O good and gracious God
We stand before you, conscious of your presence,
and ask you to hold the injured and the dead in your hands.
Comfort those left today bereft and frightened.
We ask you to give strength and protection to the emergency workers
and health care professionals involved in this tragedy.
Please give wisdom to our leaders.
We place our security and the security of the world in your hands.
We entrust our peace and the peace of the world to you.
We make these requests in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Amen.
Anger burns
in my heart,
and longs to jump from my heart,
to my tongue
to the minds of those
who have hurt me,
how it wishes to consume them all,
that anger,
like a grass fire sweeping over the prarie,
or exploding trees in a stand of fir,
leaving nothing behind
but ash,
and dust
and black.
And yet, Lord,
as I pour through the water of your word, O Lord,
I stand ashamed of this fire,
eating at my heart,
so different than the soothing balm of forgiveness
you have asked me to be generous with,
the kind word spoken
instead of the burning one,
the cup of water given
instead of the curse,
prayer,
care,
and love
instead of fire.
O Lord,
I see how you showed me,
when all men’s hands seemed turned against you,
and you forgave,
you offered up your misery,
bore our griefs,
gave your heart’s blood.
O Jesus,
may your blood put out this fire
that asks me to harm,
may your touch heal my aching,
so that I can go forth
walking in your shadow,
bearing your light,
the light that heals
the waters that salve,
the balm that saves,
this day and always,
Amen.