Prayer For Gun Violence
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we come to you burdened and grieved
by the evil and destruction of gun violence,
entrusting to your mercy
each victim of this horrific crime.
Father of mercies and God of all consolation,
who console us in our every affliction,
comfort the families and friends of each victim,
give solace to grieving communities,
and bring peace to anxious hearts.
O God, who show a father's care for all,
pour out your gracious blessing
on police, medical personnel, leaders,
and all who are your ministers of mercy,
bringing them healing and peace in the face of this tragedy.
O God of peace, who are peace itself
and whom a spirit of discord cannot grasp,
nor a violent mind receive,
grant to those who are tempted to commit these acts
repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,
so that they may return to their senses
and escape the snare of the devil,
entrapped by him, for his will.
O God, author and lover of peace,
defend against every attack those who cry to you,
so that all who trust in your protection
may not fear the weapons of any foe.
O God, merciful and strong,
be pleased to banish violence swiftly from our midst
and to wipe away all tears,
so that we may all truly deserve to be called your children.
God of the slain,
God of the murdered and the victim,
The voice of lamentation echoes across the land.
Wailing beside graves opened too soon,
Weeping beside stains of blood
From the dead and the injured
Pouring forth from bullet wounds:
The child shot,
The suicide,
The domestic assault,
The gang violence,
The mass murder,
The long night of death made easy by guns
And automatic weapons.
The long night of sorrow made easy
By reckless access to machines of slaughter.
Source of justice,
Rock of strength and truth,
You call upon us to stand
In the name of common sense and reason:
To witness on behalf of the innocent and the cut down
The widowed, orphaned and bereaved
To answer the scourge of senseless loss,
To advocate for gun control,
To remove military weapons from a civilian population,
To return sanity to our laws, our policies and our lives.
Bless those who dedicate themselves to gun control.
Grant them fortitude and perseverance.
May the work of their hands never falter
Nor despair deter them from their holy calling.
Bless those who are mourning the dead.
Grant them solace and comfort.
Bless those who are healing from the trauma of gun violence.
Grant them lives of health and prosperity,
Joy and peace.
Blessed are You, God of All Being,
Who summons us to choose life,
First, choose life,
Above all,
Choose life.
Priest:
Beloved friends, in this season of repentance and healing, we accept God's
invitation to be ever-mindful of the needs of others, offering our prayers on behalf of
God's community in the church and the world.
Intercessor:
Giver of Life and Love, you created all people as one family and called us to live together in harmony and peace. Surround us with your love as we once again face the challenges and tragedies of gun violence. For our
dear ones, for our neighbors, for strangers, and those known to you alone, Loving God, Make us instruments of your peace.
God of Righteousness, you have given our leaders, especially Donald, our President, the members of Congress, the judges of our courts and members of our legislatures, power and responsibility to protect us. For all who bear such responsibility, for all who struggle to discern what is right in the face of powerful political forces, Loving God, Make us instruments of your peace.
God of Compassion, we give you thanks for first responders, for police officers, firefighters and EMTs, and all those whose duties bring them to the streets, the malls, the schools, the churches, and the homes where the carnage of gun violence takes place day after day. For our brothers and sisters who risk their lives and their serenity as they rush to our aid, Loving God, Make us instruments of your peace.
Merciful God, bind up the wounds of all who suffer from gun violence, those maimed and disfigured, those left alone and grieving, and those who struggle to get through one more day. Bless them with your presence and help them find hope. For all whose lives are forever marked by the scourge of gun violence, Loving God, Make us instruments of your peace.
God of Resurrection, may we not forget those who have died in the gun violence that we have allowed to become routine. Receive them into your heart and comfort us with your promise of eternal love and care. For all who have died at the shooting in Parkland, Florida, those who die today, and those who will die tomorrow, Loving God, Make us instruments of your peace.
God of Justice, help us, your church, find our voice. Empower us to change this broken world and to protest the needless deaths caused by gun violence. Give us power to rise above our fear that nothing can be done and grant us the conviction to advocate for change. For your dream of love and harmony, Loving God, Make us instruments of your peace.
Celebrant: O God, hear the prayers of your faithful people. Show us how to live in the spirit of our baptism, even when we are led into wild and hard places. Work through our confusion and doubt, and give us strength to resist the ways of the tempter. Amen.
Merciful Lord, we come to you heavy hearted, for we have heard the cries of the slain calling to us from the ground. We come remembering all the lives lost to the weapons of war that have flooded our communities. We come reminded of the many bodies locked in jails and prisons all across this country. And we ask for your mercy.
Although we find ourselves in a broken world a world in which hurting people hurt other people, it is no mystery that you are a God capable of healing our world through justice and fairness. Your own revelation has shown us that you stand firmly with those people whose backs are against the wall. Your own life demonstrates how you came from heaven to earth to redeem creation, our communities and our own lives. So we ask for this same redemptive power to be unleashed among us as it was on the day of Pentecost. May we be empowered by your Spirit to reverse the conditions that produce young men and women who are driven to resort to violence and destructive behavior in their fight to stay alive and struggle to remain free.
We know that you have no pleasure in the death of anyone, so we boldly come to the throne of grace today dear Lord, seeking your wisdom as we create strategies that provide pathways and lifelines to hope and healing. Help us to remember we are all your children, created in your image, and we are connected by a single garment of mutuality and destiny. Cause us to never forget how our needs are the same and our calling to address these needs are the same. Reveal to us Lord, that the pain felt in Newtown is the same pain felt in Chicago. The tears shed in Oak Creek are the same tears shed in Oakland. The lives lost in Tucson are the same lives lost in Camden. The children being buried in Aurora are the same children being buried in Detroit.
We cry out to you, heal our souls from this scourge of violence. Endow us with the courage to step down from the pulpits and out from behind our desks to seek the peace of the city. In the coming days and weeks as our leaders debate solutions, Lord we ask that you grant us the voice to speak truth power and demonstrate sacrificial compassion to the hurting.
Teach us your ways, O God. Bless us with the wisdom and strength to put down our swords and be peacemakers. Use us, work through us and, if necessary, work in spite of us to mend our nation's brokenness.
We thank you for your protecting embrace and unfailing love.
All of these requests we bring to you, in the name of Jesus the Christ we pray.
Amen.
Almighty God,
I come before you,
once again,
after another shooting.
I am sad, God.
So I 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
I pray too for the shooter, as I must as a Christian.
All this makes me inexpressibly sad, God.
But I know that the sadness I feel is your sadness.
It is the same sadness your son expressed
when he wept over the death of
his friend Lazarus.
I know that the sadness I feel is your sadness.
I am tired, God.
I'm tired of the unwillingness to see this as an important issue.
I'm tired of those in power who work to prevent any real change.
I'm tired of those who say that gun violence can't be reduced.
All this makes me tired.
But I know that the tiredness I 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.
I am angry, God.
I'm angry at the seeming powerlessness of our community to prevent this.
I'm angry at the selfish financial interests who block change.
I'm angry that these shootings happen at all.
But I 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.
Help me see in these feelings as the way that you move me to act.
Help me see in these emotions your own desire for change.
Help me see in these feelings your moving me to act.
Help me see in these reactions your pushing me to do something.
Because I know this is the way you move people to action.
And I know that you desire action.
For Jesus did not stand by while people were being hurt.
He plunged into their lives.
So help me to answer these questions:
How can I help?
How can I fight against gun violence?
How can I urge my political leaders to enact change?
How can I help people understand that this is
an issue about life?
I am 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.
Turn my sadness into compassion. Turn my tiredness into advocacy.
So
Turn my sadness into compassion.
Turn my tiredness into advocacy.
Turn my paralysis into the freedom to act.
Help me
to be compassionate,
to advocate
and to act,
as your son did,
Almighty God.
Loving God, another mass shooting has harmed or taken the lives of several innocent
people.
We pray that all people will realize the profound impact gun violence has.
Help us to be peaceful and diplomatic in times of trouble.
Guide us towards peace, and away from violence.
Help us to avoid partaking in any evil or illegal acts.
Allow us to solve all of our problems in a constructive way rather than resort to
destruction.
Let us also pray for the countless victims of gun violence.
Help them to feel comforted in a world that seems like it is full of evil.
Motivate all people in a position to help the victims of gun violence, such as rescue workers, to
do as much as they can to help.
Lastly, let us pray for our governments, world leaders, and authority figures,
Let them do all they reasonably can to prevent more violent acts, such as the mass shooting in
Northern California.
Inspire them to do all they can in an effort to reduce gun violence.
Lord, teach us to value all life.
Let us abandon all of our violent ways, and become advocates for peace.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, the great teacher.
Amen
Giver of Life and Love, you created all people as one family and called us to live together in harmony and
peace. Surround us with your love as we face the challenges and tragedies of gun violence.
For our dear ones, for our neighbors, for strangers and aliens, and those known to you alone, Loving God,
Make us instruments of your peace.
God of Righteousness, you have given our leaders our President, the members of Congress, the judges of
our courts and members of our legislatures, power and responsibility to protect us and to uphold our right to
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
For all who bear such responsibility, for all who struggle to discern what is right in the face of powerful
political forces, Loving God,
Make us instruments of your peace.
God of Compassion, we give you thanks for first responders, for police officers, firefighters and EMTs, and
all those whose duties bring them to the streets, the lobbies, the malls and the homes where the carnage of
gun violence takes place day after day. Give them courage and sound judgment in the heat of the moment
and grant them compassion for the victims.
For our brothers and sisters who risk their lives and their serenity as they rush to our aid, Loving God,
Make us instruments of your peace.
Merciful God, bind up the wounds of all who suffer from gun violence, those maimed and disfigured, those
left alone and grieving, and those who struggle to get through one more day. Bless them with your presence
and help them find hope.
For all whose lives are forever marked by the scourge of gun violence, Loving God,
Make us instruments of your peace.
God Who Remembers, may we not forget those who have died in the gun violence that we have allowed to
become routine. Receive them into your heart and comfort us with your promise of eternal love and care.
For all who have died, those who die today, and those who will die tomorrow, Loving God,
Make us instruments of your peace.
God of Justice, help us, your church, find our voice. Empower us to change this broken world and to protest
the needless deaths caused by gun violence. Give us power to rise above our fear that nothing can be done
and grant us the conviction to advocate for change.
For your dream of love and harmony, Loving God,
Make us instruments of your peace.
All this we pray in the name of the One who offered his life so that we might live, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Let us lament with all those who are touched by gun violence
Let us lament the shooter's choice for violence
Let us lament laws that allow violent men easy access to guns
Let us lament our politicians' unwillingness to work for change
Let us lament with the hearts broken by loss today
Let us lament all the lives cut short today
Let us lament, O God, and then let us rise from our knees to work for change
In the name of Christ, the prince of peace. Amen.