republished from St. Paul’s website

Last week was a tough week. It felt like tragedy was built upon tragedy. The week began with one of our most iconic images in the country, the Boston Marathon, which was rocked by two violent explosions. Then an entirely unrelated explosion at a fertilizer plant in West Texas. These two tragedies are both so separately inconceivable. The murder of people at a moment of sheer joy and an accident with such extreme consequences. And in both tragedies, we had stories to follow into the weekend. It would be very easy to trace between the two the outline of a dangerous world. And many people did. Our mass media certainly seemed eager to draw that picture.

And yet, in the midst of that, were glimpses of real signs of good. There were many public statements of tolerance and hope. Stories of great love and support, not just for the people of Boston and West Texas, the victims of these different explosions, or the families of the dead and injured, but calls for mercy and patience toward those responsible. Despite the constant barrage of reporting from network television (not just cable), many online sources were encouraging the public to slow down and wait. What a stark contrast: the instantaneous medium (internet) preaching slow down!

This is what came to mind today as I thought about this powerful statement from Jesus: that His disciples are known by their love for one another.

If we proclaim that “God is Love” as we do with our beautiful banner, then we do so in everything. In much the way Fr. Trask invited us to see love last Sunday as an outward expression–something we are called to participate in locally, regionally, and globally. That our own efforts to help those in need, through the Food Pantry, Blue Water Habitat for Humanity, and Bridge Builders; through our work in Eagle Butte, the Dominican Republic, and Episcopal Relief and Development; that these efforts are our love. Love given to us by GOD.

And if we take up the challenge given to us by Zack Hunt, we see the character of GOD, which we describe as love, is much more broad and challenging than we think. And, if we are honest, a much more radical concept than we think. That we are called to love the unlovable and rage against injustice. While remembering that GOD’s sense of justice is not the same as our country’s.

This week, with all that was there to drag us down, did not. There was much good. There was much love. Perhaps most fitting that Bruce and Judy could invite us all to share in their joy. For the one thing that broke through, undaunted this week, was love.