Prayer for the Community After the Tragedy

The circle of candles representing the names of the 23 victims of the shootings.

During my worship yesterday, I lit these candles as I named each victim of last weekend's shooting rampage. 

As I walked the the dog earlier in the morning, I thought about all the people who would normally seek out a church service following a horrific tragedy like the one that unfolded in our area; even if they don't attend church regularly, or at all, in times like this, coming together with our friends and neighbours, hearing words of comfort and peace, is very important. Those people were unable to that this time. 

In my congregation, we don't know any of the victims, but we know so many people who live in the area where four of the shootings took place -- just down the road -- and we know people who lost someone. We are not directly impacted by a death, but we are deeply impacted by the tragedy. 

This is my community prayer: 

We heard it and saw it written over and over this past week: God weeps.

And we wonder,

does God ever get tired of weeping?

Does God ever get tired of those holy tears mingling with the blood of the innocent, the unsuspecting, the helping?

During scary times, Mr. Rogers told us, look for the helpers. He said there are always people who are helping.

But what do we do now,

when the helpers are the ones who were gunned down by evil masquerading as one of them?

We pray for the helpers who survived. The police, the paramedics, the fire fighters.

We pray for the friends and neighbours who phoned to warn, who watched and waited – and who now sit in their homes and grieve.

We pray for the family members who heard the stories of the helpers they love – and who now sit in their homes and grieve. And rage. And demand answers.

We pray for the family and friends and neighbours, for the police officers, who will never receive the answers they need, who will never know why this happened, or how this could happen.

We pray for the clergy and counsellors who are the helpers now, as people try to deal with their grief, their loss, their anger, their fear, and their questions.

We pray for each other, that we may be gifts to each other: gifts of peace and hope, gifts of joy and love. That in our collective community mourning, we may give and receive comfort, that we remain grateful for the blessings in our lives, the blessings of our living, even as we experience the grief of lives lost to senseless violence.

We are in the season that follows the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, when we move from witnessing his death on a cross – nails through his hands, a sword in hisside – to seeing him, resurrected, in front of us, with his wounds healing.

And we remember: No matter how wounded we are, no matter how deep the pain and how extensive the suffering, we will heal.

The peace Jesus promised will return to our lives.

The love Jesus offers – a love no bullet can stop – will carry us forward.

Love is the light that nothing – not even evil – can overcome.