Coming together

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: It’s Thursday the 19th of December.

We’re so glad you’ve joined us for today’s edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, I’m Myrna Brown.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

First up: grieving in Madison, Wisconsin.

On Monday, a fifteen year-old female student shot and killed two classmates and a teacher at Abundant Life Christian School. Police have offered few details so far.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Last night City Church hosted a prayer service for the community as parents and students come to terms with the tragic shooting. WORLD’s Paul Butler has our story.

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PAUL BUTLER: Madison’s City Church is just a stone’s throw away from the scene of Monday’s shooting at Abundant Life Christian School. A large parking lot connects the partner ministries. While the community awaits answers, the church family finds solace together.

WORSHIP LEADER: You know I have a personal relationship with Jesus but God never called us to walk out our faith alone, and so we are tonight. We need each other.

On Tuesday evening the church streamed its regular prayer service as hundreds of people gathered for a time of worship and prayer inside.

Lead pastor Tom Flaherty:

TOM FLAHERTY: Father as we are gathered together tonight to mourn loss…(phew) would you fill this house with your presence? With that peace that surpasses all understanding. Knit each one to your heart and then knit us to each other as well.

Abundant Life Christian School has about 300 students. Many of them were in attendance with their families. Pastor Flaherty began his comments by thanking first responders:

TOM FLAHERTY: They were absolutely all over this place, making kids feel safe, bringing them out. Going into harm's way. Just amazing, the kindness and steadiness. Amazing.

Pastor Flaherty’s warmest words were for the Church across Madison.

FLAHERTY: And we are so grateful for all of the help that’s been extended. Churches and pastors, and everybody who said they’d do whatever. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Flaherty then opened the word of God to the Psalms:

FLAHERTY: So it turns out that no less than a third of the Psalms are psalms of lament. About the human situation in a world of grief, confusion and loss. And the questions there are, “God, where are You? God? Help me through this…”

Flaherty read words of lament for about 10 minutes. Then everyone sat in silence…pouring out their hearts to God privately.

For the next hour, the Psalms and other scriptures continued to provide the words as pastors and teachers led in prayer. Rob Warren is pastor of DOXA church.

WARREN: And Lord, I know that you are faithful over everything, and that you're always good, even in this dark time…And Father, I pray that Your glory would burst forth in this darkness, God, that You would give us all a fresh revelation of who you are and your character and your goodness and your glory and your strength and God that our city would see you for who you are, that your glory would shine forward…

Middle school teacher Lisa Haney.

LISA HANEY: God, we just come before you, and while in the depths of our spirit, we know that you are good, our hearts are so confused and our hearts waffle between being angry and being afraid and being filled with memories and trauma and God, we just don't know how to manage all of that, so we're just coming to you and acknowledging that we need you just like we sang. God, I don't know how to still and quiet my own soul because it's going crazy right now on the inside of me. And Lord, for those of us that need you to just help us, take a deep breath and fall on your grace and trust in You, God, we're just going to look to you for that. Lord, would You cover each one of us by that grace tonight, in Jesus name.

One man in attendance was Jim Smith. He’s been an active parent at Abundant Life since first enrolling his now 11th-grade daughter as an elementary schooler. He spoke with WORLD on Monday after spending six hours at the reunification center…

JIM SMITH: So I saw a lot of people that were grieving deeply, but there were people coming alongside. Nobody was leaving anybody alone. People were banding around…people were praying together.

Closer to home, Smith is prayerfully helping his daughter come to terms with the shooting…and why a good God allowed it.

JIM SMITH: We trust that there is a caring, personal Lord in heaven that wants to reach out to us and draw us close, especially when tragedy happens. How do we band together as a community, and how do we not live in fear, and how do we address when evil comes knocking at your door? 

Back at the Tuesday evening prayer service, Abundant Life athletic director Mike Theis ended the evening with a handful of scripture readings…just allowing God’s word to comfort the suffering.

MIKE THEIS: Psalm 46. God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help and trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth give away and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whom streams make glad, the City of God, the holy place where the most high dwells. God is within her. She will not fall. God will help her. At break of day, nations are an uproar. Kingdoms fall. He lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Paul Butler.

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