In the recent weeks, we have been overwhelmed with the unimaginable atrocity – and its companions, deep pain and tremendous grief – that arrived in our university, town, and church family in Blacksburg, VA. We have encountered those common stages that are associated with death: shock, stunning disbelief, anger, heartache, even bargaining. And we have also been challenged to carry on, to find a way forward. We are not “moving on” yet. How can we? We are not back to normal. Is there “normal” after something like this? We know we are forever affected by such pain and tragedy.
In the midst of our heartache and loss, we have been absolutely overwhelmed too with a new sense of church. From the first day, we began receiving emails, notes, calls of care and prayer and support. Through the first week, representatives from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, who literally and figuratively brought the compassion, care, and resources of our denomination to Blacksburg, encouraged us. Through all the days, we have heard from individuals and congregations from across the presbytery, the synod, the General Assembly, and the globe. While we have confronted death and loss, while we have grieved and held funerals for college students and professors, while we have prayed for the healing of the wounded, and counseled with dedicated police and their spouses, we have been so well prayed for, cared for, sustained, and blessed by so many others. This has been most heartening and helpful.
Ours is a wonderful church — local and global. We are both children of Presbyterian ministers. We have deep and abiding ties throughout our beloved denomination. And we have a new and keen sense of what it means to be the Body of Christ, the PCUSA.
We have had sincere care from people with similar tragedies in Columbine and California. Does it matter that these folk may think differently about the issues that often divide us as a denomination? We have been embraced and enfolded in love by our sisters and brothers in various parts of the world, with whom we have mission partnerships. Do we have to agree on social or political issues? We have been cared for, showered with cards and letters, from fellow disciples in Oregon, in Florida, in Arizona, in Maine. Isn’t this the kind of life and community that Jesus teaches — compassion and prayer, care and support, encouragement and peace? Does it take a tragedy of this magnitude for us to get along?
Our pain and suffering, our laments and longings in Blacksburg have united us with so many around the world and across the ages who have cried out for help from others and from our loving God. We join our cries to those devastated by Katrina, and other hurricanes or disasters. We join our grief to all those in Baghdad who know violence and death so closely. We join our brokenness to all those everywhere who have faced sadness and death so abruptly.
Isn’t life too hard, and too short, to keep beating each other up? Don’t we have really important things to do together? We have a very great church, with an important calling to be Christ’s light, hope, peace, and love in the face of all things.
Our new prayer and hope for our church, both local and global, is that we could become in all times something of what we have known in recent times. Our prayer and hope is that we could remain always attuned to that which is our core as God’s people: trust in Christ’s presence and promises which leads us to sincere and compassionate care, and arms around the hurting, and help and healing for the needy, and actions toward a more wholesome, peaceful world. What if this could be what defines us as God’s people in the PCUSA? Shouldn’t this be the way we are known in the world? Shouldn’t this be what shapes our life, our churches, our calling as disciples of Jesus Christ?
Thank you for being our loving church family especially during these difficult days and may God inspire us to build on that unity and care in our diversity.
Alex Evans is Pastor, Blacksburg Presbyterian Church, and Chaplain, Blacksburg Police Department. Ginger Evans is Director of Christian Education, Blacksburg Presbyterian Church, Blacksburg, Virginia.
