Father, with shattered hearts and tear-stained faces
We again grieve over the deadly violence of our land.
Our brokenness cannot bring back the dead,
And yet…we are broken.
We have turned away from you to do things our way,
And we have not honored you as God.
We have built our identities on shifting sand,
We have chased momentary, selfish pleasures,
And we have worshiped anything but our Creator.
You are the Redeemer,
But we have told you we will save ourselves.
You are the fountain of Living Water,
But we have sought freedom from you in the desert.
You are the Light of the World,
But we have pulled down the shades and walked in darkness.
You are the Resurrection and the Life,
But we have fashioned a culture of death.
We have not shown love, compassion, or kindness.
We have not been quick to forgive.
We have not done justice and mercy.
We have exaggerated the petty offenses of others,
Convinced ourselves that “we” are better than “them,”
Reduced our enemies to grotesque caricatures,
And then blamed them for everything we despise.
We have justified our unjustifiable anger,
Rationalized our bitterness,
And coddled hatred in our hearts,
Only to act surprised when these give birth to actual murder.
We have no one to blame but ourselves.
God, help us.
We have no right to cry to a God we’ve ignored,
But today we cry out anyway:
Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy.
Though we deserve nothing good from your hand,
For we have not been or done good,
We know the One who is – and who has.
So we humble ourselves and hope only in him.
Would you hear our cry because of Jesus?
Would you forgive our sins and heal our hearts;
Would you give mercy and grace because of your dear Son?
We look to you, Yahweh.
We wait for you.
Amen.