By Nancy Hastings Sehested, a founder of the Alliance of Baptists, serving as co-pastor of Circle of Mercy, Asheville, N.C.
May our first responder, God,
be the merciful presence in the midst of absence.
May we breathe freely in body and spirit,
and shelter in the place of God’s grace and love.
May our eyes stay opened to seeing
we are one body created to cherish each other and this one earth home.
May we walk on in courage,
following the risen Christ,
leaning into the wild wonder
that something holy and extraordinary
can still happen in us, between us and all around us in this hurting and hoping world.
May it be so.