A Prayer
15/12/12 04:52
Oh God,
The prayers we say at funeral include the line, “Your thoughts are not our thoughts and your ways are not our ways.” Today, however, we have a bit of a sense of how you have felt.
We think we might know what it must have been like for you when Pharaoh killed the sons of the children of Israel and the wailing reached from the camps of the captives up to heaven.
We think we might have a sense of how hard it was for you to listen when the hard-heartedness of Pharaoh caused the death of the firstborns and there was wailing and gnashing of teeth.
We think we might know a bit of how you felt when you had to witness Herod’s killing of the infants.
We might even sense what it must have been for you to witness the crucifixion of your son.
Because we are weeping for the children today.
We are crying out for the innocents.
We are trying to make sense of the senseless, straining to understand the unfathomable.
On this grim day when there are no words for our prayers, we are grateful that we are not the only ones praying. In our anguish, we thank you that we are not alone.
Oh dear God, be with the grieving parents and grandparents and sisters and brothers and friends. May they never forget your abiding presence especially in the depths of these dark days.
Inspire us to greater acts of love and compassion, even though just looking at your people must this day bring a tear to your eye.
We do not weep alone.
We know you are with the victims and their families.
Amen.
The prayers we say at funeral include the line, “Your thoughts are not our thoughts and your ways are not our ways.” Today, however, we have a bit of a sense of how you have felt.
We think we might know what it must have been like for you when Pharaoh killed the sons of the children of Israel and the wailing reached from the camps of the captives up to heaven.
We think we might have a sense of how hard it was for you to listen when the hard-heartedness of Pharaoh caused the death of the firstborns and there was wailing and gnashing of teeth.
We think we might know a bit of how you felt when you had to witness Herod’s killing of the infants.
We might even sense what it must have been for you to witness the crucifixion of your son.
Because we are weeping for the children today.
We are crying out for the innocents.
We are trying to make sense of the senseless, straining to understand the unfathomable.
On this grim day when there are no words for our prayers, we are grateful that we are not the only ones praying. In our anguish, we thank you that we are not alone.
Oh dear God, be with the grieving parents and grandparents and sisters and brothers and friends. May they never forget your abiding presence especially in the depths of these dark days.
Inspire us to greater acts of love and compassion, even though just looking at your people must this day bring a tear to your eye.
We do not weep alone.
We know you are with the victims and their families.
Amen.