Lord, merciful and mighty. Today we again come to you with heavy hearts and questions of despair.
Sometimes, we take luxuries and protections in life for granted. Your loving presence we come to expect as the norm; as we also do the presence of law enforcement and first responders who dedicate their lives to serving and protecting others, chiefly strangers.
They willingly and ably make a daily commitment to keep us safe, and find ways to protect and serve us. As a result, they often put their lives in dangerous and precarious situations for no other reason than the fact that they are seeking to protect us.
This morning, as two more lives were lost serving, loving and protecting others, we pray.
We pray for peace so that conflicts and situations do not resort to violence.
We pray for help that others need and can seek and find in their life to know love more than they know vengeance and hatred.
We pray for the protectors everywhere and hope they find and can maintain a safe haven.
And we pray for the families and loved ones of the Orlando officer and the Orange County deputy who lost their lives in the line of duty this morning. We ask that you make your presence, your love, your compassion and your own grief known to them, so that they know they are not alone in their pain and suffering.
Amen.