Oh, Holy One,
As the waters have washed over the lands of our neighbors,
We are awash in sadness.
As we have honored that which is divine in nature
And have held true in the face of great storms in our own home,
We now sorrow with loved ones,
Faces and families we have known and have not known.
We ache for the little children and for the aged
Who are now, unpredictably, gone from this earth.
Your Wisdom is great,
Yet we do not understand.
Your Love is Mighty,
Yet, like the Psalmist, we grieve those whose lives have been lost.
And we ask,
“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
( Psalm 90:12)
Spirit of Life and of Love,
Give us faith in this time of fear,
Give us hope in this time of sorrow.
While we have not the understanding,
Let us find promise, then,
In the knowing that after every sunset,
A star shines in nightfall and a morning will dawn,
That after every winter, the warmth of summer will follow.
Let us gather in trust, then,
That once again we shall see a sunrise
That once again we can make sense of the world
And that once again,
Faith will lead us
With steps as sure as those of Jesus
To that place where life and hope are interwoven
And all hearts
Attune to the beat of love.
Let us be blessed.
Amen.
