Psalm 88 (CEB)--

Lord, God of my salvation,

by day I cry out,

even at night, before you-

let my prayer reach you!

Turn your ear to my outcry

because my whole being is filled with distress;

my life is at the very brink of hell.

I am considered as one of those plummeting into the pit.

I am like those who are beyond help,

drifting among the dead

lying in the grave, like dead bodies-

those you don't remember anymore,

those who are cut off from your power...

My eyes are tired of looking at my suffering.

I've been calling out to you every day, Lord-

I've had my hands outstretched to you!

Do you work wonders for the dead?

Do ghosts rise up and give you thanks?

Is your faithful love proclaimed in the grave,

your faithfulness in the underworld?

Are your wonders known in the land of darkness,

your righteousness in the land of oblivion?

But I cry out to you, Lord!

My prayer meets you first thing in the morning!

Early this morning, while many slept safely in their homes, a gunman opened fire at the Century 16 Theater in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 (most current count), and injuring dozens more. As we can imagine, this has stunned our human family in Aurora, Denver Metro and beyond. Many of those killed and wounded in this atrocity were young, some were little children. This comes on the heels of the ravaging wildfires in our Region. So this goes without saying: it has been a long summer for us.

In these tragic moments, there are no set of doctrines, no quick-answer Bible verses, that can calm our fears, satiate our anger, dispel our doubts, or make sense of the darkness at work in the world. (The shadows of the Columbine massacre still linger over us.) The unsettling "why" questions become the sole substance of our thoughts and prayers: Why us? Why them and not us? Why now? Why here? Why, God? Why?

While there are no quick answers in the Bible, the Bible nonetheless makes space, and even sanctions, our anger, doubts, fears, and laments.

"...my life is at the very brink of hell.

I am considered as one of those plummeting into the pit.

I am like those who are beyond help,

drifting among the dead

lying in the grave, like dead bodies..."

In responding to this massacre, I encourage us, as the Body of Christ, to begin here: with honest lament, with raw prayer.

"Lord, God of my salvation,

by day I cry out,

even at night, before you-

let my prayer reach you!

Turn your ear to my outcry

because my whole being is filled with distress..."

Our first task as the Church is to begin with this raw prayer. For in moments like these, raw prayer is faithful prayer.

Then our raw prayer will fund our incarnational presence and faithful action. Though we don't have answers, we do have power--power to serve, to care, to heal. I invite the whole Region to offer compassion and support to those affected in any way that is helpful and not intrusive. We have four Disciples congregations in Aurora, which are closest to the tragedy: New Covenant Christian Church, Tabernáculo de Restauración, First Christian Church, and Fireside Christian Church. I invite the whole Region to reach out to our sister congregations in Aurora and partner with them as they respond to their community. Your Region is ready to support, as is Week of Compassion, the disaster response fund of our General Church.

The psalmist, in his honest prayer, asks,

"Is your faithful love proclaimed in the grave,

your faithfulness in the underworld?

Are your wonders known in the land of darkness,

your righteousness in the land of oblivion?"

Ultimately, we the Church can answer the psalmist's question. By standing with the victims and their families, by praying for police, firefighters, nurses and doctors on the ground, by offering Christ's presence in the midst of pain, suffering, and death, we the Church can indeed proclaim God's faithful love, God's faithfulness, God's wonder "in the land of darkness."

Central Rocky Mountain Region, amidst this catastrophe, we can be Church, we can be the very presence of the Crucified and Risen Christ. May it be so!

With sorrow in my heart and tears in my eyes,

José F. Morales. Jr.

Executive Regional Minister