Our hearts and prayers this Sabbath go out to the people of Marshall County, Kentucky who, now have joined an ever-growing list of places to experience a mass shooting at a public school. We grieve for the families of the two teenagers who were killed. May the 17 others who were injured speedily recover from their wounds. These incidents are terrible no matter where they happen but there is something even more unsettling when they occur in our own state. To offer prayer alone would be an insufficient response, but a meaningful response can include the element of prayer.
God of Abel and Cain, Eve and Adam, the victims and the victimizers.
The blood of our children cries out to us from the ground.
In the depths of our heartbreak and pain we pray:
May this one be the last one.
May there be no next one.
No more murders, no more murderers,
No more parents burying their children.
No more funerals for fifteen-year-olds.
Help us to end this senseless violence.
Give us the courage to work for real and lasting change.
Rather than cover our ears, make us listen to the cries of anguish.
Rather than closing our eyes, let us give the bloodshed of yet another school shooting a long hard look.
Rather than turning our heads, grant us the wisdom to use our minds to finally bring an end to this plague.
Rather than throwing up our hands in frustration, let us use them to reach out with comfort and compassion.
Rather than hardening our hearts, give us the tenderness to turn the pain of the mourning to a plea for justice. May this be our blessing and let us say: Amen.
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Please consider donations to the Religious Action Center, Western KY Chapter of the American Red Cross and Americans for Responsible Solutions to honor the memory of the shooting at Marshall County High School.
God of Abel and Cain, Eve and Adam, the victims and the victimizers.
The blood of our children cries out to us from the ground.
In the depths of our heartbreak and pain we pray:
May this one be the last one.
May there be no next one.
No more murders, no more murderers,
No more parents burying their children.
No more funerals for fifteen-year-olds.
Help us to end this senseless violence.
Give us the courage to work for real and lasting change.
Rather than cover our ears, make us listen to the cries of anguish.
Rather than closing our eyes, let us give the bloodshed of yet another school shooting a long hard look.
Rather than turning our heads, grant us the wisdom to use our minds to finally bring an end to this plague.
Rather than throwing up our hands in frustration, let us use them to reach out with comfort and compassion.
Rather than hardening our hearts, give us the tenderness to turn the pain of the mourning to a plea for justice. May this be our blessing and let us say: Amen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please consider donations to the Religious Action Center, Western KY Chapter of the American Red Cross and Americans for Responsible Solutions to honor the memory of the shooting at Marshall County High School.
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