Delivered at the opening of the UU Musicians’ Network Conference in Boston, August 5, 2008.
Spirit of life, visit us with your power.
Come to those who are still reeling from the trauma of violence in Knoxville, come to those who are feeling desperate and fearful, come to those of us who are newly aware of the fragility of life and the vulnerability of our beings.
We lift up in our midst the names of our brother and sister whose lives were lost to violence born of anger and alienation: Greg McKendry and Linda Kraeger. May their memories be a blessing to all who knew them, and may their nearest and dearest family and friends be held in the wide open embrace of love as they encounter the depths of their loss.
We send prayers of comfort and healing to those recovering physically from injuries sustained in the attack: Jack Barnhart, Linda Chavez, Tammy Sommers, Joe Barnhart, John Worth, Linda Barnhart and Allison Lee. May their loved ones and caregivers be held in care and sustained by the power of hope.
Spirit of life, spirit of creative possibility, spirit of unending love,
come to those who are living in fear and uncertainty, who have been directly shaken by the desperate acts of a man possessed by anger and despair. Let them feel the power of our love surrounding them, the strength of their own community upholding them, and the power of the living god moving in and among them. Lift them up, embrace them, infuse them with the breath of life that heals and endures.Let our hands, connected in this room, our arms aching to hold and comfort our family of faith in Knoxville, feel the source of life moving through them.
As we feel our own vulnerability, let us feel strengthened in community. May these roots indeed hold us close to the source of all, so that we might feel nourished by the compassion and the passion for life and for justice that are the source of our growth.
Let our wings set us free to soar and see the ways this tragedy among our own family of faith connects us with those around the world experiencing the violence born of desperation, a world where too many are forgotten. As we pray for our beloved kin in Knoxville, and let us also send our prayers to all those who feel lost or abandoned, whose lives have turned them toward violence as the only solution. Let Jim Adkisson be held in the midst of his pain, and on the path toward justice let there be healing. May love free us from the bonds of fear and help us honor the sacred spirit in each and all.
Let that great love that lifts us up, moves us forward, and gives us courage help us to find strength and solace in one another.
Amen.
