“I encourage all of us in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to join together across faith lines in this time of collective mourning,” Eaton said. “This weekend our Jewish neighbors will remember God’s covenant, our Muslim neighbors will recall the reception of the Quran, and as Christians we will celebrate the power of the Holy Spirit present among us. ….. We join together in prayer for the healing of this nation, and for the world that God so loves.”
                                                                              Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton

“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”—Matthew 2:18

Trusting in the mercy of God, let us confess our sin.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Reconciling God,
we confess that we do not trust your abundance, and we deny your presence in our lives.
We place our hope in ourselves and rely on our own efforts. We fail to believe that you provide enough for all. We abuse your good creation for our own benefit. We fear difference and do not welcome others as you have welcomed us. We sin in thought, word, and deed. By your grace, forgive us; through your love, renew us; and in your Spirit, lead us; so that we may live and serve you in newness of life. Amen.

Beloved of God, by the radical abundance of divine mercy we have peace with God through ☩ Christ Jesus, through whom we have obtained grace upon grace. Our sins are forgiven.

Let us live now in hope. For hope does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

Amen.