Another act of brutal violence, more innocent people gunned down while gathered for worship, broadcast on social media, reported around the globe, followed by moans of lament, cries of pain and breast-beating pleas of “How, long, O, Lord?”
You, Holy Lord, command us: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On this day of grief and sorrow, we seek to love You, Lord, with all our heart, soul, mind and strength by loving our neighbors as ourselves. The greatest commandment and the one like unto it ripples through the universe beckoning us to embrace and care for those devastated and afraid. In a world awash in hate, punctuated by senseless killing, where white supremacist manifestos give way to the murder of our Muslim neighbors while praying in their mosques, we pledge to make our stand with those targeted due to their faith or country of origin or race. We pray the strength and faith to stand where we know Christ stands: with the vulnerable, the persecuted, the oppressed, those terrified to live and move and be simply because of who they are.
Help us, Lord, to strengthen the faint-hearted, support the weak, help the suffering, honor all people. Help us to comfort those who mourn, defy the evil run wild in our world and follow the One who came that all might have life, and life abundant. Use us to answer the question “How, long, O, Lord?” with actions that proclaim: Not one more moment. Amen.
