Bible Study After a School Shooting

A Scriptural Study for Grounding, Prayer, and Shared Presence

This study is designed for a community gathering in the days or weeks after a school shooting. It is meant to help people come back into their bodies, listen for God, and sit with one another without pressure.

This can be used in a single 45–60 minute session or adapted into shorter segments.

Leader Preparation: Before You Begin

This study is designed to be used immediately, without special training. Still, leading after a school shooting asks for attentiveness, humility, and care. This brief orientation is meant to steady you before you gather others.

Begin with Scripture, Not Control

The texts in this study do important pastoral work:

• Exodus 3 reminds us that God sees suffering before fixing it.
• The Psalms teach us that protest and lament are faithful prayer.
• Luke 24 shows Jesus walking with people who are confused and not yet ready to understand.
• Psalm 46 names God as present help, not distant explanation.

Your role is not to resolve grief or fear. Your role is to hold the space where God is already present.

What People May Bring into the Room

People respond to violence in many ways. None of these responses are wrong.

You may notice:

• Silence or withdrawal
• Tearfulness or visible emotion
• Anger, irritability, or impatience
• Numbness or flat affect
• Difficulty concentrating
• Someone who wants to talk a lot, or someone who cannot speak at all
• Someone who appears “fine” and then suddenly is not

These are common responses to trauma and stress. Do not rush to interpret them. Let Scripture and silence do their work.

How to Lead Well in the Moment

Set the tone early

• Read the Opening Orientation slowly.
• Say clearly that sharing is optional.
• Name that stepping out is allowed.

Move slowly

• Allow silence to stretch.
• Do not fill every pause with words.
• Trust that God works in quiet.

Protect the group

• If someone begins sharing graphic details, gently redirect:
  “Let’s stay with how this feels, not the details.”
• If one person is taking up too much space, you may say:
  “Thank you. Let’s pause here so others can breathe.”

Ground when needed

If the room feels overwhelmed:

• Invite a breath.
• Invite people to open their eyes and notice the room.
• Remind the group they are safe in this moment.

Stillness is not disengagement. Stillness is often prayer.

What Not to Say

Avoid statements that explain, minimize, or rush meaning.

Do not say:

• “Everything happens for a reason.”
• “God is in control.”
• “At least…”
• “This will make us stronger.”
• “You just have to forgive.”
• “Let’s focus on the positive.”

Avoid:

• Assigning blame or purpose
• Speculating about violence
• Comparing pain
• Turning prayer into correction

Let God be God. Let people be human.

When to Encourage Additional Support

Some people may need more care than this gathering can offer.

Encourage professional support if someone:

• Cannot settle their body or breathing
• Has not slept for several nights
• Is experiencing intrusive thoughts or images
• Expresses hopelessness or thoughts of self-harm
• Feels unable to function day to day

You do not need to diagnose. You can simply say:

“It might be helpful to talk with someone who does this kind of care every day.”

Resources to Have Handy

Have these available before you begin. You may print them, bookmark them, or simply know where to find them.

Immediate emotional support (NYC and nationwide)

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
  Call or text 988 for free, confidential support, 24/7.

If someone is in immediate danger

• Call 911.

A Final Word to Leaders

You don’t need the right words.
You don’t need to fix anything.
You don’t need to carry this alone.

Faithful leadership in moments like this looks like presence, steadiness, and trust that God is already at work.

Presence is the ministry.

Remember to: 

• Practice comfort in silence.
• Sharing is not required.
• Watch for people who may need follow-up.
• Have crisis resources visible and available.
• Presence matters more than eloquence.

 

Session Guide

Opening Orientation (Leader reads aloud)

Today we gather as people who have been impacted. If this event touched you, you belong here. You do not need to share your story or to feel a certain way. You are invited to be present as you are.

We will move slowly. We will pause often. You may step out, get water, or take care of yourself at any point.

 

I. Grounding the Body (5–7 minutes)

Trauma lives in the body. Scripture assumes this. Before we speak, we begin by settling ourselves.

Guided grounding (leader voice, slow pace)

Sit with your feet on the floor.
If it feels okay, place one hand on your chest and one on your belly.

Take a slow breath in through your nose.
Let it out through your mouth.

Again.
Inhale.
Exhale.

Notice your feet touching the ground.
Notice the chair holding your weight.
Notice that you are here, and you are not alone.

If prayer is familiar to you, you may silently pray.
If silence is easier, let it be silence.

Pause for 30–60 seconds.

 

II. Opening Prayer

God of life,
we come carrying what we carry.
Some of us are afraid. numb. angry.
Some of us don’t even have words.

Be near to us now.
Steady our bodies.
Quiet what needs quieting.
Strengthen what is fragile.
Hold us in your care. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

III. Scripture Reading 1: God Hears the Cry

Exodus 3:7–8 (selected verses)
“I have observed the misery of my people… I have heard their cry… I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them.”

Reflection

This passage names a God who sees, hears, and knows suffering without ever looking away. God is attentive to cries that rise from fear and violence.

Discussion questions (choose 1–2)

• What words stand out to you in this passage?
• What does it mean to you that God hears cries before offering solutions?
• Where do you notice your body reacting as this is read?

Pause. No one needs to answer quickly.

 

IV. Scripture Reading 2: Lament Is Prayer

Psalm 13 (read slowly)

“How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?”

Reflection

The Psalms teach us that prayer includes protest, fear, and unanswered questions. Lament is not a failure of faith. It is a faithful response to unbearable reality.

Optional practice

Invite people to silently name one word or phrase they would bring to God right now. No sharing required.

Pause for silence.

 

V. Scripture Reading 3: Jesus Draws Near

Luke 24:15–16
“Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.”

Reflection

This story tells us that Jesus walks with people who are confused, grieving, and unsure. Recognition comes later. Presence comes first.

Discussion questions

• What does it mean to imagine Jesus walking alongside people after violence?
• Where might God’s presence be felt now, even if it is not clear?

VI. Body Check-In (3 minutes)

Trauma can pull us out of ourselves. We pause again to return.

Leader says:
Take one more slow breath.
Notice your shoulders.
If they are tense, let them drop slightly.
Notice your jaw.
Let it soften.

If you feel overwhelmed, open your eyes and name three things you can see in the room.

Pause.

 

VII. Scripture Reading 4: God’s Nearness in Fear

Psalm 46:1–3
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Reflection

This psalm names chaos. God is described as close and present help.

Prayer of Intercession

(Extemporaneous, or the following)

God of mercy and power,
you are our shepherd.
We lift before you those who were present and those who were nearby.
We lift all who have been affected in ways seen and unseen.
For minds that are unsettled.
For bodies that are still holding what they cannot yet release

You are the One who walks with us through the valley.
Even when the path is shadowed, you are with us.
Hold us in your care.
Stay close in the quiet moments and the long nights.

We pray for the people who are afraid to return to school.
For those who have questions and for those whose questions have not yet taken shape.
For those whose fear shows up in many different ways.
Be their refuge and their strength,
a very present help in times of trouble.
Let them know they are not alone.

We pray for parents, teachers, caregivers, and all who carry responsibility for others.
For those trying to be steady while their own hearts are shaken.
Lift their eyes to where our help comes from.
Give them patience for each day,
wisdom for each decision,
and rest for their weary spirits.

We pray for first responders, medical workers, counselors, and helpers.
For those who carry heavy memories and ongoing stress.
For those who continue to serve while tending their own wounds.
Renew their strength.
Restore their souls.
Guard their hearts and minds.

We pray for the ones whose grief is private and unseen.
For anyone who feels they do not have the right to speak.
For those who minimize their pain because others were harmed more visibly.
Draw near to them, O God.
Remind them that nothing can separate them from your love.
Not fear.
Nor sorrow.
Nor death.
Nor anything in all creation can separate us from the love we know in Christ Jesus. 

We pray for our communities and our schools.
We pray for a world where children, learners, and educators are safe.
We pray for the courage to walk in the way of Jesus,
to tell the truth,
to care deeply,
and to act faithfully.

Lead us in paths of justice and peace, for your name’s sake.

Holy God, gather our resolve.
Do not let us grow weary of doing what is right.
Do not let fear numb us or grief exhaust us into silence.

Make us watchful and awake.

Strengthen our hands for the work of protective justice and policy.
Sharpen our minds for truth.
Set our feet on the path that leads to life.

Turn our sorrow into courage.
Turn our lament into action.

Teach us how to live as people who choose life,
for children,
for schools,
for communities,
for one another.

We place all of this in your hands, God,
trusting that you are near,
trusting that you hear,
trusting that you remain with us,
now and always.

In the sweet, strong and holy name of Jesus,
Amen.

 

VIII. Closing Prayer

God,
as we leave this space,
we do not leave you behind.

Stay with us in the days ahead.
Guide us toward rest when we need it.
Toward courage when we need it.
Toward one another when we feel alone.

Hold us fast.
Amen.