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Faith Lens for Sunday, May 6 is already posted: Oregon governor spends week on food stamps

April 25-May 2, 2007

Young man takes lives and announces it
to the world

Warm-up Question:

Do you ever worry
about dying?

 

Blacksburg, VA—Virginia Tech is still reeling after Seung-Hui Cho, the troubled young man you reached out to the world in a destructive way, shot and killed 32 students and professors, injured at least 15 others, and finally killed himself.

A normal day on campus began for two students in death. After a pause of a couple of hours, the day continued with horror and the destruction of the lives and dreams of many people. During the pause between the shootings, Seung-Hui Cho went back to his dorm room and made the final preparations to send off his ‘manifesto’ to NBC News for doing what he did. Included in this manifesto were photos of himself looking like a normal young man, photos of himself with his recently purchased guns, an 1,800-word text written by him, and numerous video clips of himself talking to the camera… his attempt to show the world who he was, what he was about to do, and what we should know and think about it.

This message to the world has become the focal point of investigations to try to understand what happened and why. It has also become Cho’s lasting testimony for all to see—a troubled testimony of pain and bitterness for Cho and for all those he affected.

More resources for discussing the Virginia Tech shootings are available at:

 

Discussion Questions

  1. What were your first thoughts when you heard about the Virginia Tech shooting?
  2. Did you find yourself becoming obsessed with the story?
  3. Where did/do you find your information?
  4. Did you watch the video clips from Cho’s manifesto? Why or why not?
  5. In what ways does it change how you think about your own safety?
  6. What do stories like this make you think about your own mortality?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, April 29, 2007.
(Text links are to oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.)

Acts 9:36-43
Psalm 23
Revelation 7:9-17
John 10:22-30

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Scripture Reflection (Acts 9:36-43)
During the Easter season, the first lesson, which is usually a reading from the Old Testament, is a reading from the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament.

At this point in the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus has already sent the Holy Spirit; Peter and the others have been engaged in ministries of preaching, teaching, and healing. Saul (before he becomes Paul) has been persecuting the early Church and Stephen has already been stoned to death for the faith.

A disciple by the name of Tabitha also known as Dorcas has died. (Note that scripture refers to her as a disciple and she is a woman!) She was known for her good works and acts of charity as well as having made clothing. There is no violent act or unusual drama; she experienced what many experience—she becomes ill and dies. Those who are grieving for her make their preparations and upon hearing that Peter himself is not that far away, call him to come. Once there, Peter kicks everyone out of the room, prays, and then the drama builds—Peter raises her from the dead. And then he does something very interesting. Peter helps her up, calls everyone (the saints and widows), and shows her off. His actions call attention to what has happened. She is alive! And because of it, the people did not focus on Peter. Nope, the people there believed in the Lord. Peter’s miracle brought faith to those that saw and heard about it.

There is an interesting parallel between our news story and the story from the Acts of the Apostles: both men in the story did something really huge. And, both men wanted as many people to know about it as possible. Seung-Hui Cho made use of the mail, photos, video, and writing to share what he had done. Peter showed the positive results live. Both were interested in getting their message out. Unfortunately, that is where the parallels stop. Seung-Hui Cho is desperate, angry, and depressed. He is obsessed with death and with bringing death. Peter, on the other hand, possesses the gift of life, the power of Jesus’ resurrection.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could have experienced the power of the risen Christ through a disciple in the story of Virginia Tech? A scene where some disciple, upon finding out that so many people have died, shows up and prays and tells them all to “get up.” That wouldn’t have needed video footage, but I bet news would have traveled just as fast if not faster than the news of the destruction.

Our challenge as followers of the Risen One—Jesus—is that the promise of the resurrection in our baptism does not necessarily mean that every earthly death will be reversed in this lifetime. The promise is that death will not be the final answer. There will be times when God will act and our lives here will be saved for a few days or decades. And for some, it means we will have to wait until that final day when, as we hear in the text from Revelation:

“...the Lamb (Jesus) at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17)

Discussion Questions

  1. When have you really hoped for a miracle?
  2. When have you experienced a miracle?
  3. When have you lost someone that died even though you prayed to God that they wouldn’t die? How did that affect your faith?
  4. When have you seen God bring the power of life to someone?
  5. Tell about a time when you have really believed in the power of the resurrection. When have you really doubted it?
  6. How do you explain these kinds of miracles to friends who may not share the same faith as you?

Activity Suggestions

The first two activities can be done as individuals, in small groups, or as a large group activity.

1) Letter to the families of the victims:

Draft a letter of support in this time of grief to the families of the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting. Send it to them on behalf of the entire group or as individuals. Give special attention to what you think might bring healing at this time. Add pictures and drawings, if that is a better way for you to express your support. You can send financial contributions and letters via the ELCA Disaster Response Web site. http://www.elca.org/disaster/article.asp?id=69&mode=3

List of victims with short bios (CBS News):

2) Include all of the families of the victims (including the family of Seung-Hui Cho) in the prayers of the church. This is good to do for a few weeks or every couple of weeks for a while, even if your worshiping community has already prayed for them. It’s sometimes tempting to pray once when the news is fresh and then move on with our daily routine forgetting how long people and communities must live with what has happened.

3) Using Psalm 23 as a model, compose a psalm that might speak to a situation like the one at Virginia Tech. You might want to include that in your letters (see activities 1 and 2).
 

  Closing Prayer
God of resurrection and life, we come to you all too aware of how fragile and vulnerable life is. Sometimes we act in ways that are not giving and sometimes we are victims of the acts of others that destroy our lives or the lives of others. We need you, God. Send us your Holy Spirit that we may live fully in the knowledge that death is not the final answer but that we have been promised new and abundant life through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord, the crucified and risen one. Amen
 

Contributed by Pastor Scott A. Moore
Eisleben, Germany
 

Permission to reproduce for local use. Copyright © 2007 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. ELCA Youth Ministries.
1-800-638-3522, ext. 2447. To offer your comments or responses to Faith Lens, e-mail:  rod.boriack@elca.org.

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