Prayer in Response to the Los Angeles Fires

*Picture by Marlis Trio Akbar on Unsplash

It is hard to find words in response to the trauma induced by the L.A. fires over the last week. Many of us have connections to L.A. and feel the impact very personally. As a Chaplain at an Episcopal School, I am grieving with the schools and churches in the Diocese of Los Angeles. The following is a prayer to help provide language in this difficult time and support those who are currently in distress. 

Gracious and Loving God,

We pray for all of those who are impacted by the L.A. fires. We ask for your comfort to surround individuals, families, and communities as they mourn all they have lost. We acknowledge the tangible losses they are facing like houses, schools, churches, mosques, and synagogues. We also acknowledge the intangible losses like people’s sense of home, belonging, and community, family history, and ties to faith. Help them grieve while also having hope that you will meet them in this time of suffering. 

Let the people of L.A. come together to support one another, and raise up support around them. Enfold them in your love, kindness, and peace. Send your angels to walk among them, tenderly coming alongside those who are grappling with this traumatic event, sifting through the ruins and ash, excavating the life that remains. Show us how to be a source of encouragement and strength, not just today, but in all the days of rebuilding up ahead.

We pray especially for Episcopal schools, St Mark’s and St Matthew’s. Our hearts are heavy for these communities. Be with their students, faculty, staff, parents, and caregivers. Hold them together in unity. Preserve all the meaningful investments of education, formation, and love that have been sown into these communities over the years. Guide their steps going forward.     

We ask all of this in the name of One God, the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer,

Amen.