Morning Prayer, Again
To me - the pastor and theologian - the problem seems complex, but the solution seems quite simple.
According to a Washington Post database, there have been 17 school shootings this year. In 2022, there were 46. Not much has changed in the political landscape of America to suggest that we should not expect a different number this year.
The United States Congress, along with state legislatures, appear to be unwilling to do anything that might help save the lives of children in schools. While many legislative representatives are willing to come to the table to try anything at this point, there are others who are more interested in scoring political points by continuing the conversation of banning books and drag queens.
I shared a prayer I prayed over my children and their friends on Tuesday morning. I’ve prayed that prayer at dropoff the past three days and plan to continue.
“Lord, watch over our children and their classmates. Keep them safe. Hold them in your care. If they learn something, that’s great. Send them home safely at the end of the day. Hold them in your care. Amen.”
Nothing changed after Sandy Hook.
Nothing changed after Parkland.
Nothing changed after Uvalde.
And it appears nothing will change after Nashville.
I’m a pastor. I’m not a policy-maker or think-tank consultant.
I know theology. I know the Bible.
I know that when Jesus was asked which of the commandments was the greatest, he said, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Many who oppose adding restrictions on assault-style weapons (aka weapons of war) cite their “God-given right to bear arms.” I’ve read the Bible cover-to-cover, and nowhere did I find the Second Amendment to the United States Consitution.
Like I said, I’m a pastor. I’m not a policy-maker or think-tank consultant.
I know theology. I know the Bible.
So when Jesus tells us to love God and love our neighbor as we love ourselves, you have to ask, who is the god of those who worship at the altar of the Second Amendment? Because, at this point, the United States has an idolatrous addiction to weapons of war.
You cannot worship at the altar of the Second Amendment (or the NRA) and follow Christ’s words.
It’s impossible.
American theologian Robert Jenson argues that the task of theology is to challenge these false idols and to help people recognize the true God. For Jenson, the theologian (and thus the pastor) is to engage in criticism of the world's idolatries. The Church must speak the word of God, who judges the world's false gods. This moves human beings to reject false gods and, in our current situation, moves us to action.
Many say this is a complex problem that requires complex solutions. To me - the pastor and theologian - the problem seems complex, but the solution seems quite simple.
Listen to Jesus. Just like Mary telling the stewards at the wedding in Cana, listen to Him.
In the foreword to God and Guns, Stanley Hauerwas acknowledges the “tension created by the centuries of the presumption that Christians have no problem with the use of weapons to achieve what is regarded as theirs.”
In God and Guns (click the link for a preview), author Christopher Hayes writes, “As Americans we find ourselves in a historical moment when even small schoolchildren are being drilled in active-shooter response drills, teaching them that the terror of mass shootings in elementary schools is more normal than laws to prevent them. It seems blindingly clear that an alternative is necessary. We stand as witnesses to the alternative.”
Part of the Church’s witness is prayer. We can march, write letters, preach prophetic sermons, and more, but if our work is not rooted in prayer, we run the risk of creating new idols or forming gods in our own image.
Here is the prayer I prayed this morning. It is the prayer my congregation will pray on Sunday. This is the same prayer we prayed after the school shooting in Ulvade, Texas, and I am afraid we will pray this prayer after the next school shooting.
Our hearts ache again, Lord.
We ask again, How long, Lord?
So we ask, how long will we continue to allow our children to fall victim to our idolatrous addiction to guns?
We pray for the students, families, teachers, and community of Nashville, Tennessee. We pray for students who have to prepare for the horrors of war in their classrooms. We ache for the teachers who must think of the unthinkable. We pray for parents forever changed by the unimaginable.
Give us the words and courage to make our schools and communities places where our children can grow, learn, and thrive without fear of violence. Give us the courage to plead the case of our children.
May our “thoughts and prayers” never be an excuse to ignore taking action. Amen.
Join us in this prayer.
May our hearts be softened, may we be moved to action, and may it all be rooted in our love of God and one another.