Holy One,
We are struggling to find the right words:
Words of lament and anguish
Words of anger and indignation
Words of compassion and solace.
Lord, in the darkness…
Send us your light.
Creator of all that is,
We give thanks for the good we have seen:
The courage of children and teachers
The bravery of first responders
The gentle words of wise men and women.
Lord, in the darkness…
Send us your light.
Father and mother of us all,
We raise a special prayer for families:
For parents and siblings and grandparents living with unspeakable loss,
For the classmates and schoolmates who saw terrible things,
For the young friends afraid to return to their school.
Lord, in the darkness…
Send us your light.
Jesus, our teacher and friend,
Hear our prayer for those who work in schools:
We thank you for the love you show,
We bless you for your courage,
We grieve with you for your colleagues.
Lord in the darkness…
Send us your light.
Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove,
Hear our prayer for ourselves:
When we falter in the darkness,
When we lose our way on the path,
When despair overtakes us…
Remind us that there is no darkness so great that the light will not overcome it.
Help us to hold onto that knowledge, even when the light is dim.
Give us patience to watch for the flicker that will become a flame of your power and love, we ask in the name of the coming Christ. Amen.
Thank you, Martha, for this prayer. You often have words when many of us do not, and that is a precious gift.
Thanks Martha.. The folks appreciated the time to talk and having something positive to do. How about you?
Deep sadness that moved toward a determined praising of God in the end. Pretty amazing and humbling.
Amen.