Praying for comfort and demanding action
As details unfold on the mass shooting in Las Vegas, the general secretary calls for prayers and action to end gun violence.
The violence we have seen in Las Vegas is abhorrent and heartbreaking. We lift up our prayers for the loved ones of those who have been killed and those who have been injured. May they find comfort in the promise of the Prince of Peace.
Christ calls us to be peacemakers, which is why – along with our prayers – we must work to end gun violence. To do nothing is to be complicit in this seemingly endless terror gripping our communities.
Our United Methodist Church calls us to advocate at all levels for laws that prevent or reduce gun violence. Our leaders, and those with the ability to reduce gun violence, must act.
As we cry out, “How long, O Lord,” we know that there is another way. We must demand action and pursue it together. Every person has an opportunity and a responsibility to reduce gun violence. May we all commit to turning swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks.
