Holy One,
Giver of life,
Healer of our hearts,
Healer of this world,

We gather together in grief over the eleven people who were killed at the Tree of Life Synagogue, and over the pain and loss their families and communities are suffering; grief over the lies and hatred that seem rampant in our country and the gun violence that is out of control.

We gather together in fear that our community might also be targets of violence: our places of worship, our children’s schools, our workplaces, our public spaces; fear that the voices of hate are too loud, the forces of violence too strong.

We gather together in hope that the love we have and the peace we long for will be enough—enough to protect our children, enough to shift our communities and change our world; hope that those who deal in fear and dwell in hate will see our witness and know they have failed.

We gather together in a commitment to live our lives toward truth, toward courage, toward justice, and toward love; commitment to love our neighbors as ourselves which means we will be kind and gentle and helpful, yes; and also that we will hold power accountable whenever it dares to serve itself rather than caring for the vulnerable among us.

We gather together in gratitude for the values we share, the vision we work toward, the power you give.

God, our gathering this evening is a living prayer. A prayer that we might know your presence, your peace, your comfort. A prayer that we might be empowered to live out your love and justice in this world.

Holy One,
Give us life.
Heal our hearts.
Heal this world.
Amen.

This prayer was offered November 1, 2018, at the Lawrence, KS, Interfaith Vigil in response to the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue.