I didn’t realize this at the time, but I used to live less than a mile from the site of the Wisconsin Butter Fire. I only learned about this in the past month, but it was fun to learn that there was a river of melted butter practically in my backyard. It is a decidedly disgusting event, but I also am amused by the idea of trying to forge a butter river to spray water on melting dairy warehouse. I’m sure we all have those sorts of things in our neighborhoods – stories that were amusing anomalies, the things that make us appreciate our homes, the things that add unique character to our areas. This is something we can cherish, ways of forging identity that is both communal and individual. And while they are unique to each place, we can appreciate the ways in which our specific stories link us with other communities who also have their own stories.
That same home is also a mile and a half away from Abundant Life School.
This neighborhood, walking distance from where I lived, now has a claim to fame that is also unfortunately shared by too many neighborhoods in our country. This latest shooting is anomalous in its details but links us with other communities who share the same stories. It’s sickening to think of how many people have experienced this same sort of grief and pain. I’m hurting for my friends and neighbors who are mourning, angry, afraid, and wounded. Madison was my home for six years, and I hate that I’m sending text messages to people I care about to let them know I am thinking of them in the midst of this tragedy. If anyone from my time in Madison is reading this: I’m sorry that this happened. I care deeply about you and the community and please know that you’re in my heart right now.
But I’m not unique or alone in this. I’m not alone in being linked to communities of people mourning. In fact, I was born and spend my first years less than 15 miles from the site of the Highland Park, IL July 4 parade shooting from 2022. In that same shooting, the killer fled to a suburb of Madison where I would regularly spend time. More communities that I’m connected to through this macabre American ritual.
I moved from that Chicago suburb to Royal Oak, MI. It wasn’t until years later that I learned of the Royal Oak Post Office Shooting of 1991, which left five people dead. Yet another community in that club. How sick is it that we have a specific phrase for a mass shooting committed by a postal service employee?
This is my last blog that I’m writing before Christmas. I shouldn’t have to use it to write about this.
I hate this. I hate that I can name three separate communities united by this same anomaly that I’ve lived in.
I hate that this won’t be the last.
Advent is a time where we wait for salvation to manifest among us. It is a time when we can eagerly anticipate how we can create a world in which these communities will no longer share these ghoulish commonalities. Advent a time of excitement, but the excitement for what will come is just the flip side of longing for a change of the untenable status quo. We can lament during Advent. We can say “How long, O Lord?” Because we need something new in our world and we can’t keep living like this. We will find ourselves at the manger in less than one week. Before that, we need to remember that the pain that binds us as a people needs to give way to a peace that triumphs.
Peace,
Jeff
If you're looking for a warm and welcoming Presbyterian church in Brighton, NY, we’d love to celebrate this holiday season with you! Twelve Corners Presbyterian Church is located at 1200 S. Winton Road in Rochester, NY. We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday at 10:00 a.m. or tune in to our livestream on YouTube. While you’re here, consider helping us spread holiday joy by supporting our community programs. You can also connect with us on Facebook or reach out to our office with any questions by calling 585-244-8585 or email us through our secure contact form. Let’s make this season meaningful, together!
Comments