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The following letter will go out with the Park Congregational Church January newsletter. I pray that there may there be something within this letter to calm and comfort our weary and saddened hearts.
Dear members and friends of Park Church,
As the last few days have gone by, I’ve struggled to know what to say to all of you, and how to say it. Many have noted, quite wisely, that there are no words for such unspeakable tragedy. It’s true that there are no words that can fix what has happened. There are no words that can heal the hearts that have been broken. There are no words that can put everything back the way it was, so that we might go on unchanged. There are no words we can say to one another to make everything okay, because everything is most definitely not okay. Lastly, there are no words that can explain or make sense of what has happened, because this was a senseless act which is impossible to fathom or understand.
And so when it comes to all of those things, it’s true that there are no words. I do not believe that these words which I write to you now can do any of the things I mentioned above. These words that I write now will not fix, heal, explain, or make sense out of the senseless. And so I struggle to know what to say. Or even if I should say anything at all. I have heard more than one person complain that everywhere they turn, there is talk of tragedy. Television, radio, social media—it’s everywhere. And people are overwhelmed with the sadness of it all. Do you really need one more person adding to the cacophony of voices already out there?
But, then, I am your pastor. And we are a community that stands together during difficult times. As Christians, we do not shrink from difficulty or darkness, we stand up to it, holding the light of Christ which we carry in our hearts. We do not let darkness have the last word. As the apostle Paul says, “do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
And so yes, there is something I can and need to say to you now. I can say that in times like these, we may not know the right words to pray, but we can still come before God in prayer, even if our prayers have no words, and the Spirit will give voice to the deepest sighs of our hearts. And we may not have the words to heal the hearts of those who have suffered such tremendous loss, but we can hold them in prayer— perhaps tighter and deeper than any we have ever held in prayer before. We can carry the light of faith for them, because perhaps it is too heavy a burden for them to carry right now. We can send cards, prayers, prayer shawls, teddy bears, and other simple comforts, if only to let them know they are not alone. We can stand together with them, as much as we are able, and pour out all the love and support we might find within ourselves to give.
In the days ahead, there will be a need for honest conversations about how to prevent such unspeakable tragedies from happening in our schools and other public spaces. All of us will need to search our hearts and ask difficult questions about how we might make our world safer for our children. That is the task that we will set before us in the days ahead. For now, however, on this day, and during this Christmas season, your one and only task is to seek out those whom you love and cherish, and hold them a little closer this year. Tell them how much you love them. Remember that they-- the ones we love and the ones who love us-- are the most important and priceless gifts we will receive this Christmas.
May God’s peace be in your hearts and homes this Christmas. May God’s light shine in the darkness, never to be overcome. And may we have the strength and faith to believe in such a promise.
Sincerely,
Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals
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