Sarah Lund is a colleague in Indianapolis who wrote this today – – –

Today’s church discovery: I discovered that I did not know what to say, until I knew what to do. When the invitation arrived yesterday to attend a prayer vigil that night at a neighboring synagogue hosted by a colleague of my interfaith clergy group, I knew I had to go.

As I thought about why I felt so compelled to go, it came down to this: love. I wanted to be present and to show love for my neighbors during this time of terrible suffering. In the invitation, the rabbi said it would mean a great deal to have interfaith clergy present. So I showed up.

I sat next to a young mother juggling two preschool age girls on her lap, as there was not enough seats in the standing room only sanctuary. The girls smiled at me while they quietly braided each other’s hair during the program. The mother silently wept, tears streaming down her face. I noticed her wiping her tears in a rhythmic motion, there were just so many.

We prayed for peace and we prayed for joy for the people and the land. The sanctuary was filled to the brink with heartbreak, love, and hope.

What a privilege to be invited into this sacred gathering of community. To witness the ways our humanity is without borders.

Now I know what to say: To have peace, to have joy. That is the prayer. That is the work.