I sent the following to the congregation yesterday:

Dear friends in Christ,

The collect for the Third Sunday of Advent reads:

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Our hearts are breaking; our hearts are broken. The scourge of school shootings has come here to Madison. We are confronting the horrific violence, the trauma, and the grief that so many communities across the nation have experienced over the years. Many of us are also reacting with anger and frustration over the inability of our nation and our society to take the common-sense steps that could prevent such tragedies in the future. It might seem like this is the final straw; that on top of all the other events of the last years, the anxieties, fear, and despair that many of us are feeling, that we cannot go on. The burden is too great, the way forward too difficult. 

Yet the collect above and the Season of Advent reminds us that all is not lost, that we should not allow our fear and despair to overwhelm and immobilize us. Christ comes among us in humility and weakness, revealing God’s power and love, preaching the coming of God’s reign. Even as we grieve the deaths and injuries and condemn the violence, we can also come together to work for change, to stand in solidarity with the suffering, to gather for comfort and consolation.

Christ comes to a broken and hurting world, to a broken and hurting humanity. Christ comes to us in our grief and pain. His coming offers joy and hope in the midst of our sadness, anger, and grief. May his joy and hope sustain us in these difficult days, and may his boundless love transform our lives and the world.