The Easter Season is upon us. It begins with joy - with beautiful worship and joyous music. As Christians, we sparkle and smile as we shout, "Alleluia! The Lord is risen indeed!" The Easter season lasts 50 days; however, as I mentioned yesterday, the afflictions of every day life quickly flood back upon us and nothing can demonstrate it more today as the ongoing news coverage and more information comes to us from the campus of Virginia Tech. School shootings and now a campus "massacre" have peppered our country's history in recent decades. Since September 11, 2001, fear has dominated our culture and way of life. We cannot fully comprehend or understand how our new "fear" will affect generations to come, but the reminder of the Easter season is never more profound.
Following Christ's death, the first disciples were scared. They were afraid, and insofar as they met together, they met behind closed doors - behind doors that were locked because they feared the authorities. They were afraid that what had happened to Jesus might happen to them. Of course, they knew already that Jesus was risen - the women had told them about the empty tomb, and about encountering Jesus in the garden, and they had, over the previous years, witnessed many great miracles performed by Jesus. But, after Good Friday, and indeed even after Easter Sunday, they were powerless people. They could not make themselves do what the Lord had commanded. So, the risen Christ came to his disciples in the midst of their turmoil and fear. He came in the midst of their doubt and their sense of having failed both him and their own selves and said to them, "Peace be with you."
Today, more than ever we need that peace. Like the first disciples we are fearful and today we relive a deep, gut-wrenching pain and perhaps recoil in fear as we see the footage and we hear the multiple gun shots coming from a university's academic building. Jesus, at a time of having just been tortured and executed, appears to his followers and does all he can to eliminate their fear. Jesus would not let his followers, and his future leaders, sit in fear. He appeared through the bolted door and eliminated the fear with his presence, his peace, and this is what the spirit of Easter reminds us of yet today.
There are so many speculative reports filtering around now -- on the news stations, over the internet and without a doubt, over the e-mail waves. I won't repeat any of these speculative claims. Until full disclosure of the information is available, we should all be mindful of both the good and the bad that comes with the information age of immediacy. What is absolutely clear of today's events in Virginia is that this is every parent's worst nightmare - the parents of the victims and the parents of the shooter(s) - and all those affected need prayer and support. The multi-culture and multi-religious (56 Religious Life groups, https://banweb.banner.vt.edu/ssb/prod/hzsksorg.P_DispStuOrgs) institution of Virginia Tech is equally shocked and hurt by this horrific-incident.
We pray for the victims, for the families, for the campus:
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known by the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one Heavenly Parent. O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Peace,
Clarinda
