Letters of Solidarity Received after Bombing in Boston
Below are letters of solidarity and support received from international partner’s after the bombing at the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15, 2013…
Below are letters of solidarity and support received from international partner’s after the bombing at the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15, 2013.
From Rev. Dr. Lucas Amosse
Present of the United Church of Christ in Mozambique
Dear Rev. Sandra Gourdet
Greetings from the United Church of Christ in Mozambique (Former American Board Mission)
We have been accompanying the sad situation that the American people are experiencing these days, causing a lot of deaths and injuries as well as social insecurity. We tried to be quiet and silent but we have come to a point where our silence doesn’t have more space among the people of Mozambique and in our Church in particular. We decide to express our solidarity to the siblings of the United State of America and at the same time we ask the question: Why these sad things happen among the innocent and unaware people?
This is a common question by all those who face the pain loss of a relative through death as a form of finding an answer to what happens. It is, certainly the question that our sister church, pastors, and families in the United States should be asking. And each one of us also says the same question in similar situation: Why this happens?
Only God knows how to answer, not because He has any fault of our unhappiness, but as one that welcomes us when we are in despair and abandoned. God is who is with us when all friends abandon us. The answer of God to that question is: PEACE BE WITH YOU! Because death is the devil’s work from the beginning of the earth, and the life is a blessing of the grace of God, and all those picked by the death, God wishes them peace.
In spite of everything, as Christians, we have the privilege of having in our domain the secret of the meaning of death: the passage of this life for the life of the beyond with God, where there is no pain, nor disease; nor there is hunger, nor suffering; nor there are tears, nor death, but peace, happiness and eternal rest before the throne of God. This is the reason of Saint Paul when he says that “if we live, we live for Christ, and, if we die, we also die for Christ.” In this life and in the life of the beyond, we are sure of being in the hands of God.
It consoles us the fact that God is the Father that knows how to love and to take care of his children. The death is a blessing for the ones that God calls for the eternal rest, as Jesus says in Mat.11.28: “come to me, all of you who are tired and overloaded, and I will give you rest.” We have faith that our sisters and brothers who died because of these disturbances, shootings and explosions will have the deserved rest offered by God, the all Almighty Father.
The major consolation is that, most of the American people know and serve God in Christ. All that are faithful to God as the Americans, are for them Christ’s words in Revelation 3.8, 10 that says: “I know what you do and that you have little power, however you kept my word and you didn’t deny my name. Because you kept the word of my perseverance, also I will keep you safe from the time of the trouble that must come on the whole world, to test all the people on earth.”
On behalf of the United Church of Christ in Mozambique (former American Board Mission), of the Synod Council and the Management Board and of all the Church members in general, we bring together our solidarity to the families in mourning, and we address our more deep condolences for this desperate death. We ask God so that He may console and strengthen all members of the family in faith because Jesus Christ says: “I am coming soon. Keep safe what you have, so that no one will rob you of your victory prize” (Revelation.3.11)
That God may have in His throne all the perished and give them the rest that they deserve and console all the mourning ones, in His eternal peace.
Rev. Dr. Lucas Amosse
President of UCCM
From Rev. Nicta M. Lubaale
General secretary
Organization of African Instituted Churches
Dear Sandra,
Once again People in the USA-epecially the community in Boston-are in pain because of the senseless acts of violence that were inflicted on humanity on Monday 15 April 2013.
I say humanity because of holistic understanding of who we are as people created by one God and any acts of violence carried out anywhere in the world are carried out on all humanity.
May peace of God that surpasses all human understanding surround the bereaving families, the wounded, the whole community of Boston and enable all of us to affirm our resolve that no amount of hatred will move us from seeing humanity through the eyes of a loving God. This is where healing for this moment and the inspiration to continue in the never ending call to work for a peaceful and fair world is found.
Our prayers are with you all as you respond to this tragedy.
Rev. Nicta M. Lubaale
General secretary
Organization of African Instituted Churches
P O Box 21736, 00505
Nairobi, Kenya