God, your children are warring again. Around the world, violence mars our relationships with each other. Churches in Sri Lanka cry out to you, wailing the names of their dead. A mosque in New Zealand warily eyes the repaired walls where bullet holes once gaped. A temple in Pittsburgh asks “Why us?”after 11 worshippers died at the hands of a hate-filled racist.
209 Sri Lankan Christians; The Al Noor and Linwood mosques; The Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh; the Oak Creek, Wis., Sikh temple; Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church in Charleston, S.C.; and the Overland Park Jewish Center in Kansas.
God, show us that this is not the work of religion against religion. Show us that this is not the result of tribal warfare. Reveal to us in clearest terms the truth of the hatred that we are tolerating, nurturing, and even encouraging. We would have peace, but first it must take root in our own hearts. Free us for joyful obedience in the Name of Christ. Amen.
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