Gracious God
Confronted by images of conflict,
Communities needlessly shattered,
And lives thoughtlessly destroyed,
Our hearts ache within us;
Our minds are troubled and angry;
We yearn for a world that is different;
We long for peace.

Yet if it were not so,
We would be less than the people
You have called us to be.
Even our pain and despair,
Grants us the opportunity
To glimpse your heart of compassion,
And embrace your likeness within.

So may our hearts find stillness
In knowing that you are God
Yet be restless for a world
That is free from the forces of human oppression,
And the violence and pain that they needlessly inflict.