Praying for Change: Daily Prayers for Anti-Racism (April-June 2024)

APRIL 1, 2024

It is Easter Monday, God of Resurrection and New Life. We are still basking in the glow of the joy of our Easter celebrations in worship. We remember the pageantry, the brass, the drums, the processions. It was glorious. We watched the children with tears in our eyes as they sang their Resurrection song with such jubilance. We felt connected to everyone who worshiped with us, as though we truly were a community of faith, a beloved community. The doubts were chased away by the power of the music, and we are grateful. What a glorious day.

Today is April Fool’s Day as well, God of subtlety and surprise. And while we know that there is something foolish about the gospel, we wonder who is being fooled this day. Is it, like the ancient tradition has it, that Easter is the cosmic joke you have played on sin and death? Or is it that we have been fooled into thinking that Easter morning solved everything and there is no longer anything your people need to do to further the kin-dom?

It all felt right and good yesterday, and yet our world is still divided. There are still those being left out; there is still “us and them.” The community we claim to want is not evident in our neighborhoods, in our world, or even in our churches. Christ, have mercy. Help us, God, as we seek to live into the promise of Easter for unity and for justice. Amen.

Derek C Weber, March 2024

APRIL 2, 2024

God of Heaven and Earth,
you created the one human family
and endowed each person with great dignity.

Aid us, we pray, in overcoming the sin of racism.
Grant us your grace in eliminating this blight
from our hearts, our communities,
our social and civil institutions.

Fill our hearts with love for you and our neighbor
so that we may work with you
in healing our land from racial injustice.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

We have prayed and now, with changed hearts, let us move our feet to action.

Closing Prayer, Prayer Service for an End to Racism, page 4, https://www.blessed-midland.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/prayer-for-an-end-to-racism.pdf.

APRIL 3, 2024

Dear God, in our efforts to dismantle racism, we understand that we struggle not merely against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities – those institutions and systems that keep racism alive by perpetuating the lie that some members of the family are inferior and others superior.

Create in us a new mind and heart that will enable us to see brothers and sisters in the faces of those divided by racial categories.

Give us the grace and strength to rid ourselves of racial stereotypes that oppress some of us while providing entitlements to others.

Help us to create a Church and nation that embraces the hopes and fears of oppressed People of Color where we live, as well as those around the world.

Heal your family God, and make us one with you, in union with our brother Jesus, and empowered by your Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Pax Christi Anti-Racism Team, “A Prayer for Dismantling Racism,” The Catholic Association of the United States, https://www.chausa.org/prayers/cha-prayer-library/prayer/a-prayer-for-dismantling-racism.

APRIL 4, 2024

O God, who created all peoples in your image, we thank you for the wonderful diversity of races and cultures in this world. Enrich our lives by ever-widening circles of fellowship, and show us your presence in those who differ most from us, until our knowledge of your love is made perfect into our love for all your children; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thanksgiving for the Diversity of Races and Cultures, Book of Common Prayer, page 840, cited in Anti-Racism at St. Peter’s, https://www.stpetersfreehold.org/antiracism.

APRIL 5, 2024

Lord, I am far too good at self-deception and far too poor at self-evaluation. Show me where pride, hatred, racism, and seeds of disunity have taken root within me. Expose those evils, Lord, as the evil they are, and convict me of every sin. Show me where my words have pierced, my actions marginalized and offended, and my pride hindered me from Your life-giving, church-uniting, heart-healing, and freedom-giving mission.

You, Lord Jesus, died to set captives free—from sin, including the sin of racism, and its effects. Help me to honor Your death by standing against everything and everyone that seeks to enslave and oppress Your precious children.

Jennifer Slattery, “30-Day Prayer Challenge for Ending Racism,” iBelieve, https://www.ibelieve.com/faith/day-anti-racism-prayer-challenge.html.

APRIL 8, 2024

This is our 200th week of providing prayers for Anti-racism. We are reflecting on prayers from previous weeks.

From week 25 of Daily Prayers for Anti-racism

God and Father of all,
in your love
you made all the nations of the world
to be a family,
and your Son taught us to love one another.
Yet our world is riven apart
with prejudice, arrogance, and pride.
Help the different races
to love and understand one another better.
Increase among us sympathy,
tolerance, and goodwill,
that we may learn to appreciate the gifts
that other races bring to us,
and to see in all people
our brothers and sisters for whom Christ died.
Save us from jealousy, hatred, and fear,
and help us to live together
as members of one family at home in the world,
sons and daughters of one Father
who live in the liberty of the children of God;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Book of Common Order of the Church of Scotland, (Edinburgh: St. Andrew Press, 1994), posted at “Prayers for Racial Harmony,” faithward website, https://www.faithward.org/prayers-for-racial-harmony/.

APRIL 9, 2024

From Week 50 of Daily Prayers for Anti-racism

O God of radiance, fascinating in your kaleidoscopic diversity: help us to love ourselves as we mirror your image to the world, as we grow tired of this struggle, Lord, and we feel alone in our weariness, strengthen us when we grow faint of heart and give us a memory for the victories of our ancestors; help us to remember a time when our forebears faced immeasurable pain with the sure knowledge that you were with them, and remind us that we are truly never alone; when we grow faint, gird us with your strength; when we doubt, fill us with confidence that the beauty of our skin, ebony, mahogany, lemon, ivory, and taupe is but a mere reflection of the richness of your glory; help us to understand the gifts we bring into this broken world – the gift of your love of color and variety; this we ask in the name of Jesus, who touched all and loved all. Amen.

Jayne Oasin, from Race and Prayer: Collected Voices Many Dreams edited by Malcolm Boyd and Chester L. Talton (Morehouse Publishing, 2003), 83.

APRIL 10, 2024

From Week 75 of Daily Prayers for Anti-racism

Help us to dissolve the barriers of race and work for a just society in which none are despised and discriminated against on the basis of false divisions of race and in which each is valued for their true humanity.

We ask this in the name of Jesus, who saw beyond all human divisions and reached out to the good within each person. Amen.

From the ecumenical service “Christians United Against Racism” at the World Conference Against Racism in 2001, cited in Prayers and Reflections on Racial Justice (compiled June 2020), the Diocese of Derby, UK, 13, pdf, https://derby.anglican.org/en/our-mission/community-engagement/download/3407_5776d33c0f6c3234add51d79c44c250a.html.

APRIL 11, 2024

From Week 100 of Daily Prayers for Anti-racism

God of justice. Open the eyes of those who wield power to the destructiveness of racism. Let justice roll like a river and move us to repentance and transformation. Convict the hearts of leaders in government, businesses, charities and the church, towards your kingdom values. May righteousness flow like a mighty stream.

God of justice, hear our prayer.

Christ who lived under occupation. Help us identify and change the systems and power structures in our countries that perpetuate racial inequality. Teach us to transform into societies that uphold the dignity of each person, made in your image. Where we need to be stirred, wake us up to take our part in praying, speaking up, and taking action.

Christ who lived under occupation, hear our prayer.

Spirit of God, our breath in this world. Let this moment in history bring about everlasting change to violence and discrimination based on the colour of someone’s skin. Breathe newness into our lands, our systems, our structures, our ways of living with one another.

Spirit of God, our breath in this world, hear our prayer.

God of restored relationships, to whom we all belong. Bring healing to all those that are suffering and have endured the pain caused by racial injustice. Restore broken relationships, bring peace; your peace and wholeness to all people in all places.

God of restored relationships, to whom we all belong, hear our prayer.

“A Prayer for Racial Justice,” Tearfund Staff Conference 2020, Black Lives Matter: A Guide to Help You Respond to Racial Injustice, https://www.tearfund.org/-/media/tearfund/files/get-involved/resource-object/2020/08/blm-guide.pdf, p. 12.

APRIL 12, 2024

For 200 weeks, God of constancy and transformation, we have been praying these prayers of antiracism. The cynics among us and often within us might argue that nothing has changed. That we are wasting our time asking for divine intervention for a very human problem. Indeed, the irony is that today is the 163rd anniversary of the start of the Civil War in the United States, a bloody battle with racism at the core. Even after all these years, there are still those who argue that some are less worthy, less valued, less human because of the color of their skin. Prayers haven’t gotten through. Maybe it is time to get up off our knees and advocate, and march, and work for justice for all.

Amen and Amen. Prayer must always be accompanied by action. Open our eyes to the work that needs to be done. Help us hear the cries of those who suffer, who are oppressed, who are hated because of who they are, and then respond to those cries. But let us also continue to pray. Because we know it is wrong to claim nothing has changed by prayer. We have changed. We are sensitized; we are alive to our neighbor, our brothers and sisters. We continue to change and to need changing. Let our prayers continue, even as our actions increase. For 200 more weeks, for another 163 years, until kin-dom comes on earth as it is in heaven. Amen and Amen.

Derek C Weber, April 2024

APRIL 15, 2024

It is grumbling day in the United States, God of all creation. Or as some call it, Tax Day. No one likes paying taxes. And we rightly have questions about how this money is spent. But is it possible to have a larger vision of what we participate in when we pay our share?

God, you call us to relationship, to live in community with you and with one another. This has responsibility as well as benefit. We have chosen to be a nation that cares for those most vulnerable. We have chosen to be a nation that works toward justice. We have chosen to be a nation that provides essential services to all. This doesn’t happen without some sacrifice, without surrender of privilege, without moving beyond the me-ness of our culture.

So, help us, God of equality and of community, see where we continue to fall short, to see who has been left out of the dream and the promise. And help us recommit to inclusion and to justice so that we can truly live up to the ideal of “all the people.” Amen and Amen.

Derek C Weber, April 2024

APRIL 16, 2024

Father, you created each one of us in your own image. Yet yours is a world made glorious by its rich diversity. This we sometimes misunderstand, sometimes fear. Give us the patience to build on what unites us, to celebrate our differences and to learn from them. Grant us the wisdom to recognise your Church, beyond the walls of a building, reaching out across all communities, countries and cultures. Give us the courage to offer refuge to those in need, to challenge prejudice and seek justice for all. Help us see that you created us in your image. Neighbour or stranger, always our brother or sister.

Amen.

Prayer by Yashoda Sutcliffe/CARJ (Catholic Association for Racial Justice), cited in Prayers for Racial Justice, Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, https://cafod.org.uk/pray/prayer-resources/prayers-for-racial-justice.

APRIL 17, 2024

God of justice, In your wisdom you create all people in your image, without exception. Through your goodness, open our eyes to see the dignity, beauty, and worth of every human being. Open our minds to understand that all your children are brothers and sisters in the same human family. Open our hearts to repent of racist attitudes, behaviors, and speech which demean others. Open our ears to hear the cries of those wounded by racial discrimination and violence and their passionate appeals for change. Strengthen our resolve to make amends for past injustices and to right the wrongs of history. And fill us with courage that we might seek to heal wounds, build bridges, forgive and be forgiven, and establish peace and equality for all in our communities. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Prayers for Racial Justice, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Allentown, PA, https://www.standrewsbethlehem.org/welcome-home-page/prayers-for-racial-justice/.

APRIL 18, 2024

Loving and just God,
you call all peoples to live as brothers and sisters,
regardless of their culture, their language, or the color of their skin.
Forgive us for the times we have failed,
and give us your grace to overcome the evil of racism
so that our hearts may become free of all prejudice and animosity.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Prayers of the Faithful Against Racism, Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL, https://www.dosp.org/racialharmony/pray/prayers-of-the-faithful-against-racism/.

APRIL 19, 2024

Merciful God,
you are righteous and love justice:
stir the hearts of your people that,
rejoicing in our diversity,
we may repent of the wrongs of the past,
and, by your grace, seek the peaceable kingdom of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

All: Amen.

“A Collect for Racial Justice Sunday,” Liturgical Resources for Racial Justice Sunday, The Church of England, https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/liturgical-resources-racial-justice-sunday.

APRIL 22, 2024

Earth Day

Most might think, Creator God, that the subject of caring for this planet would be a point of unity, a common cause. Yet even here, we manage to find ways to bring division. Even here, we devalue some lives over the comfort of others. We declare that we all live on the same sphere and therefore it is in everyone’s interest to work together to preserve and protect this place we call Earth. And yet even a cursory glance shows us that we do not live in the same world at all. Some live in a world protected from the ravages of so-called natural disasters. Others live as climate victims or climate refugees, forced to flee rising waters or encroaching deserts. Some live as though resources are inexhaustible; others struggle to get by with less and less.

Open our eyes, God of all peoples, to see Earth Day as a justice issue, an equality issue, a race issue, not simply – though importantly – an environmental issue. Help us see those who are being broken by our desire for more and better as sisters and brothers, members of the one family of humanity. Let us learn to live more simply so that others can simply live, as the truthful cliché has stated. Help us be the community you created us to be. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Derek C Weber, April 2024

APRIL 23, 2024

God of branches and of roots, God of vines and of fruit,

Those of us who claim the United Methodist Church as our spiritual home call upon the Holy Spirit to work within us as we begin the ordeal we call General Conference. We have struggled throughout our history to live into your vision of what it means to be the church. Sometimes we seem to have come close; other times, our failings and shortsightedness have damaged our witness and our work. Sometimes the “fightings without and the fears within” have kept us from living out the “open hearts, open minds, and open doors” that we claim to represent.

So be with us in these days of General Conference. Help us listen to one another; help us deliberate together, to decide together, and then to minister together as we seek to put your kin-dom before our preferences. Help us tear down the barriers, the divisions, the mistrust, and stand as a multicultural, multiethnic, multilingual community of faith with a story to tell to the nations. Be in us and between us. In Christ’s name. Amen.

Derek C Weber, April 2024

APRIL 24, 2024

God of Heaven and Earth,

You created the one human family and endowed each person with great dignity. Aid us, we pray, in overcoming the sin of racism.

Grant us your grace in eliminating this blight from our hearts, our communities, our social and civil institutions. Fill our hearts with love for you and our neighbor so that we may work with you in healing our land from racial injustice.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

We have prayed and now, with changed hearts, let us move our feet to action.

Closing Prayer, A Prayer Service for Racial Healing in Our Land, US Conference of Catholic Bishops, https://www.usccb.org/resources/prayer-service-racial-healing-our-land.

APRIL 25, 2024

Spirit of Truth, grant us the grace to put ourselves and our reputations on the line, again and again. Empower us to use our voices to make room for other voices. Hold us accountable, powerful God, until we break down the last of the walls and partner with our siblings on the other side of them. Rather than objects of our pity or recipients of our goodwill, they are your capable and called servants. May we serve humbly alongside them, never assuming that we have or know what they need.

Keep us hungry, we pray, until the day when we sit beside those who were once “them,” at a shared table, a shared feast, with room enough for all. Keep us unsatisfied until there is no “they”; there is truly only “we.”

We ask this in the name of Jesus, the persecuted refugee; your beloved child who stopped at nothing to change our hardened hearts. Amen.

Excerpted from Prayer of Confession and Commitment, Migration Sunday Order of Worship, Baltimore Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church, https://www.bwcumc.org/article/migration-sunday-order-of-worship/.

APRIL 26, 2024

God of all, you rejoice in our many traditions, languages, and cultures. May we see our differences as things that bring us together in love, rather than keep us apart out of fear.

Verse and Voice, Prayer of the Day, April 9, 2024, Sojourners via email, sojo.net, https://us.engagingnetworks.app/page/email?mid=18bb961fd0c94499ac83031de2ce9b09.

APRIL 29, 2024

Lord, whatever our race, ethnicity, background, or beliefs, prick our conscience when we are tempted to dismiss, demonize, or discredit someone who is different from us in any way. Give us courage to keep pressing on when systems or problems seem hopeless or insurmountable.

“February 2023 Anti-Racism Prayer Calendar” (February 9), Church of the Servant, Grand Rapids MI, https://www.churchoftheservantcrc.org/february-2023-anti-racism-prayer-calendar/.

APRIL 30, 2024

God, we confess that sometimes we close windows against the fresh air of new ideas, against the noise of other people’s worries, against the winds of change. God, we confess that we often draw the curtains against people who are different, against world news or community concerns. Forgive us our insulation within comfortable places and the security systems on our hearts. Open up our lives. Amen.

“A Prayer of Longing,” Welcome to the Table: Exploring Antiracism (July 18, 2021), page 2, https://peoplescongregational.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/7-18-2021-Bulletin.pdf.

MAY 1, 2024

Wonderful Creator God,

Through scripture, you assure us:
That although we may consider outward appearances
You do not—
It is the heart that you consider.

Through the psalms, you tell us:
That although we may pre-judge others,

We are wonderfully made,
Lovingly stitched,
In your tapestry of love.

We are each of us wonderful and beautiful.
Help us remember that.
And to accept responsibility when our failure to recognise your love in others causes harm.
Help us to love ourselves as you love us.

Amen.

A Prayer for Antiracism, The United Church of Canada, https://united-church.ca/prayers/prayer-anti-racism.

MAY 2, 2024

Today is the National Day of Prayer in the United States, God of all nations and peoples. Do you even care? Do we, for that matter? Will declaring this day a day of prayer bring us all together, make us one in spirit and in heart? I doubt it. We are afraid to close our eyes around each other these days. We have trouble conversing across the lines we have imagined between us, let alone joining together in prayer for one another and for the ills that bedevil us all. It is easy to be cynical about it all.

Yet, where else can we start? Prayer might be our last hope or our first resort. Maybe a national day might wake us up to a nation in need of prayer. Maybe it will be a start to praying without ceasing, praying with our hands and feet, praying with humility and hope. Maybe.

Help us give it a try. Amen.

Derek C Weber, April 2024

MAY 3, 2024

Almighty God, Source of all that is, Giver of every good gift: You create all people in your image and call us to love one another as you love us. We confess that we have failed to honor you in the great diversity of the human family. We have desired to live in freedom, while building walls between ourselves and others. We have longed to be known and accepted for who we are, while making judgments of others based on the color of skin, or the shape of features, or the varieties of human experience. We have tried to love our neighbors individually while yet benefiting from systems that hold those same neighbors in oppression. Forgive us, Holy God. Give us eyes to see you as you are revealed in all people. Strengthen us for the work of reconciliation rooted in love. Restore us in your image, to be beloved community, united in our diversity, even as you are one with Christ and the Spirit, Holy and undivided Trinity, now and for ever. Amen

SCLM Prayers for Racial Justice and Reconciliation cited in Anti-Racism Resources, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Duluth, MN, https://www.stpaulsfaithformation.org/anti-racism-resources.html.

MAY 6, 2024

In some places, God of wisdom and knowing, this is Teacher Appreciation Week. In the US, we claim to be big supporters of our teachers. We say we value the tremendous place they have in the lives of our young people. We are heard to declare that we honor their sacrifice and commitment and dedication. And yet, teachers are under attack in many places because they dare to teach true history. Because they hold conversations on race and racism. Because they want their charges not to be ashamed of their race, but to know how to respond and hopefully change our race-based structures and inequities.

God of transformation and hope, we know that if we do not learn from the past, we are indeed doomed to repeat it. If we can’t talk truth about our history and our present, we will perpetuate prejudice and oppression. We need our teachers to feel safe enough to teach and supported enough to help us all learn together. May our support be real and felt by each, particularly those who are considering leaving this most needed and necessary profession because of the abuse heaped upon them by parents and others with an axe to grind. May we rise in support and honor of those who hold our future in their well trained and experienced hands. Bless our teachers, Lord of learning. Amen.

Derek Weber, April 2024

MAY 7, 2024

Lord, we thank you for the increasing number of children’s books with diverse characters and storylines. We pray that all children in school will see people of their backgrounds and cultures presented positively in their classrooms.

“February 2023 Antiracism Prayer Calendar” (Posted January 27, 2023), Church of the Servant, Grand Rapids, Michigan, https://www.churchoftheservantcrc.org/february-2023-anti-racism-prayer-calendar.

MAY 8, 2024

God, we hold in prayer
our struggles to untangle the mess
created by our individual and communal brokenness:

the stereotypes, biases, and systemic forms of injustice
that enmesh, confine, and block us
from being in right relations with each other.

We invite your forgiving, reconciling, and transforming grace
to be with us as we attempt to unravel
the systems of injustice, violence, and hatred
that we have created with our misguided prejudices and fears.
Amen.

Alydia Smith, from Parables, Prayers, and Promises (UCPH) cited in “We Hold in Prayer Our Struggles,” The United Church of Canada, https://united-church.ca/prayers/we-hold-prayer-our-struggles.

MAY 9, 2024

Feast of the Ascension

On this Ascension Day, Lord who sits on high and dwells among us at the same time, we need assurance that you are still a part of the toing and froing of our lives, day by day. It sometimes seems that when our Lord Jesus ascended to take his rightful place on the throne of heaven, we were left to muddle through on our own. How we would love to have the presence of Christ in the flesh with us today, so that we could see and touch and hold fast to the words and the grace and the love which, in our minds at least, was so much more obvious when Christ walked this earth.

Christ breathed on them, we read in the Gospel of John, and said receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:33). Maybe we’ve lost our grip. But some feel alone, abandoned, bereft. Help us claim your presence anew. Remind us that you told us that we can see you in the face, in the need, in the suffering of those around us. We hesitate to look, we confess, particularly at those who are different from us. We hesitate to cross those lines we have drawn, even when it will bring us closer to you. Help us, on this Ascension Day, both honor you in glory and seek you in this multicolored community in which we live. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Derek C Weber, April 2024

MAY 10, 2024

God,

We, as White people, admit to having active participation in racism
and grasping to power that is destructive.
We commit to unlearning supremacist behaviour
by searching ourselves, our history, and our actions.
We come before you, ready to work on ourselves
and humbly ask you to remove our White supremacist ideologies and behaviours.
Through our list making of people we’ve harmed,
we let the reality of our actions confront and change us.
And may they find their own healing in this broken world.
We commit to a life of mistakes, but of trying our best,
to doing little harm
and to being humble when we mess up.
We commit to bringing others along the journey with us.
With you.
Amen.

Alana Martin, “We Come Before You, Ready to Work on Ourselves,” United Church of Canada, https://united-church.ca/prayers/we-come-you-ready-work-ourselves.

MAY 13, 2024

God of freedom, we pray for our nation, and all the nations of the world: For peace and unity across barriers of language, color, and creed; for elected and appointed leaders, that they would serve the common good. Inspire all people with courage to speak out against hatred, to actively resist evil. Unite the human family in bonds of love.

God of freedom, hear our prayers for the world.

Excerpted from All Saints Episcopal Church, Portsmouth, Ohio, http://allsaintsportsmouth.org/racial-reconciliation-and-justice/.

MAY 14, 2024

Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness. - Brené Brown

May we be open to the truth, even when it makes us uncomfortable. Help us to listen to those who are speaking truth into the world.

Verse and Voice from Sojourners, May 6, 2024, https://sojo.net/daily-wisdom/latest.

MAY 15, 2024

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Prayer for the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, https://www.christchurchanchorage.org/weekly%20prayers.pdf.

MAY 16, 2024

“A time to keep silence, and a time to speak” Ecclesiastes 3:7b NRSV

It seems such a simple thing, God of proclamation and quiet presence. Speaking or not speaking. Standing up or stepping aside. Raising your voice or giving others the mic. Yet we often stumble. I often stumble in knowing when I should speak and when I should keep silent. Too often, we don’t speak up when our voices might affirm a call for justice or identify a wrong. Too often, we stay silent under a misguided belief that it is “not my problem.” We forget we are woven together in this tapestry of human community and what demeans one demeans all, what wounds one wounds all. We forget that silence benefits the status quo and continues the oppression and marginalization.

But we also struggle knowing when our speaking up silences other voices. We want to hear from those who have been voiceless, who have been overlooked or ignored. And sometimes the best way for us to do that is to yield the stage and stand in support of those other voices. Even when it means setting ourselves aside. It is a hard thing to do, a hard thing to know. So, help us, Lord. Send your Spirit to open our mouths when we ought to speak. And put your finger on our lips when we have said enough. In the name of the Word, who spoke and was silent always at the right time. Amen.

Derek C Weber, April 2024

MAY 17, 2024

One God, in Three Persons, creator of one human species, in many hues: all who pray to you are descendants of Adam and Eve, all members of one race called “human.” Forgive the blindness that causes our eyes to notice and magnify those things we regard as different from ourselves in others. Teach us to see clearly, that we, your children, are far more alike than we are different. Help us to put aside the racial prejudices imbedded within us, and to see within every person the Child of God you created, our sister or brother, destined for Glory. In the name of One who died for all persons, of all colors, Jesus Christ. Amen.

“For an End to Racial Prejudice,” page 2 (May), A Year of Prayers to End Racism, Commission to End Racism of the Diocese of West Virginia, https://www.episcopalchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/08/AYearofPrayertoEndRacism.pdf.

MAY 20, 2024

“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:6-7)

Love is more than emotional sentimentality or affirmations spoken in passing. True love results in action. It sees the oppressed and comes alongside them. It sees the pain and offers words of healing. It sees the abused and fights, diligently and persistently against the abuser. You Yourself revealed what such love looks like when You died for our sins on the cross. In this, You set an example, that we might also be willing to lay our lives down for one another. In this fight against hatred, unite and empower us in and by love.

Jennifer Slattery, “Day 13: May Your Love Abound,” 30-Day Prayer Challenge for Ending Racism (updated July 6, 2020), https://www.ibelieve.com/christian-living/day-anti-racism-prayer-challenge.html.

MAY 21, 2024

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that in your good time all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

From a Prayer Vigil to End Racism, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Glendale CA, page 5, https://mcusercontent.com/feb95d46dfddcc6a909f9880a/files/24b24b5f-ae75-4714-bf0e-2a40a1403699/A_Prayer_Vigil_for_the_End_of_Racism.pdf.

MAY 22, 2024

God of power,
The numbers are daunting
when we really think about them.
We see war and famine and hunger
that result from unresolved conflict,
climate change,
negligence,
corruption.

But your scripture says to
behold your works,
trust in your power.

Help us to understand
that we don’t have to be in control.
We just have to do what
you call us to do…

Pray without ceasing,
speak up for those who have no voice,
and give of our time, talent, and treasure.

We pray in the name of
the one whose strength knows no bounds.

In Jesus’ name.
Amen

From Prayers to End Hunger, daily email from Bread for the World, https://www.bread.org/pray/.

MAY 23, 2024

Whose voice will we hear, God who speaks and is silent? It is possible in this age of angry voices and unsolicited opinions to curate the voices we will hear. We can choose to silence those with whom we disagree or who might share a perspective that clashes with the ones we cling to so tightly. We can choose to amplify the voices who echo our own beliefs and confirm our biases. And in so doing, we can be convinced that “everyone” believes as we do. Or that those who disagree are just wrong or uninformed or caught in the sway of forces of evil.

What would happen, God of diversity and difference, if we learned to listen to voices of those who are different from us? Those from other parts of the world, perhaps, those whose cultural experiences are unlike ours, those who look different, sound different, speak differently? Is our reluctance to engage with those who are different born out of a fear of change?

Help us expand, God of richness and beauty we’ve not yet seen; help us grow so that we can see and appreciate even more of this wonderful world you have given us, more of this human family we have been blessed with. Help us move out of our corners, out of our silos and listen to the music of speech. Remind us that by listening to others, we just might hear your voice more clearly. In Christ’s name, amen.

Derek C Weber, May 2024

MAY 24, 2024

God of justice, we hear again your call to let justice run down like water,
And righteousness like a mighty stream. (Amos 5:23-24)

Direct our hearts and thoughts today towards the indigenous communities everywhere that are experiencing injustice.

Open our ears again to hear your word of instruction to us, recalling that you have already spoken of that which you require of us: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with you, our God. (Micah 6: 8)

Amen

World Council of Churches, Week of Prayer for Overcoming Racism and Xenophobia, page 1, https://www.oikoumene.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/Daily%20Prayers%20for%20Week%20of%20Prayer%20for%20Overcoming%20Racism%2019%20-%2025%20March%202023.pdf.

MAY 27, 2024

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day in the US, God of all nations. It is a time for us to remember the human cost of war. It is a time of grief for many and a solemn observance for a nation that is too used to resorting to violence to solve disputes both internal and international. It is a time of paying respect to those who made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives for their country, for the ideals of a nation we want to love and honor. It is a time to bow in humble apologies to families who have been asked to sacrifice their sons and daughters for a cause that is sometimes obscured in the fury of fighting.

Perhaps what is most surprising about this observance is that it doesn’t come with a new resolve to find other ways to live in human community, even with those with whom we disagree. This day should be a reminder that the divisions we have created that divide people into us and them, friend and enemy, familiar and stranger, are deadly divisions that continue to tear us apart and bring families to grieving.

So, on this Memorial Day, God of transformation and of hope, give us the courage to strive to give honor by determining as nations and as the one human family you have created that we will study war no more and learn to live in peace. In Christ’s name, we pray, amen.

Derek C Weber, May 2024

MAY 28, 2024

Disturb us, Lord,
when we are too well pleased with ourselves,
when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little,
when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord,
when with the abundance of things we possess
we have lost our thirst for the waters of life;

Having fallen in love with life,
we have ceased to dream of eternity and in our efforts to build a new earth,
we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord,
to dare more boldly,
to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery;

Where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.
We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love. Amen

Attributed to Sir Francis Drake, 1577, World Council of Churches, Week of Prayer for Overcoming Racism and Xenophobia, page 14, https://www.oikoumene.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/Daily%20Prayers%20for%20Week%20of%20Prayer%20for%20Overcoming%20Racism%2019%20-%2025%20March%202023.pdf.

MAY 29, 2024

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8, NIV)

Forgive me, Lord, for the times when I heard stories of pain, of oppression and racism, and simply walked away. My sympathy in the moment was far too insufficient. You have shown me what You require of me. You want me to do, to love, to walk—these are actions I’m to take, Lord.

I know true, godly passion can only come from You, so draw me continually into Your embrace. Help me to love what You love and fight against what you fight. Most importantly, help me to make the most of every moment, to engage in this holy battle for freedom against oppression.

Jennifer Slattery, “Day 22: Replace Apathy with Passion,” 30-Day Prayer Challenge for Ending Racism (updated July 6 2020), https://www.ibelieve.com/christian-living/day-anti-racism-prayer-challenge.html.

MAY 30, 2024

God of All Mercies, we pray for the families who have fled their homes in fear. We lift up the mothers and fathers who have escaped with only their children, leaving everything else behind. Their country has changed, their lives will never be the same, and they are afraid of the future.

Lord, you are the God who heals. Please bring your comfort and healing to those who are hurting.

We lift up the communities who have taken in refugees and displaced people, even though they may be struggling themselves. We thank you for their generosity and compassion towards those in distress.

Lord, you are the God who provides. We pray that timely help and support will reach all who are in need.

Lord, there is so much pain and conflict across the Middle East. We pray for leaders throughout the region and ask you to turn their hearts towards peace. As our leaders and those around the world consider how to respond, please grant them wisdom and insight.

Lord Jesus, you are the Prince of Peace. We pray for an end to the violence and bloodshed, and ask you to bring a new dawn of peace across the Middle East.

-Amen

Prayer of Centering, Contemplative Prayer to End Racism, https://mailchi.mp/c3e3343b6a78/catholic-worker-pillar-9-social-action?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR0fRSk7IHW7JnwPSoJi7EKaoFydekPxhw2wogl2CSB0yvH4UiHHmI_GwLA_aem_AYpLLFzfwxfmvzDIPQEcV8REsQBDuD-YoWvEDjgXx3jLqbckoTzTD9XMDKi0rIOnrjq2gcsuMaBk0o-hALm04j6w.

MAY 31, 2024

Almighty God, our hearts cry out to you, joining the voices and hearts of all the marginalized, but especially our sisters and brothers of other races and nationalities. Help us to find ways to make a difference, not just while the crisis manages to capture the evening news, but for the long haul. Through Christ, we pray, amen.

Pastor Tobias, “Undoing Racism:Pray-Act, Repeat,” Redeemer Lutheran Church, New Paltz, NY, https://redeemernewpaltz.org/blog/undoing-racism-pray-act-repeat-a-pastoral-letter.

JUNE 3, 2024

Love incarnate,
Fountain of Mercy and Justice
In a world of inequity and pain
May our actions be our prayer.
We cry out for Shalom, fullness of life to all.
Let the Spirit of Truth guide us.
Let the Spirit of Love free us.
Give us the compassion, courage, and resolve
to become the light we seek
that many may see life and their dignity restored
Inspire us to embody a world without injustice and prejudice
Form us into channels of your love and peace
Let the river of justice and mercy flood our imperfect world
Quenching the thirst of parched souls and lands.
Abide in us, o Liberator, that we become the Word
so that the world may have Life, Life in all its abundance.
Amen

Rage & Hope: 75 Prayers for a Better World edited by Chine McDonald, cited in A Prayer for Racial Justice Sunday 2021, The Church of England, https://www.churchofengland.org/news-and-media/stories-and-features/prayer-racial-justice-sunday-2021.

JUNE 4, 2024

Racism breaks your Heart.
Break my heart for what
Breaks yours, O Lord.

Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, https://ministrylink.org/racism-breaks-gods-heart/.

JUNE 5, 2024

O God, you form all humanity to bear your divine image, and you intend for everyone to live together in harmonious dignity. We pray for all people, whether ourselves or others, who suffer the cruelties of racial or ethnic prejudice. Grant your Spirit of power to all who are oppressed. Give healing to victims of violence, protection to the vulnerable and abused, better housing and worthy employment to the mistreated, courage to the fearful, a remedy for rage, strength to parents and caregivers, and hope to children and youth. Purge the privileged of their sense of superiority, and lead church and society to foster communities of equity and diversity; through Jesus Christ, our loving Savior. Amen.

From All Creation Sings, 50, cited in “Worship Resources for the Day of Racial Healing,” Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, page 5, https://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Worship_Resources_for_Day_of_Racial_Healing.pdf.

JUNE 6, 2024

D-Day

How long must we remember, God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow? How long must we mark these historical events, when the war to end all wars came to a turning point on the beach in Normandy and too many died to gain an advantage? How long must we remember the carnage, the sacrifice, the brutality and inhumanity of a regime built on love of self to the exclusion of the other? How long must we mark the calendar for this day when forces were arrayed against an evil not yet understood? How long?

As long as we live broken and divided, we must remember this day. As long as there is still room for hate in our society, we must remember this day. As long as scapegoating and finger-pointing and warmongering continues, we must remember this day. And remember well the cost of letting racism continue unabated. We must remember. Open our eyes, God of all people, to the inevitable result of selfishness and help us remember the sacrifice of the many to overcome the hate. We give thanks that there are those who fight for justice. May we join them as we remember. Amen.

Derek C Weber, May 2024

JUNE 7, 2024

Dear God,

In our efforts to dismantle racism, we understand that we struggle not merely against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities – those institutions and systems that keep racism alive by perpetuating the lie that some members of the family are inferior and others superior.

Create in us a new mind and heart that will enable us to see brothers and sisters in the faces of those divided by racial categories.

Give us the grace and strength to rid ourselves of racial stereotypes that oppress some of us while providing entitlements to others.

Help us to create a church and a nation that embraces the hopes and fears of oppressed people of color where we live, as well as those around the world.

Heal your family, God, and make us one with you, in union with our brother Jesus, and empowered by your Holy Spirit.

Pax Christi, cited in “Meeting Prayers on Racism,” Catholic Health Association of the United States, https://www.chausa.org/prayers/cha-prayer-library/prayer/meeting-prayers-on-racism.

JUNE 10, 2024

Open my eyes that I may see
glimpses of truth thou hast for me.

Open My Eyes, words and music by Clara Scott, United Methodist Hymnal 454, v.1

“I just don’t see it.” A friend said that to me, All-seeing God. When we were speaking of the racism that persists in our culture and in our world, the response was, “I just don’t see it.” Instead, the argument continued, “I see people of color in many positions of power and influence; I see great wealth and great honor given to many people of color.”

Can both be true, God of possibilities and transformation? Are there signs of overcoming that rise above others who are pressed down? Can I see both? Am I brave enough to look high and low, seeking those glimpses of truth that reveal what some deny exists? Or does one success story outweigh all the systems and acts of racism? Open all of our eyes, Lord, that we may see, and then change the way the world works for all. In Christ’s name. Amen.

Derek C Weber, May 2024

JUNE 11, 2024

God,
You are the source of human dignity, and it is in your image that we are created.

Pour out on us the spirit of love and compassion.

Enable us to reverence each person, to reach out to anyone in need,
to value and appreciate those who differ from us,
to share the resources of our nation,
to receive the gifts offered to us
by people from other cultures.

Grant that we may always promote
the justice and acceptance
that ensures lasting peace and racial harmony.

Help us to remember that we are one world and one family.

Amen.

Australian Catholic Social Justice Council cited in “Meeting Prayers on Racism,” Catholic Health Association of the United States, https://www.chausa.org/prayers/cha-prayer-library/prayer/meeting-prayers-on-racism.

JUNE 12, 2024

Confessions are empty promises without meaningful actions—actions that are grounded in prayer, education, and soul-searching repentance. The sin of racism separates us from one another. Though we trust that we are reconciled to God through Christ’s death and resurrection, we seek such life-giving reconciliation with one another. As we repent, let us not turn back to ideologies that promote white supremacy. We trust that God can make all things new. Amen.

Worship Resources for the Day of Racial Healing, ELCA, page 2, https://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Worship_Resources_for_Day_of_Racial_Healing.pdf.

JUNE 13, 2024

Leader: Father of the Heavenly Lights, you brought us to life by your Word of truth,

People: We were made in your image, sons and daughters of all colors.

L: The cancerous wickedness of racism has caused your children to suffer. Prejudice, discrimination, and hatred have led to brokenness, violence, and even death.

P: We confess that we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have allowed the sin of racism to divide us in what we have done and what we have not done; what we have said and what we have not said.

L: Purify our hearts and tame our tongues, we pray;

P: Give us courage to repent, to fight for righteousness, and to love and embrace one another…

L: In the name of Jesus, Our Lord…

All: Amen

Litany of Confession, Rev. Rhea Summit, Pastor, New Alexandria UMC, cited in “Anti-Racism Resources,” Western Pennsylvania Conference, https://www.wpaumc.org/antiracismworshipresources.

JUNE 14, 2024

Healing God, we bring to you our prayers for all people who have left their homelands. For refugees and stateless people; for migrants who want to restart their life in a new land; and for people who have been dispossessed of their homelands that were part of their heritage. We pray for all people who yearn to return to their former homelands, but are prevented from that by hostile or indifferent powers or changed circumstances. We pray for people whose traditions, religious and social cultures have been, or are being, destroyed by thoughtless authorities. We pray for people who have no understanding or the necessary language of their new surroundings; for asylum seekers who know that they are not always welcome in their new situation, and who receive little encouragement. Welcoming God, we pray that you will be a new home - an eternal home - for all these troubled people that offers them hospitality and comfort; and teach us your own welcoming ways, so that we can all sing the songs of the Lord with sensitivity and heartfelt thanks. Amen.

Joan Stott, Prayers and Meditations, http://www.thetimelesspsalms.net/w_resources/pentecost20[27]c_2013.htm.

JUNE 17, 2024

To the Creator of all races and peoples, who loves each of us for our uniqueness, we offer our prayers of petition:

For an end to discrimination in all its forms, we pray ...