It has been a heart wrenching two weeks. 44 people dead at the hands of another- and that number has changed since I wrote this, who knows what it will be when you actually read it- and those are just the incidents the Gun Violence Archive reports on. Some racially charged, some politically charged, some for reasons we will never know, these attacks have brought hurt to so many.

I am not going to presume to know all the facts about all the events since the shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, including a church shooting in Laguna Woods, California, and the most recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. In the events of these past few weeks, where hatred and suffering has ruled the land a little closer to home, I have seen post after post on social media, from non-church folks and church folks alike, that it’s not enough to say, “our thoughts and prayers are with the people of ____.”

Prayer is a wonderful and essential part of faith-filled living; that moment where we get to have a heart-to-heart conversation with God. But at as Pastor Adam Hamilton at the Church of the Resurrection in Leewood, Kansas once pointed out, saying the words is not really praying. His point was that if we truly believed in what we were praying for, we would work towards doing something about it, if we could. For example, what if we prayed for someone to be healed of cancer but then we went to the supermarket and when we were asked to donate a dollar to the American Cancer Society we said no? How could we ask God to do something for us, when we have been given hands and feet to join in that work and refuse to do so?

Look, I am not going to say that gun control, mental health awareness, or any other suggestion that has come up the last two weeks are going to fix the evils we find in this world. But I don’t think prayer alone will do it either. This is the moment when you are called to join in God’s work where you are gifted and called to be. Some will write letters and call legislators to strengthen gun regulations. Some will work towards ending stigmas around mental health and ensuring everyone can receive care. Some will continue the work to ending the sin of racism. Some will work to ensure that no one can enter our schools through an un-locked door.

I can’t tell you how to go about it. I can tell you to pray about it, and for it. Pray for the people who have been harmed, done harm, and their families. Pray for those who are doing the work already. Pray for yourself and your family, discerning how you can best respond and join in the work that God is doing in the world. Pray for the church, as it discerns its role in all of this.

And then get out there and be God’s hands and feet.

Comment your thoughts below!

Blessings friends,
Pastor Nicole