Dear Good Samaritans,

Another week and more violence and more death. At a Jewish community event for Hanukkah, people were mowed down by gunfire, including the elderly and children. At a college in New England students preparing for final exams were shot. And in Los Angeles a couple was stabbed to death by their son.

These are but recent examples about how the world is not how it should be. As people we grieve. And, as Christians we lament. Our faith implores us not to look away from the alarming reality around us or to hide behind easy answers. Lament is the language of people who trust in God enough to tell the truth. Lament enables us to name our grief, our fear, our anger, and our confusion without pretending that suffering is acceptable or normal.

Throughout the scriptures we find laments over and over again. How long, O Lord? Why does violence surround us? Where are you when the innocent are harmed? And we learn that lament is not the opposite of faith, but it is actually one of the deepest expressions of it. To lament means that we believe in God and God’s promises so much that we simply cannot stand by and accept a broken world.

On their album Advent Collection, the band The Brilliance has a song Run. I have found the lyrics so timely and they give voice to much of the tension that I feel right now.

Run, Mary, run
Run, Mary, run
That king wants to kill your baby son
Run, alien, run
Run, alien, run
The days of our open arms are done

Peace on earth
Peace on earth
Good will to men

Run, black child, run
Run, black child, run
That man has a badge and he has a gun

Run, schoolyard, run
Run, schoolyard, run
We just gave that angry man a gun

Peace on earth
Peace on earth
Good will to men

Peace on earth
Peace on earth
Good will to men

The band writes: “Run is a Christmas lament. In the midst of singing about joy and peace on earth, many peoples can feel the weight of hopelessness. While in this song we have hardly begun to nick the surface of the suffering in our world, we wanted to address the pain of refugees, black people living in America who have experienced police brutality, and those (especially our children) affected by gun violence. This is not meant to be a song that is divisive or attacking, it is a lament about the pain of our brothers and sisters who may feel they are lacking in power or voice. There are so many names, faces, shattered lives and heart-wrenching losses that we mourn in these words.”

We mourn the losses, but we don’t stop there. We must work to also end violence in all its forms, to give no space for hate, and to ultimately work for peace and goodwill among all people.

I would encourage you to listen to the song, read the lyrics. And, as we approach the birth of the Prince of Peace, pray and work with all your hearts, body, mind, and souls for peace in our world.