praying for virginia tech

i have lots of emotions and thoughts about the tragedy but i wanted to give folks, especially youth leaders, some tangible ways to pray through this horrific event. (see below)

and my prayer today...

jesus we need you
we need your peace and love

we need you to help us understand things
that cannot be understood

we need your help to be people of love

we need you to help us be people of peace

help us to love not hate
help us to bring compassion to those who feel left out
and misunderstood in our everyday lives

help us, heal us, we need you jesus. amen.

IDEAS FOR PRAYER:

Praying in Response to Virginia Tech Tragedy
Created by Lilly Lewin
April 17, 2007

1. PRAYING FOR HEALING : Praying for the wounded to be healed…physically, emotionally, spiritually.

Prayer for faculty and staff, students, family and friends of Virginia Tech and for families and friends of those who died to be comforted and healed of bitterness and fear.

Praying for our nation and our world, for healing from hatred, from isolation, from fear and for lack of compassion.

ACTION:  Pass out band aids and have participants put these on as a reminder to pray for those in pain from this event and to pray for healing for ourselves…for our lack of compassion and our fear, etc.

Be reminded that Jesus is a wounded savior…he still carries the scars of his crucifixion even post resurrection.

Matthew 5:3-5 (New International Version)
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, _      
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. _
Blessed are those who mourn, _      
for they will be comforted. _
Blessed are the meek, _      
for they will inherit the earth.

Romans 12:14-16 (New International Version)
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Romans 8: 14-16 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.[b] Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”c For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.

We have not been given a spirit of fear .

2. Praying for Restoration and Reconciliation.

Prayer for reconciliation on our own campuses and neighborhoods.

How do we treat one another?

How do we honor each other with our words, with our actions, with our writing (on line, my space, text msg, etc)

Are we showing compassion to those who don’t look or act like us?
How can we bring restoration and reconciliation to our own campuses and neighborhoods (work places, teams, etc)

ACTION:
Create a space for students/participants to write their prayers…
Their questions, their pain, their anger, the cries of their hearts…
Use butcher paper to create a Wailing wall on the wall or make a cross out of two larges pieces of butcher paper (brown wrapping paper works well) on the floor. You could also create a VT for Virginia Tech as your “wailing wall”

3. Making it Real: Praying for Outcasts.

The headlines say that the shooter was a loner, possibly he felt like an outcast.  Praying for , the “loners” in our own communities.

ACTION: Have each participant write down the name of an “outcast,” the marginalized, the loner in their school, in their workplace, in their neighborhood.  This can be written on an index card to carry with them, on a magnet to place in their lockers, on a toothbrush (with sharpie on the handle, pray as you brush) so they can continue to pray for this person in the days to come.

John 13:33-35 Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

GOING DEEPER:
Are you willing to befriend an outcast person?
Sit with them at lunch?
Say hello to them in the hall?
Choose to take up for them rather than to make fun of them?

4. Going Global:  PRAYING FOR PEACE.

There is a global problem of hate and an epidemic of killing around the world.  Young people are dying all over the world because of hatred, because of war, because of poverty and disease.

ACTION: USE A MAP OF THE WORLD AND THE USA pray for the countries and places around the world that need PEACE
Need healing from violence, hatred, etc. PLACE A tea light candle on the country you’re praying for the light of JESUS to be there. OR PLACE a neon post- it note on the country and write your prayers on the post-it.

Comments

[Jennifer]

Thank you so much for this, we will be using it on our youth retreat this weekend.

[bob c]

hi friend

the pastor at the church plant we are going to used all of your suggestions in his sermon last night

thnx for this great stuff

p.s. - the family & I are moving to Austin this summer

[dan Wilt]

Loving your heart, and posts and life from afar, Lily. Great friend Heidi Turner put me on to you and journey paths we apparently all share. Greetings from beautiful St. Stephen, New Brunswick.