Gracious God, our help in ages past and our hope for years to come. As we gather together in your presence, help us to lament the past:
Let us weep for the innocent who lost their lives
Let us remember those who offered their lives in service
Let us be sorrowful for those who brought about destruction and war in the name of God
Father, in your mercy, hear our prayer
In your grace, transform our laments of the past into hope for the future
In the words of Isaiah: I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations . . .
For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord,
who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 42: 6; 54:10).
Holy Father, as we lament the past and hope for the future, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us. Fill us with your presence so that wounds of sorrow, anger, and despair, may be transformed in love, compassion, and peace. As people transformed by the Spirit, in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ, let us pray together saying:
Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us
Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.