I think that the world has gone mad. June 18, 2016 Kevin E. Dayhoff
I have struggled for the past week to arrive at the words
that may adequately express a sense of horror and loss as a result of the
horrific mass killings at the LGBT nightclub, Pulse, in Orlando, Florida in the
early morning hours of Sunday, June 12, 2016.
I immediately sat at the computer to try and gather my
thoughts. That is how writers sort things out, I guess.
After a considerable length of time in which I successfully
stared-down the computer screen and listened to Amy Lee and Evanescence, and Plumb
at a level where the computer warned it was damaging my ears, the computer
abruptly crashed. I gave-up and went to bed.
This comes just after the news on June 7, 2016, that a
Stanford star-athlete, Brock Turner, had been given a slap on the wrist for a
ruthless attack on a woman on Jan. 17, 2015. His Dad rubbed salt in the wound
by writing a callous and offensive appeal for leniency for his son. It was all
too surreal.
Then, after the terrible news that MP Jo Cox had been killed
in the streets of her constituency by a deranged attacker and reading the
statement of her husband, I decided to sit at the keyboard again.
As I search for more pertinent details, as only an OCD
newspaper reporter would do at a time like this; I came across a wonderful set
of words on the website, “Think Christian” -
https://thinkchristian.reframemedia.com/a-prayer-for-orlando
I really-really hope that at time like this, “Think Christian” does not mind me
reprinting it. I think this prayer says it better than anything I might come up
for the moment.
I might carry it around with me – if I edit it for length, I
might have opportunity to use it…
“Think Christian” said in an editor’s note: This prayer was originally published by the
Christian Reformed Church’s Office of Social Justice, a sister ministry of
Think Christian, in response to the June 12 shooting in Orlando, Fla. Our hope
is that it encourages both prayerful lament and prayerful action.
God of comfort, we
lift our prayers to you.
We lift prayers for
the families, friends, and partners of the victims, for all of those who are
grieving.
For the questions
which have no answers, we pray.
For those who wring
their hands, bring dishes of food, struggle to express their condolences, we
pray.
For pastors who plan
funerals and stand at hospital beds, we pray.
For those who are
estranged from a loved one because of sexual orientation, and who today feel
grief and loneliness, we pray.
For those who feel
fresh grief because someone they love was also a victim of gun violence, we
pray.
We lift prayers for
the LGBTQ+ community.
Protect them from
harm.
Heal them from trauma.
Lead them to places of
hospitality and safety.
We lift prayers for
the Muslim community.
Shield them from
fallout.
Call Christians to
reach out in mutuality and solidarity.
May the stories of the
many Muslims who have responded in love, help, and hospitality be told often,
and publicly.
We lift prayers for
lawmakers.
Give them wisdom as
they craft their public statements, which have an impact on real people’s
lives.
Give them wisdom as
they consider policy implications, which will always make some furious and
others gratified.
Give them wisdom as
they accept donations to their campaigns, as they align with interests, as they
reach across the aisle and compromise.
Work through politics
to build your kingdom, Lord.
We lift prayers for
your church, which includes each one of us. May your church speak the words of
Christ — of healing, hope, repentance, and good news.
We are a people who
believe in resurrection. As we walk through the valley of the shadow of death
in times such as these, may we see and be signs of kingdom hope. We long for
the day when death will be no more.
