Worship & Prayer Resources
following the Tragedy at Virginia Tech:

(If you would like to share resources/links, please send them to jeneewd@textweek.com.)

• Liturgies, Litanies & Other Worship Resources:
  • A Litany for a Great Tragedy: Virginia Tech, the Rev. David Hicks, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship.
  • A Litany for the Third Sunday of Easter in Response to the Violence at Virginia Tech, the Rev. John H. Thomas, United Church of Christ.
  • The Eucharistic Prayer at time of Senseless Tragedy from In Remembrance of Me-Eucharistic Prayers for the Lesser Feasts and Festivals and other times in the life of the Church, John Dornheim.
  • A Service of Hope and Remembrance, Dean McIntyre, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship.
  • Resources for Worship, Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, PCUSA.
  • Words of Hope and Courage, Interfaith Community College Service of Worship, Rev. Beth H. DuBois, South and Onondaga Valley Presbyterian Church, Syracuse, NY.
  • A Litany for Virginia Tech, the Rev. Joseph P. Monahan, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship.
  • Ecumenical Service of Remembrance and Healing, OCP Publications.
  • Excerpts from Prayer Service, Pastor Marilyn Lerch, Good Shepherd Church of the Brethren, Blacksburg, VA, campus minister at Virginia Tech.
• Reflections, Sermons and Articles:
  • Reflections, Pastor Marilyn Lerch, Good Shepherd Church of the Brethren, Blacksburg, VA, campus minister at Virginia Tech.
  • Tuesday Lectionary Leanings, Easter 3C, RevGalBlogPals lectionary discussion.
  • "God in the Midst of Grief," Mirabai Starr, Sojourners online.
  • Pastoral Letter on the Virginia Tech Shootings, Chuck Blaisdell, Hilo Coast united Church of Christ, Honomu, Hawaii.
  • "Through a Prism of Tears," meditation on the Virginia Tech Rampage and Revelation 5:6, Dr. William R. Long, Expository Essays.
  • A Pastoral Response to the Shootings at Virginia Tech, The Staff of Pastoral Counseling of Northern Virginia.
  • "The Awful Truth about Letting Go," Mimi Doe, BeliefNet.
  • "Words for When I'm Wordless," Therese J. Borchard, BeliefNet.
  • "Sorrow Can Make Us Better, Not Bitter," Brian McLaren, BeliefNet.
  • "Tune Out," David Kuo, BeliefNet.
  • "Can We Forgive God?" Harold Kushner, audio excerpt from When Bad Things Happen to Good People at BeliefNet.
  • "Releasing Your Fear," Dr. Bernie Siegel, BeliefNet.
  • "April Gun Metal Morning," Sheila N. McJilton.
  • "When Reasons Can't Be Found," sermon text Romans 8:37-39, Dr. Gay Lee Einstein, Cove Presbyterian Church, Covesville, VA.
  • Virginia Tech Reflection and Prayer, Rev. Fulton, First Presbyterian Church, Athens, OH.
  • Reflections on the Mass Murder at Virginia Tech, Pastor Edward Markquart, Sermons from Seattle.
  • "Following the Shootings at Virginia Tech," the Reverend Lyndon C. Shakespeare, All Saints Episcopal Church, Navesink, New Jersey. Julia Pryde, one of the victims of the shooting, was a member here.
  • "Iraq Students Show Virginia Tech Support," Bushra Juhi, Associated Press.
  • "Living the Questions: A Complex Web of Connection," Fred Day, Historic St. George's United Methodist Church, Philadelphia.
  • Third Sunday of Easter - Revelation 5:1-14, Rev. Rolf Svanoe, Peace Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls, SD.
  • “Shepherds & Scapegoats: A response to the tragedy at Virginia Tech.”  A sermon by Pastor David Hansen, St. John Lutheran Church, Brenham, TX.
• Prayers:
  • "A Prayer in the Face of a Rampage Shooting," Taylor Burton-Edwards, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship.
  • Lives Interrupted, Safiyah Fosua, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship.
  • Collect Our Tears, Safiyah Fosua, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship.
  • Prayer in the Aftermath of Violence, Paul Bellan-Boyer, St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Jersey City, NJ.
  • Prayers of Comfort after Tragedy, BeliefNet.
  • "A Lamentation: I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray!," the Rev. Maxine Allen, 21st Century Africana Liturgy Resources, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship.
  • "A Call to Congregational, Personal and Group Intercession," Taylor Burton-Edwards, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship.
  • Virginia Tech Reflection and Prayer, Rev. Fulton, First Presbyterian Church, Athens, OH.
• Hymns & Music:
  • "A Prayer for Our Children," Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship.
  • "In planning our contemporary services for this weekend, we are planning to use the Don Moen song, 'God Can Make a Way.'" (Jack Cartwright, Director of Music, Shiloh United Methodist Church, Jasper, IN)
  • Hymns for Times of Loss, Grief and Despair, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship.
  • "In Grief and Aching Sorrow," F. Richard Garland, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship.