A Prayer for Thursday, May 15, 2014

Twenty-Sixth Day of Easter

O God,

There is so much death around us.

Some of it comes
in the natural course of things—
someone lives a good long life
and then it is enough
and so they die.

Thank you for such deaths.

Some of it comes
in ways that seem to us out of order—
someone dies young or unexpectedly or tragically.

Thank you for the ways you help us
to live on in the wake of such deaths.

Some of it comes
as the result of cruel conditions or cruel choices or both—
children die from malnutrition and disease
because of famine or war
and because we who could help don’t
or people suffer
because of misguided and misapplied political or religious beliefs.

Thank you that there are ways we can help
bring life to bear in the midst of such death
if we are willing to give ourselves up—
if we are willing to take on pain and death that others might live.

There is so much death around us.
But there is so much life within us.

Give us grace and strength to share it,
no matter what it costs us.

Amen.