“Hope after Tragedy”
Homily of the Rev. Dr. David A. Killian
Third Sunday of Easter
April 22, 2007
All Saints Parish
Brookline, Massachusetts
Text: Luke 24:1-10
I
Last summer I attended a family reunion at my cousin's farm in northwestern Wisconsin near LaCrosse about 40 miles from the Mississippi River. The farm is located on the top of a ridge and overlooks a deep valley. The sun was shining brightly. It was a beautiful day like today, only warmer. Relatives were arriving from all over the area, although I got the award for coming the greatest distance. My father's side of our family has been having these reunions for 50 years and I wanted to see some of my aunts and uncles while they were still alive, especially my uncle John who was active in the Democratic party in Wisconsin and who always had many opinions to share. Uncle John died of cancer a few weeks ago. My cousins and I had come to look forward to listening to Uncle John give his own "State of the Union Address" that differed markedly from President Bush's view of things. You may have uncles like that in your family.
There was a big bar-b-q pit roasting chicken. There were plenty of beverages -- what New Englanders call soda and what people in the Midwest call "pop". And, of course, being Wisconsin, there was plenty of beer on tap. I thought to myself that day -- this is what God intended human beings to do: to come together in community, to care for one another, to share food and drink, tell stories, laugh, discuss the events of the day -- and to respect and accept one another, including the uncles or the cousins whose views or style may be different than your own.
We all have had experiences of friendship and community -- in families and in other settings. Here in our church community we have the Coventry Suppers held in homes this Spring; Social Hours after our worship services; we are planning a joyous reception and dinner with Bishop Shaw in May. These times of conviviality, sharing, and connectedness bind us together as a community. This experience of community is what we wish for people everywhere.
Therefore, it was such a shock to hear the news this week of the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech University, the senseless killing of 32 people, and the traumatizing of a campus of 28,000 and indeed of our entire country. At times like this we pray for the victims and their families, talk with one another, try to make sense of what happened, and wonder when lawmakers will see the connection between the easy, careless, and profligate sale of firearms and the easy, careless, and profligate taking of human lives.
Becky Taylor, our Director of Children's, Youth, and Family Ministries, has prepared two handouts which are on the tables in the back. One is entitled, "Talking with Children About Tragedy," the other, "Talking with Teenagers About Tragedy." I invite you to look at these materials as you talk with your children about this tragedy.
We are right to feel shocked by the events at Virginia Tech. We are right to ask questions and to try to learn how to prevent such atrocities in the future. And we are right to rededicate ourselves to a vision of the human community that lives in harmony, and, in the words of our baptismal covenant, respects the dignity of every human being. We need to remind ourselves that the killings at Virginia Tech were an aberration and not the normal way we interact as a human community.
II
Today's Scriptures give a vision of a beloved and caring community for people who earlier had suffered devastation, insult, and loss. Jeremiah speaks to the people of Israel who had been carted into exile by the Babylonians. The Israelites were conquered, their temple was destroyed; they were ripped from their homes and taken to a foreign land. To the exiles in Babylon, Jeremiah speaks comforting words: "I will bring them back to this place, and I will settle them in safety. They shall be my people, and I will be their God." In the aftermath of Virginia Tech we need to know that God brought healing and peace to the Israelites after 50 years in exile and that God will bring healing and peace to the community of Virginia Tech.
The reading from Acts is the famous account of the conversion of Saul, a zealot who arrested Christians, put them to jail, and in the case of Stephen stoned them to death for heresy. Yet, Saul, this wild-eyed, ferocious tormentor of Christianity became Paul, its greatest messenger. Saul reminds me that I need to look at my own attitudes to see how I need to be converted. How do I subtly or not so subtly violate the dignity of others? Do I use words that convey insensitivity, prejudice, or disrespect? Am I harsh in my attitudes? Judgmental? What can I do to be a more caring and fair person? If I have injured someone by words or actions, then I need to apologize and ask their forgiveness.
III
In today's Gospel account, the disciples see the risen Lord on the beach. They are still recovering from the trauma of Good Friday. They are beginning to believe that somehow -- against all expectations -- this Jesus who had been put death is risen and alive.
In this Gospel passage Jesus does not come in the flash of light that blinded Saul on the road to Damascus. Rather Jesus comes as a gentle friend who shares breakfast. Jesus is the chef, the breakfast cook, who is manifesting the love of God in the sharing of food. This meal, which we might call "The Last Breakfast," is a holy sacrament. As Jesus fed his disciples on the beach, so he feeds us at this table with the holy bread and the sacred cup.
We who are shaken by the events of the shootings at Virginia Tech are like the disciples on the beach. We have not quite understood all that has happened. We have questions. We are angry and sad. Yet, when we contemplate today's Scriptures, we see that the God who brought the Israelites back to Jerusalem after their fifty-year exile in Babylon will bring healing to the people at Virginia Tech. The God who gave Saul a new identity and mission in life can help me confront my prejudices. And the God who raised Jesus from the dead will at this table today feed us with the food of everlasting life.
In a few moments we will celebrate the baptism of Oliver Matthew Wardly. His parents and godparents will pledge their intention to create a community that will point Oliver away from the forces of evil and violence -- and toward the values of the Christ who restores, heals, and makes us whole. We pledge ourselves to work to create a world in which Oliver can grow in dignity, peace, and hope. Amen.