A school in Banga

Lament

Then he said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with me.” He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire.”

Matthew 26:38–39 · World English Bible

Stay here and watch with me. The facts are incomplete. Presence is the work that does not require a death toll to be tidy. A schoolyard is not a place to win an argument.

What grown-up sentence can you withhold until the names are known?

Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound to us, even so our comfort also abounds through Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:3–5 · World English Bible

Comfort is for the afflicted, and it is meant to be spent on other afflicted people. If this is not your town, you are not the hero of the verse.

Whom could you accompany tonight without making their fear about your feelings?