Prayer following the shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, TN

Dear God,

Once again, we come to you with heavy hearts and aching souls. We lift up to you the victims of this recent school shooting in Nashville, as we continue to also pray for the families, friends and staff of Pittsburgh, East Lansing and communities impacted by gun violence. We ask for your comfort and healing to be with them during this difficult time.

Loving God, as we hear the news, see the faces and listen to the stories of fear, loss and disconsolation, we pray for your Comfort and your peace. May your Spirit once again move in the midst of this community devastated by this tragedy. May your grace embrace every family, school employee, first responders and especially the children from this school.

We pray that you provide words of hope and healing for the counselors and professionals who will be listening to and caring for those affected by this tragic event. For the leaders and siblings from the Presbyterian Church of America, as they provide care to this community, we pray for your guidance and presence.

Help us be your church to provide arms to embrace, ears to listen and a voice to advocate and affirm that, as a country, we need to do more than pray.

Give us the strength to proclaim your Kin-dom of peace, mercy and justice that Jesus lived and died for. In this time of lent, we ask for your Spirit to walk with us in this dessert of sadness and despair, as we reaffirm the words of your son Jesus; “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

May we all find rest in your grace and love.

In Christ name we pray. Amen.

-the Rev. Edwin González-Castillo