Prayer in Response to the El Paso and Dayton Shootings

God of Compassion and mercy,

we are nearly speechless in the wake of two mass shootings in twenty-four hours.

While we pray for El Paso,

            where twenty were killed and over two dozen wounded,

and Dayton, in our own state of Ohio,

            where nine were killed and more than another two dozen wounded,

it seems like holding those communities in our thoughts and prayers demands too little from us.

Help us to search our own hearts and souls,

and to reflect on our culture’s addiction to guns and gun violence,

and to dedicate ourselves to bringing an end to this senseless carnage.

Amen.

I wrote this Prayer Sunday morning, August 5, 2019 for use as one of the petitions in the Prayers of the People at the Richmond United Presbyterian Church, Richmond, Ohio, where I serve as Interim Pastor.