Following the tragic murder of a schoolboy in Cults Academy, I am leading prayers of Intercession in Crown Terrace Baptist Church today. This the prayer I have prepared:
Eternal God, the One we have come to know as Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, the one in whom are hidden all the secrets of wisdom, knowledge and power.
Every day, every term, every year, our schools are communities of learning, places of growth and human development, where friendships and experiences shape and change young lives.
We thank you for all the investment of time, energy, skill and money that goes into our schools, to make them places where knowledge and learning open up new windows, new roads, new opportunities for our children and young people.
We thank you too for the dedication and sheer hard work of teaching staff and pupils alike, year in and year out. That work makes our schools places of excitement and possibility, where knowledge and learning open up new windows, point to new roads, invite and empower towards new opportunities.
God of wisdom it is because we value our schools as dynamos of energy in our communities that we care so much for them, and for those who work and learn and teach there.
And so we come this morning our hearts made heavy with sadness, loss and confusion, because in one of our schools this week, that vision was shattered by unexpected tragedy.
We pray your mercy and grace for the pupils and staff of Cults Academy, And for the wider community of Cults, and of this city.
We hold before you, in sorrow and shared bewilderment the parents, grand-parents, friends and wider family of Bailey Gwynne. We pray that in the empty ache of loss beyond any words they can say, they may know themselves supported and helped by the love of others. God may your mercy filter through those countless acts of kindness, flickers of light when everything else seems dark.
We pray for the parents of both boys, who in different ways look to a future helpless now to change circumstances none would ever have imagined. Be with them in whatever they feel at this moment.
Lord give wisdom and compassion to those who bring counsel and help; we thank you for the leadership of Anna Muirhead the Head teacher, and staff of Cults academy; grant continuing strength and wisdom to them and to the liaison police, counsellors, social workers and parents.
Lord by your Spirit of love and healing and consolation, enable all those young people to support each other, and to find in all this bewildering mess of sorrow, hard truths and big realities on which to build their own futures with greater hopefulness and care for the world around them.
Creator God, whose will is life and whose purpose is to redeem and renew, who hears the cry of the heart-broken, and understands the deepest loves and hurts of every parent and child, We place into your hands all affected by this tragedy.
In your mercy hear us; by your grace uphold and give strength; in this, as in every dark valley, walk with those who are afraid, be light in the dark places, in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, whose light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it, Amen
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