A Response to Violence

In the aftermath of yesterday's terrorist attack in central London, the Rev. Dr. Sam Wells, the vicar of St. Martin in the Fields, wrote this Prayer for Peace in the Heart of London:

God of justice and mercy
your Son Jesus placed his body in the way of cruel and violent attack.
By your Holy Spirit come close to the hearts of those who work in Parliament,
to the souls of all who work to the protect the public,
and to the fears of any who visit central London to relax, discover, and enjoy.
Heal wounds, soften painful memories, calm anxieties.
Turn the minds of those who make terror their instrument,
that they may see the harm they do,
and come to share the horror the rest of the world feels.
Transform their hatred into dialogue, understanding, and reasoned disagreement.
Make this city a place where diversity is cherished and public space is secure,
that we may walk together in the ways of peace,
in the footsteps of your Son, our saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Read, pray these words.  As you do, reflect on how this is a cry to God for peace, not vengeance; hope, not despair; reconciliation, not violence.  Acknowledge how these desires may be challenge our more atavistic inclincations.  Give thanks that God has made has us better than that, that he has fashioned us to be beings in communion, not conflict, with one another.

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