Our Lord said
“Let the little children come unto me.”
But not this soon. Not like this.
We pray for the twenty children
who lost their lives in that horrific shooting
at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
We pray for their parents and grandparents,
their brothers and sisters,
their teachers,
their classmates,
their friends.
We pray for the principal
and seven other adults who lost their lives today.
We pray for all of their families.
We pray for everyone who was working
or volunteering at the school today.
We pray for the deeply troubled man
who did this unspeakable act
and it appears took his own life.
We pray for the entire community
of Newtown, Connecticut.
In this time of darkness and indescribable loss,
we come to you Lord
with our sorrow and our prayer for comfort and hope.
Please be with all those who at this moment
are lost themselves, unable to fathom
“how,” “why,” and “what now?”
More than ever,
remind us of your Advent promise
that the light — your light –
shines in the darkness,
and the darkness did not overcome it.
In the peace and power
of our Lord and Savior,
Amen