By now you’ve heard about the tragic shooting in Orlando on Sunday. It’s being labeled the worst shooting in history because the number of deaths and injuries surpass any previous shootings. Whenever there’s a tragedy our theology and faith is challenged. Some of you have emailed and asked questions about how God fits into a world where this can happen. Certainly, if we believe God is protecting and blessing the faithful, then we must ask how God can let something like this happen. This is not a new question. After the World Wars many believed God was dead. Today it’s becoming more common for people to question whether or not we’ve made up God entirely. Yet, for those of us who have experienced God, we know God is real and alive.  Still, we may question God’s faithfulness. And we don’t need to look to the news to question God. We have personal tragedies when children are dangerously ill, our spouse has cancer, our loved one dies, or we discover we’re unable to have biological children. We can ask the same questions about God then. Did God abandon us? Where is God in those moments? Where was God Sunday morning when 50 people were killed and more injured at the hands of violence?

Our answer is found in the many acts of love. Hate is strong and deadly, but love is stronger than hate.  Love is witnessed in the people who pray for us and who carry us in faith when we cannot walk alone.  Love was witnessed in the people lined up to donate blood and help give life on Sunday.  The line was so long many were asked to come back another day because they could not process all of it. Love was witnessed in the donations given to help the victims and families of victims. Over $1.1 million was raised in the first 24 hours following the shooting. Love was witnessed in the people who stood in solidarity, showing support to the LGBTQ community- many of who would not have done so only a day beforehand.

 Where is God? God is with us. God is with the suffering and the dying. God is with the victims and the survivors. God is there in the midst of it all. God is in the community giving support and love. God refuses to meet violence with violence. So much so, that God chose to die on the cross instead of responding to violence with violence. God chose the power of love, not force, to save us and still does today. 

Like many tragedies, this was a crime of hate fueled by peoples’ prejudice. God is not in the hate. God is not in the violence or force. But God is here. You can see God in the tears and in acts of love. God is in the comforting and healing. God is in the work of liberation from oppression. God is a God of love and life. God did not promise us a life without pain and suffering. In fact, God said we will experience pain and suffering. God promises, instead, to be with us through it all. And God promises that suffering and pain and hate will not have the last word. Love, life, and peace have the final word. Death does not win. Resurrection and new life does. This is why we dare hope that our efforts of liberation and justice will make a difference- because we trust that God is working through us and empowering our efforts.  Read John 1:1-5 and Revelation 21:1-7, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Annie