God of grace and God of mercy, be among us.
So much evil is done in your name, O God. So much that is not favorable in your sight is done in your name. We know that you are love; we know you loathe the ugliness humans create.
God of grace and God of mercy, be among us.
Be among the horrors of ethnic cleansing caused by the Islamist State in Iraq. Be among the children as they starve and women as they are sold and the dead as they are buried under rocks. Be among the victims of exile: Shabaks, Turkmens, Yazidis, Christians, Shiites, and Sunnis.
God of grace and God of mercy, be among us.
Be among the increasing tensions between Russia and the United States, European Union, and Australia. Be among Russian citizens as their government imposes a food ban that may affect their access to meat, milk, and produce.
God of grace and God of mercy, be among us.
Be among the potential cease fire agreements formed between Israel and Gaza. Be among the 1,875 killed in Gaza, of which the United Nations claims at least 85% are civilian and 415 were children. Be among the 64 Israeli soldiers and 3 civilians killed in Israel. Be among those who grieve them.
God of grace and God of mercy, be among us.
Be among the conversations between US President Obama and 40 African leaders at their summit in Washington, DC. Be among the Ebola virus outbreak in Western Africa: the victims, their health care providers, their transporters, and their families.
God of grace and God of mercy, be among us.
As we see in communities near and far that “different” can lead to death, be among us. As we see streets crowded with those whose homes and places of worship and hospitals and families have been destroyed, be among us.
God of grace and God of mercy, be among us. Bring us peace.
Amen.
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