From the Ministers
from Rev. John MacIver Gage, senior minister
Sunday, August 4, 2019
In lieu of a sermon today in light of the deadly terrorist violence in El Paso and Dayton we instead gathered for prayer--prayer that included room for sadness, tiredness, and anger--sharing this resource from "Prayers in Times of Terrorism" from the Jesuit community (link below):
Almighty God,
We come before you, once again, after another shooting, after two shootings in less than a day.
We are sad, God. So we ask You
to receive into your loving care the souls of those who were killed,
to care for those who were wounded or hurt in any way,
to console the family members and friends of those who died or were wounded,
to strengthen the hands of the rescue workers, medical professionals and caregivers.
Hardest of all, we pray too for the shooter, as we must as friends of Jesus who value all lives, even the lives of those who do not value the lives of others.
All this makes us inexpressibly sad, God. But we know that the sadness we feel is your sadness.
It is the same sadness Jesus expressed when he wept over the death of his friend Lazarus.
So let us sit with our sadness…
We are tired, God.
We’re tired of the unwillingness to see this as an important issue.
We’re tired of those in power who work to prevent any real change.
We’re tired of those who say that gun violence can't be reduced.
All this makes us tired.
But we know that the tiredness we feel is your tiredness.
It's the same tiredness that Jesus felt after his own struggles
against injustice that led him to fall asleep on the boat with his disciples.
So let us sit with our tiredness…
We are angry, God.
We’re angry at the seeming powerlessness of our community to prevent this.
We’re angry at the selfish financial interests who block change.
We’re angry that these shootings happen at all.
But we know that this anger is your anger
It's the same anger Jesus felt when he overturned the tables in the Temple,
angry that anyone would be taken advantage of in any way.
So let us sit with our anger…
O Holy God, Help us to see in these emotions your own desire for change.
Help us to see in these feelings your moving us to act.
Help us to see in these reactions your pushing us to do something.
Because we know this is the way you move people to action.
And we know that you desire action.
For Jesus did not stand by while people were being hurt.
He plunged into their lives.
So help us to answer these questions:
How can we help?
How can we fight against gun violence?
How can we urge our political leaders to enact change?
How can we help people understand that this is an issue about the value of life?
We are sad over the loss of life,
tired of excuses for the loss of life,
and angry that we are paralyzed by the loss of life.
So, turn our sadness into compassion.
Turn our tiredness into advocacy.
Turn our paralysis into the freedom to act.
Help us to be compassionate, to advocate, and to act, as Jesus did,
Almighty God.
www.xavier.edu/…/prayers-in-times-of…/in-times-of-terrorism…
Sunday, August 4, 2019
In lieu of a sermon today in light of the deadly terrorist violence in El Paso and Dayton we instead gathered for prayer--prayer that included room for sadness, tiredness, and anger--sharing this resource from "Prayers in Times of Terrorism" from the Jesuit community (link below):
Almighty God,
We come before you, once again, after another shooting, after two shootings in less than a day.
We are sad, God. So we ask You
to receive into your loving care the souls of those who were killed,
to care for those who were wounded or hurt in any way,
to console the family members and friends of those who died or were wounded,
to strengthen the hands of the rescue workers, medical professionals and caregivers.
Hardest of all, we pray too for the shooter, as we must as friends of Jesus who value all lives, even the lives of those who do not value the lives of others.
All this makes us inexpressibly sad, God. But we know that the sadness we feel is your sadness.
It is the same sadness Jesus expressed when he wept over the death of his friend Lazarus.
So let us sit with our sadness…
We are tired, God.
We’re tired of the unwillingness to see this as an important issue.
We’re tired of those in power who work to prevent any real change.
We’re tired of those who say that gun violence can't be reduced.
All this makes us tired.
But we know that the tiredness we feel is your tiredness.
It's the same tiredness that Jesus felt after his own struggles
against injustice that led him to fall asleep on the boat with his disciples.
So let us sit with our tiredness…
We are angry, God.
We’re angry at the seeming powerlessness of our community to prevent this.
We’re angry at the selfish financial interests who block change.
We’re angry that these shootings happen at all.
But we know that this anger is your anger
It's the same anger Jesus felt when he overturned the tables in the Temple,
angry that anyone would be taken advantage of in any way.
So let us sit with our anger…
O Holy God, Help us to see in these emotions your own desire for change.
Help us to see in these feelings your moving us to act.
Help us to see in these reactions your pushing us to do something.
Because we know this is the way you move people to action.
And we know that you desire action.
For Jesus did not stand by while people were being hurt.
He plunged into their lives.
So help us to answer these questions:
How can we help?
How can we fight against gun violence?
How can we urge our political leaders to enact change?
How can we help people understand that this is an issue about the value of life?
We are sad over the loss of life,
tired of excuses for the loss of life,
and angry that we are paralyzed by the loss of life.
So, turn our sadness into compassion.
Turn our tiredness into advocacy.
Turn our paralysis into the freedom to act.
Help us to be compassionate, to advocate, and to act, as Jesus did,
Almighty God.
www.xavier.edu/…/prayers-in-times-of…/in-times-of-terrorism…