A Message from Bishop Loya on Today's Shooting in Minneapolis

Beloved in Christ,

Like all of you, I am devastated by news of the mass shooting at Annunciation Church and School in south Minneapolis this morning. Our metro area congregations have many close connections to students, faculty, and staff at the school, and all of us are feeling the crushing weight of grief.

The fact that we live in a nation where children are shot and killed while at worship or in school would be unimaginable if it wasn’t so common. Over decades, our elected officials have proven unwilling to take even the smallest steps toward addressing the fact that in many parts of our nation, it is easier to purchase a gun that is designed only to kill large numbers of humans than it is to get a license to drive a car. As a nation, we have chosen access to guns over the ability to assemble in our most sacred public spaces without fear. This crushing grief is simply what that collective choice costs.

In moments like this, we all feel helpless, angry, and afraid. But as followers of a savior who was executed by a broken and corrupt political establishment, we know a few things for certain. First, the resurrection of Jesus that we proclaim week in and week out in our congregations establishes forever that God’s love is the most powerful force for change and healing in the universe, and that love will one day break down and recreate even the most corrupt and broken systems we inhabit.  So in the hardest moments, we double down on our commitment to be people who live by the law of love in a world that is ruled by narrow self-interest.

Second, we know that the whole purpose of our lives is to stand in the midst of a deeply distorted world and bear witness to Jesus’ better way of love. Our nation has made peace with the kind of carnage that played out in Minneapolis today, but we have not and we will not. It is essential that we continue to flood our elected officials with demands to reverse the grim choice we have made and pass sensible gun control laws that will prevent massive suffering and death. Whether our efforts at change are successful or not, it matters immensely that we as a people continue to point to a better way. We ultimately cannot force the fullness of God’s reign into being, but we must always point to what that reign looks like in every situation we encounter.

And finally, we remember that Jesus always goes where the pain is. Jesus always, always shows up most fully with those who are doubled over with grief, pushed aside by oppressive systems, ignored by the powerful, or afraid in the shadows. Jesus goes most fully to those places in our own hearts, and in the world around us. Jesus always shows up with the balm of love where there is deepest pain, and that’s where we show up as his hands and heart today.

There is a prayer vigil planned for tonight (Wednesday, August 27) at 7:00 pm at Grace Church in Minneapolis, and another vigil planned for tomorrow night (Thursday, August 28) at St. John’s Church in Minneapolis, our two churches closest to the site of the shooting. Everyone is invited to join us in person, or to pray along with us wherever you are.

In the psalmist’s well-worn words, even as we walk through a valley of death and fear, the Lord is with us. And the Lord who is with us calls us to keep shouting our defiant alleluia at the darkness, until God’s perfect kingdom of love is fully and finally done, on earth as it is in heaven. 

Grace and Peace, 

The Right Rev. Craig Loya