Prayer for the School Shooting in Nashville

 

Prayer when there are no words ~ in response to the school shooting in Nashville

O God, there are no words this morning for the heartbreak and soul ache of another school shooting. There are tons of questions about our human propensity to turn to violence. There is the honest fear and anxiety of parents whose kids are being dropped off or driving or walking to school today. There is the eroding of our collective mental health because living in a constant state of fear has left us all weary and worn out.

But even these words don't begin to capture what is within us. I wonder, how long? There are communal tears for families grieving and a school in shock and a community that knows that there is no way to comfort or take away the ache ~ because that would mean going back in time and stop the tragedy.

Today there is silence of hurt. Today there is the speechlessness because no words can make sense of this or take away the pain. Today I pray for Your presence O God to comfort and love those whose hearts will never be the same. More than just today, because the lives of the families in Nashville will never be the same, so be with them for countless days to come.

Meet us, O God, in this moment also with a challenge to see how we harm each other. Meet us, O God, in the feelings of hopelessness when we shake our heads in despair. Self-empty God of the cross on this day that feels like Good Friday has arrived early, may we stand here with an openness and vulnerability and willingness to be transformed by Your way. And into the emptiness give us new words and new ways of speaking into these all too frequent shootings that might compel us to live differently.

God meet us, hold us, and let Your love be the first and last word in our lives today. Amen.