Death has come up into our windows, it has entered our palaces, to cut off the children from the streets and the young men from the squares.
-Jeremiah 9:21
Finding Yourself in Tragedy
By Ian Lawton
There are many people asking, “Where is God?” after the shootings in Virginia. It’s a natural question to ask, and the heart of the question speaks of how to make sense of innocent suffering. How do you make sense of suffering, your own and others, without becoming bitter and cynical? How do you keep your faith in God and goodness in the face of atrocious suffering?
Maybe the question “Where is God?” is an attempt to manage the pain, and keep it at arms length. Maybe a more productive question is “Where are you in innocent suffering?’ and “How are you manifesting a God-like, wide and deep compassion in the face of suffering?” Below you will find a powerful piece written by Allison Rockey that addresses these questions, plus an audio meditation from Thich Nhat Hanh that is profound to listen to at this time.
Another question to ask is “How do our structures and laws reflect a God-like compassion for the most vulnerable in society?” Many people are again wondering about the radically “liberal” gun laws in this country. If 33 innocent dead is not enough to bring about change, what on earth ever would?
Eleven years ago in Australia, a devastating shooting spree left 35 people dead. This tragedy led to a prohibition on automatic weapons and handguns and toughening of licensing and storage restrictions. How else can a society respond to such tragedy? The shooter, vulnerable to delusional depression, should be protected from his own inclinations. The victims should certainly be protected, and no one should have to fear for the safety of their children and friends on campuses. Weapons simply should not be readily available.
British gun laws are so strict that even the country's Olympic pistol shooting team can’t practice on British soil. In Sweden, civilians can acquire firearm permits only if they have a hunting license or are members of a shooting club and have no criminal record. In China, firearms are forbidden for private citizens.
Lax gun laws seem to translate into greater casualties in America. According to the 2006 book, “The Global Gun Epidemic; From Saturday Night Specials to AK-47s”, the U.S. rate of firearm deaths per 10,000 people is just over 10 people, while in Australia it is 1.6 and in Britain it is 0.38. The difference is even more severe when it comes to children under the age of 15, where the U.S. has 12 times the rate of firearm deaths of any other industrialized nation.
America’s lax gun laws are out of step with much of the world and there should be no surprise that tragedies occur. Gun laws in the U.S. are an accident waiting to happen. There is no reason for lax gun laws and there is every reason why the tragedy in Virginia should become an opportunity for tightening of gun laws. That would be one practical way to make sense of the horror and honor the lost lives.
Tighter gun laws would be one answer to the question, “Where is God in suffering?” and those of us who feel strongly can exercise a God-like, wide and deep compassion by agitating for the necessary changes. One death from firearms is too many. Thirty-three is an outrageous indictment on the values and priorities of a society. One thousand killed around the world every DAY calls into question the very term “civilization”.
Important links to global gun reform group
http://www.iansa.org/index.htm
http://www.iansa.org/campaigns_events/gun-control-2006.htm
Sharing our Story
By Allison Rockey
As the tears begin to trickle down my face, I realize the tragedy that has struck Virginia Tech has now found its way into my heart and has touched me too. After the details and news quips fill us up, and as days pass conversations inevitably will begin with the classic question, of where were you when you heard the news? And just as we have done after the planes hit the World Trade Center and countless other tragedies, we will compare notes through this ritual of incidental sharing. It is through that exchange that we too become a part of the story. It becomes our story, as we all share that one moment in time. The moment when our lives were changed, and our outlook on the world was forever altered.
But before we get to the remembering stage we have to face today as we are now, in the stages of yearning for information, and of utter shock and disbelief. As we immerse ourselves in the situation, as it becomes more and more real to us, our perspectives begin to shift in an almost fluid-like motion. We sense a change, a new connection, we are no longer just outsiders looking in watching from a distance.
And as each tear rolls down our cheek our new perspectives emerge as we realize: we are the reporters trying to hold our composure as we interview shaken college kids trying to make sense of a senseless act; we are administrators and law enforcement officials doing our jobs, under the most intense situations with the pressures to offer leadership after witnessing the most horrific of sights; we are the witnesses to the violence feeling anger, horror, guilt, and a numbness that threatens the very essence of our humanity; we are the parents desperate to protect, to talk with and to hold our children in our arms; we are the parents in disbelief still waiting for the grave opportunity to see our child for the last time in the overcrowded coroners office; we are the victims fighting in hospitals to hold onto our shattered lives; we are the crowd chanting in powerful unison "Let's Go Hokies"; we are the victims who woke up one Monday morning not knowing it would be our last; we are the heroic professor sacrificing our own life, for the lives of the students we care deeply for; and we are the shooter knowing a hollowing deep depression, despair, and loneliness that could lead to the manifestation of this unbelievable event.
We do not need to ask, "Where were you when..." we were there, as we are there now, and as we are there in the future. This story of tragedy is our story, yours and mine, and it is the story of the world. Each tear is deeply felt falling from our face. And each tear fills the river of joy and sorrow that connects the world.
The following inspirational poem from Thich Nhat Hanh may offer a path of compassion for us all.
Allison Rockey as the Director of Communications and Marketing at Christ Community Church, is the editor of the C3 ezine and works to spread the message of progressive Christianity in our local community and to connect communities and individuals around the world seeking a more progressive or integral spirituality. If you are looking for ways to connect please email Allison for more information.
Please Call Me By My True Names
By: Thich Nhat Hanh
(You may listen to the poem read by Thich Nhat Hanh by following the link below.)
Don't say that I will depart tomorrow –
even today I am still arriving.
Look deeply: every second I am arriving
to be a bud on a Spring branch,
to be a tiny bird, with still-fragile wings,
learning to sing in my new nest,
to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,
to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.
I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry,
to fear and to hope.
The rhythm of my heart is the birth and death
of all that is alive.
I am the mayfly metamorphosing
on the surface of the river.
And I am the bird
that swoops down to swallow the mayfly.
I am the frog swimming happily
in the clear water of a pond.
And I am the grass-snake
that silently feeds itself on the frog.
I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones,
my legs as thin as bamboo sticks.
And I am the arms merchant,
selling deadly weapons to Uganda.
I am the twelve-year-old girl,
refugee on a small boat,
who throws herself into the ocean
after being raped by a sea pirate.
And I am the pirate,
my heart not yet capable
of seeing and loving.
I am a member of the politburo,
with plenty of power in my hands.
And I am the man who has to pay
his “debt of blood” to my people
dying slowly in a forced-labor camp.
My joy is like Spring, so warm
it makes flowers bloom all over the Earth.
My pain is like a river of tears,
so vast it fills the four oceans.
Please call me by my true names,
so I can hear all my cries and my laughter at once,
so I can see that my joy and pain are one.
Please call me by my true names,
so I can wake up,
and so the door of my heart
can be left open,
the door of compassion.
Hear poem read by Thich Nhat Hanh here
Being Eco-Logical
As we explore our deep spiritual connection with the earth, we are moved to learn, evolve, and to act in more eco-logical ways.
Friday, April 20
Hoffmaster State Park 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Youth Conservation Tour: No Child Left Inside
This event features outdoor instruction for elementary students on preserving wildlife, Michigan sand dunes, water quality and the Great Lakes, and much more. Please see Ellie Williams for more information.
Saturday, April 21
Adopt-a-beach program 9:00 a.m. – Noon
Alliance for the Great Lakes
Clean up sights will take place at Pere Marquette Park, North Beach Park, and Kirk Park. Contact Steve Platt at 616-847-9183 for more information.
Sunday, April 22 - Earth Day
Morning gatherings at 8:30 and 9:30 a.m.
Ian Lawton will be preaching during our Earth Day Celebration. The service will be enhanced with drumming meditations from Amy Oak and Barb Pitcher, music by Lisa Chorny, and a photo presentation by Ed Post.
Earth Day Community Picnic at Mill Point Park
12:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
The picnic will feature music by Carol Johnson, games, information on wetlands, and how to plant a tree. You are encouraged to bring your own picnic lunch, chairs, and weather gear. Please see Jean King for more information or call 616-842-7448.
An Inconvenient Truth Showing
ImageYou will not want to miss this incredible opportunity to learn more about the environment and ways you can stop global warming at our showing of the Oscar-winning film “An Inconvenient Truth” on Saturday, April 28, at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary.
“Take-action” tables with practical information on how you can stop global warming will be available before the film at 6:30 p.m.
Hindu - Christian Conversations
National Day of Prayer
Hindu - Christian Conversations
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Central United Methodist Church
Muskegon, MI
The National Day of Prayer was designated by congress as the first Thursday in May. To honor this day there will be a 12-hour program as a come and go event in order to accomodate work schedules.
A panel discussion taking place from 1:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. will include many of the day's speakers such as:
* Dr. Indra Makhija, Mother's Trust/Lakeshore Interfaith Institute, Chicago IL;
* Swami Tapasananda, Mother's Trust/Lakeshore Interfaith Institute, Ganges MI;
* Ms. Nancy Wanha Spalink, Ammachi Initiate, Rockford MI;
* Mr. Fred Stella, President of Interfaith Dialogue Association, Grand Rapids, MI;
* Rev. Dr. J. Paul Rajashekar, Lutheran Seminary, Philadelphia, PA;
* Dr. Michelle Loyd-Paige, President, Preach Sista! Muskegon MI;
* Rev. Ian Lawton, Christ Community Church, Spring Lake MI;
* Rev. Sally Seith, United Church of Christ, Muskegon MI
Other events include a Big Mind spiritual transformation session led by our own Ian Lawton, yoga meditation and chant with Fred Stella, Sacred Art and Expressions of Faith with local artists, and many, many more fabulous sessions.
Registration and a fee of $10 is requested by May 1. Contact Kryssis Bjork from more information at 231-865-1373.
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