A Prayer for the Headlines for Friday, January 20th

Good morning, God

This week we have been hearing the story behind the headlines of the cruise ship that grounded itself on that reef in Italy.  Fortunately, there were only a few lives lost; the death toll could have been much, much worse.

However, what emerges, worse than the death toll, is the apparent lack of appropriate action by the Captain of the boat.  Apparently, he didn’t remain on his post nor direct his employees, nor appropriately guided the ship on the seas.  Apparently, he was doing a traditional practice of “buzzing” the shore, getting as close as possible, then sounding horns and sirens as if to say to those on the shore, “Here we are.  Look at me!”

Lord, we pray for those who lost their lives in this shipwreck.  We pray for those who survived, that they will get over the trauma.  And, Lord, if we are in charge of “a ship”, whatever form this may take, that we will take our responsibilities seriously to “captain it” through to an appropriate ending.

In Jesus name, Amen