My heart is crying for our broken world, for the broken bodies in Boston, for the broken minds of those who resorted to violence in hopes they would feel better. Spirit of Life, console the family of those young men in this time of grief.
Spirit of Life, God, Divine Universe: we pray that those killed are at peace. As we hold in our hearts the sorrows of our community, may we also hold in our hearts those injured along with their families, knowing the road now before them is long and painful, and their questions may remain unanswered. We pray for Boston, and for West, Texas: their trauma will take time to heal.
May we draw from the events of this week a reminder to hold our beloved family and friends close to us; to stretch our hands out to our neighbors; to let our compassionate gaze softly meet a stranger’s; to acknowledge the suffering we pass on the street.
Love for what is good in this world must guide us, even amidst the shock and dismay that course through us. This is what we need – love and compassion when things go horribly wrong.
May we find the strength to stretch ourselves in these trying times: to practice love every moment and with every person we can manage because our love matters. Amen.
Spirit of Life, God, Divine Universe:
We are grateful to be here this morning, amongst those who share this faith, the faith which gives us spiritual sustenance in a topsy-turvy world; helps us make sense of pain and suffering; reminds us to welcome grace and to be grateful for the smallest things; opens our hearts to mystery, to the beauty of Earth.
We mourn for those who have gone before us, those whose lives were cut short, and those who led a full life. We mourn for those who have suffered the ultimate cost, caught in a place of war, bewildered by how quickly their lives have fallen apart: from peace to destruction and death.
May we feed a desire in our soul, unquenchable, to be some small part of moving this world toward love.
May we clasp our beloved and our children and grandchildren just that one second longer.
May we dare to ask a person whom we do not know how their week was, and answer the question, “How are you?” with authenticity, witnessing each other’s lives.
May we stop to say “thank you” to the check-out clerk at the grocery store, to smile into the eyes of the coffee barista, pull our neighbors’ garbage cans up their drive anonymously, listen to a soldier’s story.
Each of these moments strengthens our interdependent web of life, strengthens our ability to lean into love when it is not easy, encourages others to join us in living a compassionate life.
May we send our love to all the corners of the world, to those suffering from violence and war, and to those places trying to recover from the cost of war.
Amen.
Out Loud 