"Spirit of Life, Great Mystery from whom we come and to whom we shall return..."
Prayer for the Tragedy in Knoxville, Tennessee
River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Rev. Russ Savage
August 3, 2008
Spirit of Life, Great Mystery from whom we come and to whom we shall return, we join with countless others in offering up our prayers of sorrow and grief following the tragic shooting which took place last Sunday morning at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville. Be with all those who were affected by this event—all the members of both congregations who were sharing their service last Sunday, and especially the children who were present. May the scars which their spirits will bear for the rest of their lives because of this traumatic happening not be too heavy a burden for them, and may your steady presence help them to bear it throughout all the days ahead.
We give thanks for the bravery of church members John Bohstedt and Terry Uselton, who jumped on the gunman without regard for their own safety and surely prevented the tragedy from being much worse. We pray for those who were injured and hospitalized—Jack, Joe, Linda, and Tammy—that their recovery in both body and soul may be swift and complete. We give thanks for the bravery of usher Greg McKendry, who stood between the gunman and the children to protect them, and took a fatal shot himself. We pray for Linda Kraeger, who also died in the shooting. May their souls rest in eternal peace, and may your everlasting light shine upon them forever.
We pray as we must even for the soul of David Adkisson. Be present as only you can for this one of your children whose mind and heart are so twisted and who is in such pain that he would carry a shotgun into a house of worship and fire it at innocent worshipers while they watched children perform a play. May he receive earthly justice, and at the last, release from the demons which inhabit his mind and soul.
We pray at last, O God, for ourselves—not that we might understand this event, which is beyond our understanding, but that we might not allow it to cause us to lose hope. May we continue to work on behalf of the very kinds of persons and causes which the gunman said he hated, and may our work do its tiny bit to soften the presence of hatred in the world, and to substitute for it the force of love.
In our time of sorrow and grief, let us join together in a time of silent prayer….
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Last updated on Thursday, June 3, 2010.
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