Heartbroken. Again.


No man is an island entire of itself;
every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less. . . . 
Any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind. –John Donne


It happened again.

Friday, March 15, a terrorist entered a house of worship, bent on causing death and destruction. This time, the house of worship was a mosque. It was in Christchurch, New Zealand. And this terrorist killed forty-nine people as they came to pray and worship Allah.

Again, the world is in shock. And again, God weeps.

If anything good comes of this in the immediate aftermath, it is that for now, at least, we come together as the Kingdom Paul describes in Galatians 3, a Kingdom where there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, nor male nor female. All those who are descended of Abraham are together as children of the Most High, by whatever name we worship him.

Every time there is a tragedy like this, the world’s borders become smudged. But every time, as water flows under the bridge, slowly but surely the borders return; we again focus on that which divides us rather than that which we share in common. Every time, we pray it doesn’t happen again.

Lord God, we come before the throne of grace again, in fervent prayer that this time will be different. Bind us together with cords of Love and grace. Amen.


Monday Begin your week in silence. Listen both to your heart and for the voice of the Lord. But don’t stop with prayer. Take action. John 10:10

Tuesday Today, pray for your neighbors, by name if you can. If you don’t know their names, go out and introduce yourself. Reach out. Proverbs 25:18

Wednesday Pray for your community, and for the community of your friends or family nearby. Contact someone you’ve been thinking about. 1 Corinthians 10:12

Thursday As our cities grow and change, pray for those leading the way. Reach out to your senator and representatives. Listen for their heart. Romans 2-3

Friday Pray for the leaders of the world, including our own president. Pray for a deeper understanding of God’s will. Luke 16:13

Saturday As you pray today for yourself, look deep. Are there biases in your heart that you try to pretend aren’t there? Confess before God and allow God to change your heart. It may be harder than you expect. Rest in grace. Mark 12:28-31

Sunday We work hard at welcoming everyone, because we believe they belong to God (just like us). Celebrate the diversity of the Family of God. Matthew 25:35-36

Therefore, do not send to know for whom the bell tolls.
It tolls for thee. –John Donne

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