Forwarding this prayer after Las Vegas from the pastor of our church. Our great niece goes to college there but fortunately was not at the concert but could see the police commotion and lights from her dorm room. Now, more talk about gun control...deja vu all over again... <div>Ellie elliestock@aol.com <div id="AOLMsgPart_2_f69bb959-b50e-4a74-8c02-2296762947d1"> <style scoped="">#AOLMsgPart_2_f69bb959-b50e-4a74-8c02-2296762947d1 td{color: black;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}@font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}.aolReplacedBody p.aolmail_MsoNormal,.aolReplacedBody li.aolmail_MsoNormal,.aolReplacedBody div.aolmail_MsoNormal {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}.aolReplacedBody a:link,.aolReplacedBody span.aolmail_MsoHyperlink {mso-style-priority:99; color:#0563C1; text-decoration:underline;}.aolReplacedBody a:visited,.aolReplacedBody span.aolmail_MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-priority:99; color:#954F72; text-decoration:underline;}.aolReplacedBody p.aolmail_msonormal0,.aolReplacedBody li.aolmail_msonormal0,.aolReplacedBody div.aolmail_msonormal0 {mso-style-name:msonormal; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}.aolReplacedBody span.aolmail_EmailStyle18 {mso-style-type:personal; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif; color:windowtext; font-weight:normal; font-style:normal; text-decoration:none none;}.aolReplacedBody span.aolmail_EmailStyle20 {mso-style-type:personal-reply; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; color:windowtext;}.aolReplacedBody .aolmail_MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; font-size:10.0pt;}@page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}.aolReplacedBody div.aolmail_WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;}</style><div lang="EN-US" class="aolReplacedBody"> <div class="aolmail_WordSection1"> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">God of Pain and God of Promise:</span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Once again we are stunned by the cruelty and ugliness of gun violence.</span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Once again our national obsession with guns has led to excruciating pain and death.</span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Once again we feel broken and helpless and so very, very sad.</span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Holy One, come to each of us – and give us clarity and compassion.</span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Wrap your arms around grieving families and terrified victims, and traumatized first responders.</span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Forgive us for failing to stop this madness.</span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Forgive us for putting individual rights above community wholeness.</span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Forgive us for our silence in the face of evil.</span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Remind us of your promise to never forsake us.</span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">And renew our promises to be agents of reconciliation and healing in this world.</span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">We pray in the name of the One who endured pain and transformed pain into energy for change. Amen</span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN" style="color:blue">The Rev. Susan R. Andrews</span></b></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN" style="color:blue">Interim Pastor</span></b></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN" style="color:blue">Second Presbyterian Church</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"></span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN" style="color:blue"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="mailto:Ipastor2PC@secondchurch.net"><span style="font-weight:normal"></span></a><a href="mailto:Ipastor2PC@secondchurch.net">Ipastor2PC@secondchurch.net</a></span></b></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN" style="color:blue">Serving Others. Changing Lives</span></i><span lang="EN" style="color:blue"></span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN" style="color:blue"></span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="color:blue">4501 Westminster Place</span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="color:blue">Saint Louis, MO.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"></span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="color:blue">314-367-0366</span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="color:blue"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.secondchurch.net/"><span style="color:blue"></span></a><a href="http://www.secondchurch.net" target="_blank">www.secondchurch.net</a></span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="color:blue"> </span></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"><b> </b></p> <p class="aolmail_MsoNormal"> </p> </div> </div> </div></div>