original plans, and allowing a central place for what was on everyone's minds anyway. The Senior Pastor, Glen Elliot, shared from the Word and his heart on 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (see above). We who have received such comfort from God, need to be comfort to our community; sometimes that will mean just listening and giving a hug. Other times it will mean sharing deeply from our hearts. God will show each of us how to be a comfort to people in our city.

The extended time of prayer was powerful. Glen invited us to take whatever posture would help us draw close to the Lord; I had one of the front pews all to myself, so I laid face-down on it as Glen led us to pray for different situations. I loved that it wasn't just us agreeing with whatever he prayed; he would mention something and then give us time to pour out our hearts to God. We prayed for those clinging to life; we prayed for the families who had lost loved ones; we prayed for Gabby; we prayed for our city. And then it got gutsy --we prayed for the family of the shooter, and for the shooter himself. I wanted to shout "Amen and hallelujah" because the perpetrators of crime and their families are often forgotten in prayer times like this. I remember reading an interview of the parents of one of the Columbine shooters and they went through hell; they were shunned by their community and very few people reached out to them. But Jesus died for ALL. Jesus is reaching out His hand to ALL involved today. I loved the heart of God expressed by Pastor Glen tonight. Many of us were crying; I loved the heart of God expressed by the body tonight.

The worship time was spot-on. God is worthy of our worship even in the midst of tragedy. To sing "How Great Thou Art" tonight was amazing. Then we sang "He knows my name/He knows my every thought/He sees each tear that falls/And hears me when I call." And then the following:

The Stand

You stood before creation
Eternity in your hand
You spoke the earth into motion
My soul now to stand

You stood before my failure
And carried the cross for my shame
My sin weighed upon Your shoulders
My soul now to stand

So what could I say?
And what could I do?
But offer this heart, O God
Completely to You

So I'll walk upon salvation
Your spirit alive in me
This life to declare Your promise
My soul now to stand

So what could I say?
And what could I do?
But offer this heart, O God
Completely to You

I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all
I'll stand, my soul, Lord, to You surrendered

All I am is Yours

(Hear it at www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAQ61KH7qRc)

I was undone. To hear everyone's voices around me with arms raised and tears falling...it was an incredibly moving time of worship.

But wait, there's more. Before Communion, Glen told us that one of the fallen today was a man who had jumped in front of his wife as the shots rang out. The couple was coming out of the Safeway, and the husband did what any man would/should do...and now he is with Jesus and his wife is alive, wounded, but alive. There was a collective gasp in the room as Glen told how this man of God had given his life for his wife; what a poignant way to introduce Communion.

I drove home with both a heavier and a lighter heart. Ah, the both-andness of things. Again. Always.

I have all sorts of other thoughts swirling around my brain -- gun control, for instance... and how every day is a "day of tragedy" somewhere; it just hits harder when it's closer to home -- but I will save those for another time.

I head to bed with heart abandoned, soul surrendered, in awe of the God of all comfort, and praying for those in Tucson who need that comfort the most.