Weary Moses seeks Aaron and Hur

The night of September 14th our neighborhood was wracked by violence. In the previous post I described a shooting in our local park that terrorized everyone in the vicinity. One of the men playing on the basketball court described watching bullets collide with metal poles, and feeling amazed that not a single person was hit. The preschool director testified this morning, "You know, I pray. I walk the perimeter of this park all the time, and I pray." I believe her prayers make a difference. As do the prayers of Church of the Redeemer members who walk that same perimeter and pray. As do your own prayers, whether local or at a distance.

The shooting at Loren Miller happened at about 7:30pm. No one was injured, and the gunman was not found. Later in the evening, two homicides occurred. One was in front of the doughnut shop at Jefferson and Normandie. The other was on the 3700 block of Ruthelen Street, about one mile away. It's striking to me how intimately each of these locations are linked to the life and history of Church of the Redeemer. The doughnut shop sits across the street from the Adventures Ahead tutoring center. I've spent many late afternoons there sharing a treat with Adventures Ahead families or friends on their way to the Spanish worship service that meets there. The address on Ruthelen Street is just one block away from where Church of the Redeemer's pastor lived for several years.

The police force is seeking leads in all three incidents. Please pray for the families and friends of these two homicide victims, and for those whose sense of security was shattered by events at the park on Monday. And would you pray also for God's people here...Parks and Rec employees, Church of the Redeemer members, and everyone else who loves our Lord...to persevere in praying? Just as Aaron and Hur held up Moses' arms when they grew tired, you can hold up our sometimes weary hearts in your prayers.