Tomb

In the wee hours of Good Friday, two more teenagers in our city were gunned down as violence ripped again through a Westside neighborhood. One of the young men died; the other is in critical condition after surgery.

According to news reports, it was the second shooting at the home in a 24-hour period.  The night before, 12 shots ripped through the house, almost hitting a 9-year-old boy sleeping on the couch.  

The alleged perpetrator remains at large.

To many, these teenage boys are nameless and faceless, just one more example of teenage violence, just one more adolescent life with a tragic end.

To one of the child care providers at North Church, these young men are precious children in her family. Her stepson was the one killed; her son remains in critical condition. She knows their faces, stories, and lives with deep intimacy. 

I can’t even begin to imagine her nightmare. I’ve wondered today, of all days, why Jesus is still in the tomb.

And I wonder how in the face of such despair, we can be a community that believes he still moves stones.