by Bill Haley (Coracle Executive Director),
Jeff Lindeman (Senior Director of Strategy and Operations) &
Kristy Wallace (Repentance Project Director)

On Tuesday, a young man entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas and killed 19 school children and 2 teachers…

Last week we wrote about how, with you, our hearts are deeply troubled, sad, angry, and sorrowful over the shootings in Buffalo and Laguna Woods. Voices are too often heard in America, mourning and great weeping; Uvalde, Buffalo, Sandy Hook, Columbine (and the list goes on) weeping for their children, refusing to be comforted because they are no more.  (Jeremiah 31:15)

Today, we are again grieving and lamenting another mass shooting in America, the tremendous loss of life, particularly of young lives: the context that led another young shooter to do what he did; the easy access to tools of extreme violence.  We again cry out with the Psalms, “How long, Oh Lord, how long?” praying that the tragedy and humanity of the lives taken not be lost in the political implications of these events.  Our deepest condolences go out to the Uvalde families and community.

But we do not want to leave this moment with having just said a few words or only with an encouragement to pray – though pray we should, confident that God hears our prayers. A place you may want to begin to inform your prayerful conversation with God as well as your conversations with neighbors and in the community:  Beating Guns: Hope for People Who Are Weary of Violence by Shane Claiborne and Michael Martin (2019).