O God, in seasons of darkness you call us to seek illumination
and proclaim the brightness of hope.
We are renewed this night, O Lord.
We are renewed this night in our grief and sorrow,
at the recollection of precious lives ended at Sandy Hook,
and all the equally precious lives ended by gun violence
in the two years since that day.
We are renewed this night in our compassion
for those who lost loved ones that day,
and all those who endure the continuing grief of such loss.
We are renewed this night in our determination
to accompany our grief and compassion
with acts of courage to affect change –
to pray, to speak out, and to demand change
in the ways we structure our communities – socially and legally – such that this senseless slaughter of holy innocents is brought to an end.
And so, O Lord, renewed in our grief, our compassion, and our determination,
we pray that you would renew us also in our courage and in our hope.
Grant us the will and the audacity to demand from one another
and from our leaders that which we know you demand from us: righteousness, justice, and peace.
And, united with one another and empowered by your Spirit,
grant us the hope that righteousness is not beyond our grasp,
because with you, nothing is impossible.
In seasons of darkness, O God, you call us to seek illumination
and proclaim hope.
Renew us this night,
and make us a part of the brightness of your hope.
--The Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates