Connections and Challenges

Although Connor was incredulous that Grammy would want to spend time at the beach reading ("But, Grammy, we're at the BEACH!), I did manage to read a remarkable book, Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy (by Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt and David L. Weaver-Zercher. John Wiley & Sons, 2007). The book did more than re-tell the tragic killings of Amish school children in October, 2006. This was the story of the theological principles of the Amish which had steeped them in a tradition of forgiveness. The story of their forgiveness to the murderer of their children and his family was almost unbelievably inspiring. But Amish Grace explains how their beliefs had prepared them for the challenges of the tragedy they faced.
One of the effects of reading the story was to, again, come face to face with the reality that, when we are honest, there is no safe place from violence. If ten school girls in a remote, tight-knit community like Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania could be murdered, that should be a huge red flag to each of us that safety is a blessing when we experience it. But it is not something that we can count on even in our "safe" neighborhoods. Having been so grateful for my "safe" neighborhood in Statesville, reading this story really brought that home.
And then the news reports this week blared the sad news of a shooting at Wesleyan University in Middleton, Connecticut. Ouch. Another safe place--the kind of campus you would never expect a shooting to occur. But it did.
Nearly a century ago, my grandfather, Dr. W. W. Shepherd, was a student at Wesleyan University. I am still amazed at how a farm boy from Kentucky found his way to Wesleyan -- and worked his way through school. But he did. His father died when he was 17 and my grandfather worked on the farm until it was paid off and his mother's situation was secure. Then, he refused her offer to set him up on the farm (which would have been quite a blessing for someone his age) and he began his formal education at Union College Academy...where he served 9 (count them 9) churches on the Barbourville Circuit. The picture I have in my office of my grandfather on horseback is from those days.
When he finished at Union College Academy, my grandfather asked the bishop where the best theological school in the country was. The bishop told him "Wesleyan University in Middleton, Connecticut". So at age 27 with no money and nothing but a determination to get the very best education possible, that's where my grandfather went. While he was there, he had the occasion to be invited to pray for a gathering honoring President Woodrow Wilson. And while he was there, Wesleyan University took the bodacious step of going co-ed...which was not the eternal downfall of the school as some conservatives had predicted.
Since my grandfather made such a sacrifice to go to Wesleyan and since his education made such a formative impact on his life, I felt a personal connection to the news story this week. A shooting, a death and a killer who had hate in his heart. This time, the hatred that the killer expressed was directed toward the Jews.
Dear Lord, forgive us for anything we do that winks at hatred. Or, even worse, for what we do that nurtures or encourages hatred in any of its manifestations. There is no safe place because the human heart can be twisted and full of poison. The only safety we have is the eternal safety that comes from following Jesus' teaching -- amazing discipleship reflecting in the life of the Amish. We should work to prevent tragedy every way possible. But, in the end, safety will only come by living out the transcending teaching of Jesus. If the Amish can do it with the murder of their school children, we, too, can practice forgiveness and have tragedy transcended.