Two Tragedies

East High School, Denver, CO

• Eric Sinclair, victim, hospitalized as of March 29

• Jarald Mason, victim, injured

• Austin Lyle, shooter, deceased

Covenant School, Nashville, TN

• Evelyn Dieckhaus, age 9, victim, deceased

• Hallie Scruggs, age 9, victim, deceased

• William Kinney, age 9, victim, deceased

• Cynthia Peak, age 61, victim, deceased

• Katherine Koonce, age 60, victim, deceased

• Mike Hill, age 61, victim, deceased

• Audrey Hale, age 28, shooter, deceased

Please join me in prayer this week for those who are terrorized, traumatized, and victimized by gun violence in our country. May we never falter in striving to hold our elected leaders accountable in enacting policies that can make events of mass death like this rare.

I want to encourage you not to shy away from the anger or grief you are feeling in response to these utterly senseless, preventable, devastating tragedies. The danger of us becoming numb to mass shootings like this in our churches, schools, and gathering places is that nothing will ever change. And I refuse to believe that we are incapable of overcoming our national addiction to guns.

I cling to the words of the prophet Isaiah today:

they shall beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation;
    neither shall they learn war any more.

Isaiah 2:4

May it be so.