Families grieve near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Conn., after a shooting left 26 people dead, including 20 children, Dec. 14, 2012. |
Christian leaders were
quick to offer their reaction to the deadly shooting Friday at a Connecticut
elementary school in a small town where within minutes 26 people were dead – 20
of them children.
By mid-afternoon, evangelist and Harvest
Christian Fellowship Pastor Greg Laurie had posted a blog in which he called
the morning shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton the "worst
imaginable scenario."
"It's Christmas time," Laurie
wrote. "Parents bundle up their children another day for school before Christmas
vacation starts in the small town of Newtown, Connecticut. There's shopping to
do, errands to run before they pick them up.
"Then the worst imaginable scenario
takes place. A young man walks into Sandy Hook Elementary School and begins
shooting. When the horror finally stops 20 children and 6 adults have been shot
and killed. This is just heartbreaking."
Laurie, who lost his 33-year-old son,
Christopher, as the result of a deadly car accident in 2008, said he knows the
excruciating pain of losing a child.
"The experts will opine on why this
happened. All I can say is this was pure evil. The heartlessness and wickedness
of this man that did the shooting is really unimaginable," he wrote.
"I know from personal experience that the pain of losing a child is a fate
worse than death for a parent.
"At times like this we must reflect
on the essential message of Christmas which is Immanuel has come. Immanuel
means God is with us."
Chaplains from the Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association's Rapid Response unit were already on their way
Friday, some being diverted from New York while serving victims of Hurricane
Sandy.
"Senseless killings like the one
we've seen today in Newtown, Conn., leave us stunned and looking for
answers," said Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse and
the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. "The Bible tells us the human
heart is 'wicked' and 'who can know it?' My heart aches for the victims, their
families and the entire community.
"One thing we can be absolutely
sure of is that God loves each one of the victims and all those who are
suffering right now as a result of this vicious act," he continued.
"My hope and prayer is that our entire nation will embrace the community
of Newtown with our love and cover them with our prayers, asking for God's perfect
comfort and peace in
the midst of this dark hour."
Not too long after the tragedy,
Christian author Max Lucado wrote a prayer published in The Christian Post.
"Dear Jesus,
It's a good thing you were born at night. This world sure seems dark. I have a good eye for silver linings. But they seem dimmer lately.
These killings, Lord. These children, Lord. Innocence violated. Raw evil demonstrated.
The whole world seems on edge. Trigger-happy. Ticked off…"
It's a good thing you were born at night. This world sure seems dark. I have a good eye for silver linings. But they seem dimmer lately.
These killings, Lord. These children, Lord. Innocence violated. Raw evil demonstrated.
The whole world seems on edge. Trigger-happy. Ticked off…"
He continued, "Your world seems a
bit darker this Christmas. But you were born in the dark, right? You came at
night. The shepherds were nightshift workers. The Wise Men followed a star.
Your first cries were heard in the shadows. To see your face, Mary and Joseph
needed a candle flame. It was dark. Dark with Herod's jealousy. Dark with Roman
oppression. Dark with poverty.
Dark with violence…"
He concluded, "This Christmas, we
ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us.
Hopefully,
Your Children"
Hopefully,
Your Children"
Pastor Rocky Veach, who oversees TORCH
Ministries and leads Connections Church with wife Bobbi Veach in Newton, spoke
with The Christian Post Friday shortly after learning about the tragedy. He
told CP that at least two families from his congregation are from the Sandy
Hook area.
"I think it's
indicative of the condition of our culture in this nation
that this kind of thing continues to happen," said Veach. "As a
pastor, I think we have to look to the Lord. A lot of people are hurting today
and it's very sad when you have to ask God for His help to comfort them, and
not only for the healing but just for answers as to why this kind of thing
continues to happen."
Culled from Christianpost
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