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From the Desk of Bishop Webb: Response to the school shooting in Florida

February 15, 2018 / By Bishop Mark J. Webb

Editor's note: On Feb. 15 Bishop Mark J. Webb sent the following letter about the shooting at a Florida high school.

Sisters and brothers in Christ,

Our hearts ache and our spirits grieve as once again senseless violence and evil has taken the lives of innocent people. I invite you to join me in praying for the victims and families of the shooting yesterday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Our prayers are with our United Methodist brothers and sisters in the communities of Parkland and Coral Springs, Florida as they seek to be the presence of Christ during this horrific time.

Like you, I watch and listen as people attempt to make sense of events like this. I hear the discussions that attempt to find a reason and then ultimately a solution. We must lead and be engaged in the conversations that address the moral and spiritual decay in our society. We must lead and be engaged in the conversations that work toward ending all acts of violence and evil, including gun violence. We must lead and be engaged in the conversations that seek to address the hopelessness, fear, and spiritual yearnings found in each person. We must confess our lack of compassion, passion, and urgency in offering the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and action to the world around us.

Ephesians 6 remind us of a powerful truth: “for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” The words of Jesus in John 12 invite us to claim and proclaim a promise as well – “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.”

May we allow the light of Jesus to continue to transform us and then may we take that light into the darkest parts of our community and world, trusting that light to penetrate the darkness. The light of Christ is our hope, our source of peace and the true solution for transforming change in us, in others and in our world. Let us boldly offer Jesus!

Grace and peace,

Bishop Mark J. Webb