Dear Saints in Santa Fe and other far-off places,

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, who wept at the site and sight of death.

Another shooting, this time in Nashville.  And this time we heard our name:  Presbyterian.

It doesn’t matter if it happened at a school run by another denomination, this time the Presbyterian Church of America, the name is ours, the tragedy is ours.  We are connected.  We are part of the same family, the same country, the same world.  The victims are related to us.  The children are ours.  The grief is ours.

We heard our name yesterday.

So did Jesus.  Our story last Sunday from John 11 focuses on the death and resurrection of Lazarus, whom some theologians suggest represents all humanity.  We live in a culture of death, then and now, bound from head to toe with violence, war, greed, injustice, inhumanity.

And Jesus wept over it all.  But instead of mumbling thoughts and prayers and turning away, as we often do when death is before us, Jesus “approaches the tomb.”  Would we?

Jesus then says, “Take away the stone.”  Expose the culture of death.  Shine light on it.  See it. Name it.  Martha complained that there will be a stench if we do.  People will try to stop us with all kinds of excuses.  All kinds.

“Lazarus, come out!” Jesus continues.  Get out of the tomb!  Get out of thinking that we can’t do something to break away from its grip.  He knows it’s hard.  Come out anyway.

And then, perhaps one of the most important words for our day, “Unbind him, and let him go.”  Take those death cloths off!  Yes, you, yes me.  Get free.  We can’t do it ourselves.  Others will need to help us, and we need to help them.

It is much easier to look away, do nothing, stay where we are, ignore all that binds us.

But we heard something new yesterday in Nashville.  We heard our name, “Lazarus, come out!”  Presbyterians, come out!  Humanity, come out!  Violence need not have the last word.  We saw it last Sunday when Lazarus came out of the tomb.  We’ll celebrate it Easter morning, coming soon. Will we see it today?

We heard our name yesterday.  Death got our attention.  What now shall we do?

Grace and peace,

Harry