God of the living and the dead, one of your friends once
asked: why do bad things happen to good people? Why? On an anniversary like
today, this question gets amplified by those who remember and mourn the many
now long dead, and the many who have died since through wars and conflicts.
Why? Is it possible we are asking the wrong question? Perhaps, dear God, we
should ask: what kind of people do we need to be in a world that includes such
horrible acts of violence? We know we are supposed to want peace, justice and
love. Sometimes we work hard for these things, sometimes not. We ask that you
help us become a people and nation who desires to unlearn hatred and war, so
that we can honor those who we have lost through living lives of goodness and
mercy in a world often captured by a vision of destruction. This we ask in
confidence that you will hear and heal us. Amen.
God, we call you our creator and redeemer, and we trust
that our prayers are not a waste of time. As we pause to remember why this day
in September is now a date that resonates with feelings of loss, sadness and
even anger, we come to you asking for deliverance. Deliver us, dear creator,
from hatred, for we know that hate is like a consuming fire that will capture
our imagination and never let us go. Deliver us, Gracious one, from fear of
others, for we know that we are called to love even our enemies, even when they
desire our end. Deliver us, Holy Presence, from the presumption that violence
is the answer for violence, for we know that a nation at war is a nation in
danger of losing its soul. We are asking a lot, yet we are confident that the
Creator of all that is, can meet our needs and free us from all that holds us
back from being healed. Amen.
Holy One, you continue to separate the light from the
darkness, shining with resplendent beauty and illuminating our path in this
world. Today your light seems overwhelming, for we see in our lives the scars
of a terror that fell from the skies and burned images of suffering upon our
souls. Sometimes we would rather a season of darkness, where our anger and wounds
can fester. Living in darkness allows us the freedom of blindness from the hurt
and pain that we inflict on others in the name of justice. But this is
darkness, not light. We want to see, we need to see who we are as a people, and
this is only possible through opening our eyes to the world that you illumine.
In your light, we are able to recognize that though our scars remain you are
our ever present source of life, even new life. Shine your light into our lives
and move us towards that vision of a world where pain, darkness and death are
no more. Amen.
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