Millions and millions will be
there, but nine brothers and sisters will be missing from the Table.
Tomorrow millions upon
millions of people who share little in common but their belief that they are
made in God’s image will gather round the Lord’s Table to eat some form of
bread and to drink from some form of cup.
On a day set aside for the world of Christian churches to celebrate
their commonly held belief that Jesus cares enough about this re-enactment of
the Last Supper to be there too, millions and millions will be there, but nine brothers
and sisters will be missing from the Table.
Tomorrow Lucero, Treven,
Rebecka, Quinn, Kim, Lucas, Jason, Lawrence and Sarena will not be at the Lord’s
Table. Not by their own choice. But
because of yet another campus terrorist act, this time in a community college
in Roseburg, Oregon. I wonder how the pastors
of these victims’ families will find the words to celebrate the presence of
Jesus at the Table when these nine are missing from it. “God is good.” Of course. “God is sovereign.”
No doubt. “Evil exists.” We have seen it. Are these words enough?
What can the churches say in
response to this latest in a string of unexplainable crimes against the
innocents who are now missing from the Table? “They now are able to share in
the Bread and the Cup in the very real presence of Jesus Christ in Paradise.” True enough.
That is our Hope. We share the belief that the company of angels, the
hosts of heaven join their voices with our voices in praise and thanksgiving
for the Life-giving Bread and Blood. We
share the belief that these nine victims, while missing from the Table at the churches
in Roseburg, are not missing from the Table in Heaven. But is it enough for the churches to just say all of this on yet another
tragedy-remembered day? How is the Church to be the presence of Christ?
Would Jesus just shrug his
shoulders, shake his head and say “we should do something?” Or would Jesus throw over tables in the public
square until someone realizes that these are his brothers and sisters now missing from the Table? Would Jesus
not shout, “Do something, for God’s sake!”?
No comments:
Post a Comment