OT: for pastors/ ministers preparing sermons/homilies today
... If you are going to touch on the Boston incidents and pray for the victims today, please oh please include the aggressors in your prayers, even the most extreme jihadists (Matthew 5:44). Our Master prayed for his prosecutors and killers during his most agonizing moments on the cross; we do good to learn to do the same even - John 13:16 - (especially) if we're among the victims.
Our pastor gave an inspiring homily today regarding how Christianity is different than other religions in that our love of our enemies is unique and we proceeded to pray for the victims of Boston's incident earlier this week. We regretfully stopped short of proving why Christianity is different: extending prayer, love and forgiveness to all, even to those with the most heinous crimes. I'm not saying prayers were intentionally omitted; they may well have forgotten to do so.
