A senseless tragedy…
There are no words on this late Friday night as we watch the news coverage of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. The death count is up to 28. There are no words. For today’s devotional I want to share a prayer that I read earlier today. It says what I believe to be true. I hope it brings you some peace during this very sad time.
Good and gracious God,
Today we are reminded that we live in a broken world.
We are reminded of how fragile life really is.
Some will surely say, “Where is your God?” And it is easy to echo their question.
But remind us that you did not cause this tragedy or any other.
You reach out and offer them a loving embrace of comfort.
You call on your people to do the same.While we know in our hearts that this tragedy was senseless,
we also know that you have a beautiful way of pulling meaning
out of the senseless in order to help us move forward
and grow closer to you.
So for this moment, we hold in our hearts the children and the teachers killed,
the families who will now grieve and, yes, even the shooter.
And even as we remember them, we give thanks for the knowledge
that you love each of them and have invited them into your presences.
Once we have grieved this tragedy, turn our minds toward the problem
of violence in this world. Help us to bracket out political perspectives
and the monetary call of big business, and focus our hearts and minds
on the love of your creation, the love of our neighbor.
May the way we move forward honor the lives that have been lost.
Amen.
Hope ….. this prayer was so very appropriate. I copied it and forwarded it to several family/friends to read. Thank you!