Thursday, April 19, 2007

Columbine/Virginia Tech

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the Columbine school shootings, and this comes just a few days after the tragic Virginia Tech shootings. I understand that the VT shooter was influenced by the Columbine shooters. What do we do? What kind of a world do we live in? How do all these things make you feel?
Here are some prayers/readings dealing with tragic events. Take time tomorrow to pray one or two in honor of those who lost their lives at Columbine and Virginia Tech, and to soothe your own soul as you try to figure things out. (You can always leave a comment here, call me 403-2403, or email me richard@catumc.org.) [Prayers and readings from The Book of Uncommon Prayer by Steve Case]

God, we've read the newspapers
We've seen the video on the news
We talk about faith
Our brains demand evidence
Our hearts long to believe
Forgive us our doubts, God
The world is a cruel place
The hungry and hurting reach out
The questions and doubts rise up like a raging river
We could drown in our own ignorance
Come into this place
We will open our hearts
We will open our minds and souls
Show us
Enlighten us
God, we need to know you are here. Amen.

***
Give us faith to stay on the path
Give us the courage to face the coming days
Give us the strength to pray in the face of things we don't understand
Give us the strength to believe in the mercy and grace you've promised us all
Give us the grace to entrust to you those we lost
Invite them to your table
Serve them their favorite foods
Give them eyes to see how much we miss them
Give us the eyes to see their smiles in the sunrise
Give us the ears to hear their voices in the rain
Give peace to their families and friends, and to the world. Amen.

Psalm 23
Matthew 5.1-12

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