Holy One, Our Only Home; to the One I know as Jesus the Christ,

Hear the cry of your children in distress, and longing for your presence.

Today we mourn the death of innocent victims in the Tuscan, Arizona shooting. We pray for the healing of Gabrielle Giffords, we pray for everyone injured, we pray for the families of those who lost their lives. With you, we carry in our hearts the families, the neighborhood, Tuscan, and all of Arizona.

The body politic is rocked by this senseless tragedy. Give us courage to stand together with all of our members of Congress, all our public servants, and recognize the courage it takes to lead.

We give thanks for the ray of hope in all the actions of courage and help at the scene. We give thanks for intern Daniel Hernandez and his courageous presence and for his reminder that we each "just have to do what we can'. Give us wisdom to know what we can do.

We confess that we have been feeding anger, hatred, and division, as Rep. Grijalva has declared and we ask with him if this can be time for elected officials and leaders in this country that have been feeding that disease to realize that there are consequences to it. Hear our prayer of heart-breaking confession.

The body politic is threatened by the senseless tragedy in Tucson, Arizona. Life as a civil democracy seems rocked by this action. May this incident bring about "soul searching," as Sheriff Dupnik suggested. Lead us as a nation to be about the soul searching we need to redeem our calling.

Give us courage that we may offer some kind of redemption to this moment as we pledge ourselves to reject the language of 'enemy' and look to each other to hold each other, each, as a valued child of God. Give us courage as we pledge to look to each other to find the values we share. Give us courage as we look to each other for strong debate even as we hold to civil respect and regard.

The body politic, communities, and families are shaken. But we know Your heart breaks with ours. We know Your healing will grasp us. We know You walk with us. You hope in us. You act through us. And, together, we will not let the fear win. Together we will trust in Your promise. Together we will find a way to live in harmony. Your hope is more than any can destroy. Your will more than any can topple. Together, we will transcend and live into the promise of democracy. In your most holy name, Amen.