When Aimless Violence Takes Those We Love
When aimless violence takes those we love
The hymn grounds Christian comfort in Paul's teaching that God comforts us in all afflictions, enabling us to comfort others. It affirms Lutheran doctrine that God's compassion encompasses even the deepest human suffering and violence.
History & Background
Written by Jaroslav Vajda in 2006 as a contemporary pastoral hymn addressing the specific grief of losing loved ones to violence. First published in Lutheran Service Book (2006) as hymn 764.
Hymnal Appearances
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 766
- Glory to God — 787
- Lutheran Service Book — 764
- Voices Together — 870
Bulletin Note
Jaroslav Vajda composed this text in 2006, drawing on 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. It names what many hymns avoid: aimless violence. Vajda's Lutheran theology insists God's comfort is real, even amid tragedy.
Preaching Connection
This hymn locates the Gospel's comfort not in the absence of suffering, but in God's promise to be present within it—transforming our experience of violence and loss into a ministry of consolation that witnesses to the resurrection.
Themes
Divine comfort in suffering Consolation in grief Trust amid tragedy God's compassion