Friday, May 17, 2022
The Rev. Anne Williamson
Make us Instruments of Your Peace
Dear Friends,
I am writing to you, again, to join me, again, to pray, again, in the wake of another horrific tragedy of gun violence. Please join me Friday evening on Zoom to pray a Litany in the Aftermath of Gun Violence – the link is below.
My heart is heavy as I write this reflection but together, I believe we can make a difference. I believe that, as the African proverb goes, when you pray move your feet – we need to pray and write letters and show up to say that the children (and the adults) in our country should be able to go to school, to the store or to church in safety. Please join me to pray this Friday at 7:30pm, and again next Saturday, June 4 at the ‘Wear Orange – National Gun Violence Awareness’ event in Portsmouth. We will gather in the parking lot at Prescott Park directly adjacent to the Memorial Bridge at 7:30pm for an event of remembrance and hope which seeks to raise awareness of gun violence, promote gun safety and support legislation to reduce gun violence.
There is a great heaviness in this moment, of heartache and grief. I offer to you a reminder of who we are and whose we are in times of joy and sorrow – we are the Beloved. I leave you with the SJC verse for 2022:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Blessings,
Anne
A Litany in the Aftermath of Gun Violence
Giver of Life and Love, you created all people as one family and called us to live together in peace. Surround us with your love as we face again the tragedy of gun violence.
For all who were killed in Uvalde, including those who died protecting
others, those who were wounded and hospitalized, the traumatized, grieving survivors, and those known to you alone, Loving God
Make us instruments of your peace.
God of Righteousness, you have granted our leaders, especially Joseph, our President, our Governors, the members of Congress and of our courts and legislatures, power and responsibility to protect us, and to uphold our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Strengthen their devotion to our common life and give them clarity of purpose.
For all who bear such responsibility, for all who struggle to discern what is right in the face of powerful political forces, Loving God
Make us instruments of your peace.
God of Compassion, we give you thanks for first responders: all those whose duties bring them to the streets, the schools, the stores, the places of worship and the homes where the carnage of gun violence takes place every day. Give them courage and sound judgment in the heat of the moment and grant them compassion for the victims.
For our brothers and sisters who risk their lives and serenity as they rush to our aid, Loving God
Make us instruments of your peace.
Merciful God, bind up the wounds of all who suffer from gun violence, those maimed and disfigured, those left alone and grieving, and those who struggle to get through one more day. Bless them with your presence and help them find hope.
For all whose lives are forever changed and broken by the scourge of gun violence, Loving God
Make us instruments of your peace.
God of Repentance and Forgiveness, we hold before you the one who fired the weapon and seek your grace for transformation. We cannot forgive - not yet - but we trust in your power to make all things new.
For those who from malice or illness are the instruments of violence and death, Loving God
Make us instruments of your peace.
God Who Remembers, may we not forget those who have died in the gun violence that we have allowed to become routine. Receive them into your heart and comfort us with your promise of eternal love and care.
For all who have died, those who die today, and those who will die tomorrow, Loving God
Make us instruments of your peace.
God of Tender Mercy, be with those who are overwhelmed, enraged, frustrated and demoralized by the plague of gun violence. Give them a sense of your presence and nurture in us all the seed of hope.
For those whose hope for life in this world is shattered and broken, Loving God
Make us instruments of your peace.
God of Justice, help us, your people, find our voice. Turn us from the worship of power. Give us courage to confront our false gods and to protest the needless deaths caused by gun violence. Help us rise above our dread that nothing can be done and grant us the conviction to advocate for change.
For your dream of a world where children are safe and all of us live together without fear, Loving God
Make us instruments of your peace.
All this we pray in the name of the One who offered his life so that we might live, Jesus the Christ. Amen
Revised by the author, the Rt. Rev. Stephen T. Lane, Episcopal Bishop of Maine, 2.28.18 Permission is granted to amend or adjust as necessary
Amended by The Rev. Anne C. Williamson, St. John’s Episcopal Church,
Portsmouth, NH 5.26.22
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86427027237?pwd=VDVMU25mWnZuYVNxQ2ZsS2ViaVgzQT09
Meeting ID: 864 2702 7237
Passcode: 161224