Our hearts go out to the tightly knit community of Sutherland Springs, Texas, where a gunman opened fire on people in worship at First Baptist Church yesterday killing at least 26. The news of children and youth dying and a pregnant woman alongside her children being shot down and so many others is horrific.
As someone who leads public worship each week, it is hard to know what to say in the face of such evil. After hearing the news, we opened our evening service with silence. There is however, a time to speak and there have already been many helpful words of comfort and wisdom voiced in response.
I was touched particularly by an offer of prayer and support from a member of The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, where a young white gunman killed nine people at a mid-week Bible Study in June, 2015.
After the silence at the beginning of our service we prayed for Sutherland Springs and we sang the beautiful chorus written by Desmond Tutu and set to music by John Bell.
Goodness is stronger than evil.
Love is stronger than hate.
Light is stronger than darkness.
Life is stronger than death.
Victory is ours through Him who loved us.
As we lend our voices to the chorus of prayer for Sutherland Springs let us embrace afresh, God’s goodness, love, light and life, in the full assurance that God’s love will triumph over evil.
Grace & Peace,
Peter
