Episcopal House of Bishops meeting in retreat accepts statement on gun violence
[March 7, 2018] The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church are meeting in retreat at Camp Allen in Navasota, TX. On March 7, the House of Bishops unanimously accepted the following statement on gun violence.
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
At this critical moment young people of the United States are inviting us to turn away from the nightmare of gun violence to the dream of choosing life. The young people of Parkland, Florida are calling for elected officials to:
• ban the sale of assault weapons
• prohibit the sale of high capacity magazines
• close loopholes in background checks (https://marchforourlivespetition.com)
Others are seeking to:
• ban the sale of bump stocks
• raise the age to 21 years to purchase firearms
• challenge the National Rifle Association to support safe gun legislation.
We, the bishops of The Episcopal Church, wholeheartedly support and join with the youth in this call to action.
At the same time, we acknowledge that black and brown youth have continuously challenged the United States to address the gun violence that they and their communities are experiencing. We repent that, as bishops, we have failed to heed their call.
As bishops we commit to following the youth of the United States in their prophetic leadership. To that end we will observe a day of Lament and Action on March 14, one month to the day after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.(Bishops United Against Gun Violence: http://bishopsagainstgunviolence.org ) We pledge ourselves, and we invite our dioceses, to participate in the “March for our Lives” on March 24 in Washington DC and in cities and towns across the United States. We recognize the urgency of this moment and we recommit to working for safe gun legislation as our church has called for in multiple General Convention resolutions (https://episcopalarchives.org/cgi-bin/acts/acts_topic_search.pl?topic=Gun+Control.) In addition, we pledge ourselves to bring the values of the gospel to bear on a society that increasingly glorifies violence and trivializes the sacredness of every human life.
We will walk with the youth of the United States today and into the future in choosing life.
On the web:
https://www.episcopalchurch.org/posts/publicaffairs/episcopal-house-bishops-meeting-retreat-accepts-statement-gun-violence
A Lament for a Culture of Gun Violence
written by the Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire
(Lent 2018)
Most holy God, source of all being, of all hope, of all life
We confess our worship of unholy things fashioned not by you, but by our own hands,
Have mercy on us.
We confess our fascination with guns and weapons that have for far too long claimed the lives of
the undefended, the vulnerable, and especially children who have been wounded and killed in
acts of random terror in a nation founded on the promise to protect life, liberty and pursuit of
happiness.
Have mercy on us.
We confess our attachment to the means of violence and bloodshed claiming that they alone can
protect and save us from those who wish us harm.
Have mercy on us.
We confess that we have not kept our eyes from watching what is worthless, allowing the
imagination of our hearts to be misshapen by media, film, and games that glorify violence and
trivialize the dignity of human life.
Have mercy on us.
We confess our lack of courage and clarity in public policies that too often weigh individual
rights over the common weal.
Have mercy on us.
We confess how we have too often appealed to your name and that of the name of Jesus to
justify our right to defend and protect, even when you gave up your defenses and even died on
the cross to rise and again, destroying the powers of sin and death.
Have mercy on us.
We confess how we have allowed the gods of merchandising and consumerism to drown out the
cries of the injured and the grieving.
Have mercy on us.
We confess how the epidemic of gun deaths among blacks in our society is mostly overlooked or
ignored, even accepted, and do not result in the same outcry and outrage as the slaughter of white
children.
Have mercy on us.
We confess that we have ascribed to the facile lie that “the only thing that can stop a bad guy
with a gun is a good guy with a gun” when what we need are more loving households, more
caring neighbors, better funded and equipped schools, and hearts that hear your Gospel message
of love and forgiveness.
Have mercy on us.
O Blessed God of our deliverance, unfetter us all from the grip of the unholy trinity of poverty,
racism, and guns.
Good Lord, deliver us.
O Blessed God of the prophets, if we cannot shout in the streets in our agony and rage, guide us
to have the honest difficult conversations about what truly drives our fears. Protect the voices of
the youth whom you have called to speak the truth to the powerful and content.
Good Shepherd, lead us.
Dear God of Holy Community, teach us to find that the only weapons we truly need are the
swords of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation.
Holy One, defend us.
Dear God of Resurrection, show us that by peacefully and boldly dwelling in your Holy Name of
I AM, the militias of hatred and fear will step back and fall to the ground.
O Christ, hear us and raise us.
Give us courage for the facing of this hour. Guide us by the bright vision of your Heavenly
Realm where no weapon is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the
strength of love.
O Christ, show us your mercy
As we put our trust in you.
March For Our Lives Information
[March 7, 2018] The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church are meeting in retreat at Camp Allen in Navasota, TX. On March 7, the House of Bishops unanimously accepted the following statement on gun violence.
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
At this critical moment young people of the United States are inviting us to turn away from the nightmare of gun violence to the dream of choosing life. The young people of Parkland, Florida are calling for elected officials to:
• ban the sale of assault weapons
• prohibit the sale of high capacity magazines
• close loopholes in background checks (https://marchforourlivespetition.com)
Others are seeking to:
• ban the sale of bump stocks
• raise the age to 21 years to purchase firearms
• challenge the National Rifle Association to support safe gun legislation.
We, the bishops of The Episcopal Church, wholeheartedly support and join with the youth in this call to action.
At the same time, we acknowledge that black and brown youth have continuously challenged the United States to address the gun violence that they and their communities are experiencing. We repent that, as bishops, we have failed to heed their call.
As bishops we commit to following the youth of the United States in their prophetic leadership. To that end we will observe a day of Lament and Action on March 14, one month to the day after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.(Bishops United Against Gun Violence: http://bishopsagainstgunviolence.org ) We pledge ourselves, and we invite our dioceses, to participate in the “March for our Lives” on March 24 in Washington DC and in cities and towns across the United States. We recognize the urgency of this moment and we recommit to working for safe gun legislation as our church has called for in multiple General Convention resolutions (https://episcopalarchives.org/cgi-bin/acts/acts_topic_search.pl?topic=Gun+Control.) In addition, we pledge ourselves to bring the values of the gospel to bear on a society that increasingly glorifies violence and trivializes the sacredness of every human life.
We will walk with the youth of the United States today and into the future in choosing life.
On the web:
https://www.episcopalchurch.org/posts/publicaffairs/episcopal-house-bishops-meeting-retreat-accepts-statement-gun-violence
A Lament for a Culture of Gun Violence
written by the Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire
(Lent 2018)
Most holy God, source of all being, of all hope, of all life
We confess our worship of unholy things fashioned not by you, but by our own hands,
Have mercy on us.
We confess our fascination with guns and weapons that have for far too long claimed the lives of
the undefended, the vulnerable, and especially children who have been wounded and killed in
acts of random terror in a nation founded on the promise to protect life, liberty and pursuit of
happiness.
Have mercy on us.
We confess our attachment to the means of violence and bloodshed claiming that they alone can
protect and save us from those who wish us harm.
Have mercy on us.
We confess that we have not kept our eyes from watching what is worthless, allowing the
imagination of our hearts to be misshapen by media, film, and games that glorify violence and
trivialize the dignity of human life.
Have mercy on us.
We confess our lack of courage and clarity in public policies that too often weigh individual
rights over the common weal.
Have mercy on us.
We confess how we have too often appealed to your name and that of the name of Jesus to
justify our right to defend and protect, even when you gave up your defenses and even died on
the cross to rise and again, destroying the powers of sin and death.
Have mercy on us.
We confess how we have allowed the gods of merchandising and consumerism to drown out the
cries of the injured and the grieving.
Have mercy on us.
We confess how the epidemic of gun deaths among blacks in our society is mostly overlooked or
ignored, even accepted, and do not result in the same outcry and outrage as the slaughter of white
children.
Have mercy on us.
We confess that we have ascribed to the facile lie that “the only thing that can stop a bad guy
with a gun is a good guy with a gun” when what we need are more loving households, more
caring neighbors, better funded and equipped schools, and hearts that hear your Gospel message
of love and forgiveness.
Have mercy on us.
O Blessed God of our deliverance, unfetter us all from the grip of the unholy trinity of poverty,
racism, and guns.
Good Lord, deliver us.
O Blessed God of the prophets, if we cannot shout in the streets in our agony and rage, guide us
to have the honest difficult conversations about what truly drives our fears. Protect the voices of
the youth whom you have called to speak the truth to the powerful and content.
Good Shepherd, lead us.
Dear God of Holy Community, teach us to find that the only weapons we truly need are the
swords of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation.
Holy One, defend us.
Dear God of Resurrection, show us that by peacefully and boldly dwelling in your Holy Name of
I AM, the militias of hatred and fear will step back and fall to the ground.
O Christ, hear us and raise us.
Give us courage for the facing of this hour. Guide us by the bright vision of your Heavenly
Realm where no weapon is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the
strength of love.
O Christ, show us your mercy
As we put our trust in you.
March For Our Lives Information
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St. David's Episcopal Church
1300 Wiltshire Avenue San Antonio, TX 78209 210-824-2481 [email protected] Regular Office Hours Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Sunday Worship 8:00am: Rite I in the Sanctuary 9:15am: Faith Formation for all ages 10:30am: Rite II in the Sanctuary Children's Chapel offered at 10:30am Nursery care available for ages 0-3, 9:00-11:45am 10:30am service live-streamed on our Facebook Page |