A Prayer for Charleston

As we all mourn for brothers and sisters in Christ who were felled by the action of an evil, sick young man, and as we pray for their families, fellow church members, and the entire community of Charleston, South Carolina, here is a prayer suggested by the Anglican bishops of South Carolina for our use. One of the women who was killed at the Emmanuel A.M.E. Church on Wednesday night was Myra Thompson, the wife of the Reverend Anthony Thompson, the Vicar of Holy Trinity Reformed Episcopal Church, part of the Anglican Church in North America family. And all were our brothers and sisters in the family of the Body of Christ.

“O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples and races of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and those who are near:  Grant to those who have lost love ones your hope, comfort and peace; grant to those members of Emmanuel AME Church a sense of your presence; look with compassion on the whole human family here in Charleston and across our nation;  show us how to respond to one another’s hurt and suffering;  shed abroad your Spirit on those who have lost faith, hope and trust in You and one another; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that in your good time all peoples and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Amen