Yesterday, as I left my home to lead an Ash Wednesday
service, I briefly heard of another school shooting in Florida. At that time there was very little
information about it, but it was another tragedy. I hoped that the carnage was not too
extensive. My focus soon became the
service that I was about to lead. I
thought about my sermon and the process of imposing the ashes and all the
aspects of that service.
On the way home, I learned that 17 children and teachers lost
their lives in this shooting. Karen and
I drove home in silence. The sermon,
which I intended to post here seemed so inadequate to the moment.
I had troubled sleep.
I believe that God troubles our sleep when we need to be troubled. This
morning when I woke up, the newspaper had this soon to become iconic picture on
the front page. The picture moved me to
write down my thoughts.
Ash Wednesday
Children cowering in classroom corners
Teachers protecting
vulnerable lives
Mothers
waiting for news
Armed with crosses of ash.
Daughters and sons hiding in closets
Valentine cards
never seeing the light of day
The
ashen cross covered with blood
Cheeks
stained with tears.
Cowards cowering in congress’ corners
Lobbyists
protecting their vulnerable seats.
Spin
doctors waiting to control the news
Armed
with alternative facts.
Leaders hiding in D.C. corners
Protective laws
never seeing the light of day
Public
pronouncements of piety covered with blood
A
broken nation stained with tears.
We offer our thoughts and prayers…..
Think
Think
Think about
the massacre of innocents
Think about Rachel weeping for her
children because they are no more*
Think about bloodstained classrooms—the
stains of horror never removed
Think about the years of tears each bullet brings
Think about the young voices that will never be heard—voices
that echo in the souls of weeping parents, grandparents, brothers and
sisters.
Think about the future that lives lifeless on the school
floors
Think
Think
Think
and pray.
Pray for moral courage to say “no” to the merchants and
brokers of death who profit from each bullet bought.
And each
drop of blood.
Pray for the moral courage to say “enough”
Enough lies
Enough
death
Enough small
coffins filled with lifeless victims.
Enough
Think and pray
And pray
And
pray
And act
Ash Wednesday—
The lives
of our children in ashes.
Sacrifices
offered on the altar of our values.
We
have been anointed with the blood of innocents
The soul of a nation returning to dust.
“You are dust and to dust you shall return.”
*Matthew 2:18
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