Almighty God, we come to you this evening wrapped in sorrow, bearing broken hearts, rattled heads, and weary souls. Some of us can feel this latest invasion in our bones. You promised to hear those who pray in your Son's name, and we ask tonight that you would remember that promise. Mercifully turn your ear towards our prayers and supplications, such as they are, for Jesus Christ’s sake, our Hope and our Redeemer.

Lord, in Thy mercy.

Hear our prayer.

O God of Grace and Glory, we remember before you tonight Devin, Lavel, and D’Sean. We thank you for their lives, far too short though they may have been, for their many gifts and interests, for the joy and pride we see in pictures of their smiling faces, for the unique voices you gave each one of them. Our community has lost something precious, and we will not be the same. Welcome home, we pray, these sheep of your own fold, sinners of your redeeming. Receive them into your arms of mercy, the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light.

Lord, in Thy Mercy.

Hear our prayer.

Heavenly father, we ask you to comfort and console the families of Devin, Lavel and D’Sean. We pray for their friends as well, and all those who knew and loved these young men, both near and far. Grant them energy and forbearance in the days and years to come, supernatural compassion and courage as they face the tidal waves of sorrow. Pour out your grace on all those left behind; give them the space and permission to grieve this tremendous loss. Above all, bestow on them an extra measure of faith and the confidence that Devin, Lavel, and D’Sean have been joined with you in your Heavenly Kingdom.

Lord, in Thy Mercy. 

Hear our prayer.

Gracious God, the comfort of all who sorrow, the strength of all who suffer, enfold the UVA Community with your presence, this night and in the nights to come. Be a mast in the sudden storm that has come upon us. Let the cry of those in distress come to you, that we may find your mercy present in all our afflictions. We lift up the University of Virginia, its faculty and students, and all those tasked with picking up the pieces. We pray for the President and the Board of Visitors, for the many deans and administrators. In particular we ask that you would draw near to the UVA football team, the players, the coaches, the staff. We ask your special blessing on Tony Elliot as he seeks to shepherd the young men in his care through this atrocity. 

Lord, in Thy Mercy.

Hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father, we pray for Mike Hollins, in critical care across town, and ask that he would live, that you would heal him of his wounds and bring him back to his friends. We pray for the other injured person, and all those who rode on that bus and experienced firsthand the violation and terror of the shooting itself. Guide their paths, that they may find healing, and soon. We also pray for Christopher Jones, in custody this evening. We don’t know what to pray, but we trust you are a God of both justice and mercy, that you can handle that which we cannot, that you can make a way forward where it looks like there isn’t one. We ask that you would have the final word in lives of all your children. 

Lord, in Thy Mercy. 

Hear our prayer.

We pray for those in the wider community of Charlottesville. For parents in need of words to explain these events to their children. For teachers, facing threats they never signed up for and don’t understand. For school administrators and politicians, steering our institutions in ways that promote wellbeing and safety, protect them from discouragement. For pastors and mental health professionals, for patience and wisdom as they care for the traumatized and afraid. For the police and all those tasked with keeping us safe. For the burnt-out and lonely, for those who have been rejected and cast aside, for anyone who feels so much pain that violence would seem like an acceptable choice. Save us from ourselves and those who would seek to do us harm. 

Lord, in Thy Mercy. 

Hear our prayer.

Almighty and everliving God, we lift up our ailing world, rife with so much violence and enmity and sin. Some days the hurt seems so entrenched, the darkness so opaque. We pray for an increase in light this evening. We pray that where there is conflict, both here and abroad, there would be peace. Where there is hurt, there would be healing. Replace indifference with concern, and oppression with freedom. Please, give shelter to the poor – and the poor in spirit. We pray for the desperate and those who think no one cares about them. By the power of your Holy Spirit, please minister hope to the hopeless, beginning with those present here this evening. Provide for us, we ask, in our time of need, as you so often have in days gone by. 

Lord, in Thy Mercy. 

Hear our prayer.

God, in your word you tell us in that "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Help our wavering and restless hearts to believe this promise. And please, reassure us that by your death and resurrection – and despite appearances to the contrary – you have conquered sin and laid low the powers of evil. Restore in us the hope of salvation, not only our own but that of this broken and breaking world, that though we grieve the sudden loss of these young men, death has been defeated and one day all will be made right. 

Lord, in Thy Mercy. 

Hear our prayer.