Develop a Discipleship System
Praying for Change: Daily Prayers for Anti-Racism (July-September 2023)
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JULY 3, 2023
O Great Creator, you are the God who gives colors to our lives. In times of our sadness and weakness both of body and soul, you are reminding us that we are not alone. That we can carry each other’s burdens. So that heavy loads will be lighter. If problems and difficulties will put us down, we will kneel and gather our strength and we will rise up. In ripen age, we will always remember that as long as there is hope, there is life. You are our hope and strength in these trying times. We put our trust in Jesus, our living hope. Amen.
Benjie B. Benitez, OSL, Pastor at First UMC - Dagupon Temple, Dagupan City, Philippines, cited in “Racial Justice Prayers of Hope,” R-Squared, General Commission on Religion and Race, https://www.r2hub.org/library/racial-justice-prayers-of-hope.
JULY 4, 2023
When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood before him with his drawn sword in his hand; and Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" And he said, "No; but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come."
Joshua 5:13-14 RSV
“Are you for us or against us?” “No.” Joshua’s question to the stranger with the sword is one of our favorite questions, God of every nation. We like choosing sides and pointing fingers. We like knowing who is on our side and who is against us, friend and foe, ally and enemy. But in this brief encounter, we can’t help but wonder if you have another way of looking at the world we have made. If maybe even in the face of conflict, we could see beyond the binary of friend and foe. That resolution comes from acknowledging our common humanity and God-given unity of need and hope.
On this Independence Day, maybe once more we can learn to lean into interdependence instead. Can we celebrate our freedom to love and to serve, our liberty to welcome and include, rather than our power to divide? Help us, God of peace and justice, to work to shape our nation into something that resembles the vision you have for kin-dom and heaven. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
Derek Weber, June 2023
Verses marked RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
JULY 5, 2023
Gracious God:
We come before You as a sinful nation, a people laden with iniquities.
We repent, O God, for the 500-hundred year oppression of people of color.
We repent of the smug self-satisfaction with our material prosperity—prosperity rooted in exploitation.
We repent of our church, steeped in the cultural values of consumerism, comfort, and White supremacy.
We repent of tithing mint and dill and cumin while neglecting justice and mercy and faith. We have, indeed, strained out a gnat and swallowed a camel.
We repent of our deliberate ignorance about race and racism, the practiced innocence and convenient naiveté that protect us from acknowledging the truth.
We repent of the myths we tell; the lies we defend; the unearned, undeserved privileges we like to call blessings.
We repent of the institutions we have built, the systems and structures, the policies and practices that created and perpetuate White supremacy.
We repent of blaming the oppressed for their oppression, masking our hate with pity and contempt.
We repent of our self-serving complacency, our pretense that time equals progress, our insistence that we are one of the good guys.
Father, forgive us, for we know exactly what we do.
Lord, hear our prayer . . .
Charles Green, “Prayer of Repentance for White Supremacy” (June 8, 2020), Hope College Blog Network, https://blogs.hope.edu/getting-race-right/uncategorized/prayer-of-repentance-for-white-supremacy.
JULY 6, 2023
God, creator of all living things, unite us as people of faith to stand side by side with our suffering brothers and sisters. You have created us in Your image and likeness as equals. Our greatest sin occurs when we treat people with disrespect or as if they were created inferior because of the color of their skin. Let us reach out to those most hurt by acts of discrimination. Let our prayers plead for forgiveness for any wrong we have committed. As a community, guided by the Holy Spirit, let us work toward educating society and seek to be models of Your love so that a real conversion can occur.
We pray this in Your name.
Amen.
Theresa Konitzer, “Prayer for Equality,” Anti-Racism Playlist, Disciples Peace Fellowship, https://www.disciplespeace.org/playlist/anti-racism.
JULY 7, 2023
God of the saints already gathered home,
who leads us through trials dark and hidden snares:
give us perseverance to work toward the perfect day here and now,
rather than tolerating oppression
until we reach the by and by;
in the name of the Word, whom we trust, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Drawing from “By and By”
Sr. Heather Josselyn-Cranson, OSL
(previously posted – July 17, 2020)
JULY 10, 2023
Father, Bless us as we strive to find our way to true racial reconciliation.
Open our eyes to all that goes on around us that contribute to racial injustice.
Grant us the knowledge to understand all that we do, both personally and as a society, which prevents us from recognizing and defending the dignity of all our brothers and sisters, and especially at this time, our brothers and sisters of color who are now feeling so much pain.
Grant us the grace to reflect on our own actions and inactions that contribute to this pain.
And grant us the strength to take action to alleviate this pain and to end racial injustice in all its forms.
In your name, we pray.
Phil Chick, “Finding True Racial Reconciliation,” Prayers for Racial Justice and Reconciliation, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/prayer-index/prayers-for-racial-justice-and-reconciliation.
JULY 11, 2023
Eight Billion. It is incomprehensible, God of every person, that there could be more than eight billion people populating this planet. It is a number too big for our heads, too big for our hearts. It is not within our capacity to know, be concerned about, or care for eight billion people. Too many of them escape our attention. Too many never enter our consciousness until some tragedy, some disaster – natural or human-made – brings devastation to places of which we had never even heard.
Why is it, I can’t help but wonder, when we do learn of these previously unnoticed people, they are often brown or black-skinned? Why is it that these are the people who bear the terrible burden of the world’s greed and selfishness? Why is it that these are the ones we don’t see until their world ends?
Open our eyes, Lord who provides, to those we overlook or choose to ignore. Open our hearts to the impact our lifestyle has on an overburdened world. Open our hands to means of grace for all – grace real as bread, real as rice, real as shelter and medicine and protection. Open us, Lord of all, to an incomprehensible population and an overwhelming love. Amen.
Derek Weber, July 2023
JULY 12, 2023
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 on the Social Justice Resource Center Website, https://socialjusticeresourcecenter.org/prayers/racism/.
JULY 13, 2023
Dearest loving beautiful God, Creator of all;
We give thanks for the allure and attractiveness of every single one of us.
We are created in your image, created in beauty and power and promise.
Help us to recognize with our minds,
and our hearts,
and our spirits,
what is truly gorgeous and glorious.
Open us to respond to the inner beauty that resides within,
resisting the myths of our superficial culture.
May we find within ourselves confidence in our being. May we understand that cosmetics do not define normalcy, that aesthetics are an addition and not the core of who we are.
Help us, O God, to find beauty within ourselves.
Liberate us from the norms of what is desirable and attractive.
Shallow standards hold us captive,
by limiting imagination and connection
by reinforcing contemptible stereotypes and
detracting from our collective humanity.
Release us from the prisons of preference and privilege that condemn through physical appearance. Let us love ourselves so that we may love our neighbours. Attune us to all the forms of beauty in this wonderful world, within and around us, may we be your beloved and beautiful people.
In Christ, we pray,
Amen.
Kenji Marui, “Help Us Find Beauty within Ourselves,” The United Church of Canada, https://united-church.ca/prayers/help-us-find-beauty-within-ourselves.
JULY 14, 2023
Good and gracious God, you invite us to recognize and reverence your divine image and likeness in our neighbor. Enable us to see the reality of racism and free us to challenge and uproot it from our society, our world and ourselves.
This we pray: AMEN
Sisters of Mercy, “Prayer: The Elimination of Racism,” https://www.sistersofmercy.org/resource/prayer-the-elimination-of-racism/.
JULY 17, 2023
Dear God,
In the effort to dismantle racism, I understand that I 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 our family are inferior and others superior.
Create in me a new mind and heart that will enable me to see brothers and sisters in the faces of those divided by racial categories.
Give me the grace and strength to rid myself of racial stereotypes that oppress some in my family while providing entitlements to others.
Help me to create a nation that embraces the hopes and fears of oppressed people of color where we live, as well as those around the world.
Help me to heal your family, making me one with you and empowered by your Holy Spirit.
Adapted by Debra Mooney, PhD from Pax Christi, “Dismantling Racism in My Family of God,” Prayers for Racial Justice and Reconciliation, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/prayer-index/prayers-for-racial-justice-and-reconciliation#Jericho-Road.
JULY 18, 2023
It’s been a long time, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will …
A Change is Gonna Come, written by Sam Cooke
Lyrics © Abkco Music Inc.
Sometimes it is hard to hold on to hope, God of promise, God of kin-dom. And yet, that is our calling, we who claim the name of Christ, to hope. To lean into the promise of change, of wholeness, of equity and of justice. So, help us continue to pray with hope. Help us not surrender to the brokenness that we see around us. Help us not give in to the voices that say injustice doesn’t exist here anymore, that racism doesn’t exist here anymore. Let us continue to pray for that change that is gonna come.
More than that, let us be a part of the change. Let us examine our own souls for the remnants of a world that is passing away. Let us root out of our relationships, our families, our churches, our workplaces any sign of the division, the supremacy, the contempt that keeps us from participating in your kingdom that is coming. Help us hold on to hope. Christ, have mercy. Amen.
Derek Weber, July 2023
JULY 19, 2023
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,” The United Church of Canada https://united-church.ca/prayers/we-come-you-ready-work-ourselves.
JULY 20, 2023
I have no place of comfort but at your feet.
Take me to your bosom and warm my heart that is growing cold.
Renew my life, fill me with your love. Only you can
Help me find peace. Only you can help me love those
Who would spitefully use me, hate me, isolate me, take
Away my personhood. Remind me you created them, too,
Sisters and brothers. Hold me, fix me Lord.
I pray you, don’t let us fall apart. Bless us, Lord,
Those who live on the fringes. Strengthen us.
Show us the way. Bind our wounds. Heal our hurts.
Forgive us when we forget to “love one another.”
Only in the power of your love and redemptive acts
Can we find the right thoughts to think, the right
Words to say, the right actions to take.
Lord, hear our prayer. We offer our petitions to you,
O God of Love and Mercy, of Healing and Renewal.
Excerpted from Women’s Uncommon Prayers, Edited by Elizabeth Rankin Geitz, Ann Smith, and Marjorie Burke Submitted by Judith Lockhart Radtke, cited in The Antiracism Prayer Book, page 9, https://www.trinitychurchboston.org/sites/default/files/ART-Prayerbook-FINAL_0.pdf.
JULY 21, 2023
Let us build connection; let us be in relationship.
The systems and circumstances that continue to oppress and disempower are connected; they work together and uplift each other. That is one of their greatest strengths. Therefore, we must do the same. We must work together and build relationships to fight against oppression.
God, help us to see the connection between racism and poverty. Help us to come together to make change. We know you call on us to create a world built on love, equity, and justice. This means being in relationship and relying on each other to create this world. We must work together to uplift justice and equity. Help us to reflect on the relationships we build and the changes we want to see.
Thank you for equipping us with all we need to create a world built on love, equity, and justice.
Amen.
Thea Sheridan-Jonah, Let Us Work Together and Uplift Each Other,” The United Church of Canada, https://united-church.ca/prayers/let-us-work-together-and-uplift-each-other.
JULY 24, 2023
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” by Rev. Rhea Summit, Pastor, New Alexandria UMC, cited in Anti-Racism Worship Resources, Western Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church, https://www.wpaumc.org/antiracismworshipresources.
JULY 25, 2023
Gracious God, you created all of us in your image. Open our hearts and minds to this reality. Let us recognize that we are all Your beloved sons and daughters.
You are community: Father, Son, and Spirit. Help us to foster community in our neighborhoods. Teach us to be one as you are one. Teach us to love as you love.
Open our eyes to the sin of racism. Show us where it exists in our society. Please grant us the courage to denounce it, but always with a loving heart like yours.
Enlighten our minds to be aware of our own weaknesses and gently teach us not to act out of our own biases. Teach us to celebrate our differences and to see diversity as strength.
Please grant us the grace to work together for an end to racism in our world. We long to live together in your kingdom as brothers and sisters.
Amen.
Young Catholics Prayer to End Racism, https://young-catholics.com/1649/prayer-to-end-racism/.
JULY 26, 2023
Jesus, Lord of life and Lord of Love, are you behind this day? Is it even a real thing? This all or nothing day. But it sounds like something you would do, something you would proclaim. All or nothing day. Are we all in, or are we holding back? Are we letting what is broken in this world continue to slide by while we avert our eyes, or are we standing up for those oppressed by an unjust world? Are we wrapped up in that which annoys us, or do we see what destroys another? Specks and logs, this sounds like something you would have us do. Your call is that we are all in for your kingdom, all in for your vision of what living in the world could be about. We’re all in for equality and for justice. We are all in for an end to racism in every heart and in the structures of our society. We are all in for a world you describe as a pearl or a treasure, as hidden yeast and found lambs. Help us, Lord of every moment, every action, every choice, be all in for you. Amen.
Derek Weber, July 2023
JULY 27, 2023
Creator,
You who with a breath fills us with your Spirit, we thank you for the prophetic life and witness of Dr. King who reminds us that “history will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”
Silence is betrayal, and we confess that we have allowed fear to silence us for too long. We have allowed fear to let us wait for a “more convenient season” and not name the sins of our nation, our denomination, and especially our own faith tradition. We have been silent as white supremacy and power; Christian nationalism and jingoistic idolatry have been given the place of honor at the table.
We know that “change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle,” and so we, in our confession, ask also for the strength and the courage to straighten our backs as we work for justice. Give us the boldness to take the risks necessary to become the people you are calling us to be; to be the churches you are calling us to be; and to be the denomination you are calling us to be. Give us the drum major instinct.
This we pray in the name of the crucified, risen, and ascended Christ.
Amen
American Baptist Church Anti-Racism Task Force, Rev. Dr. Natalie C. Wimberly, co-chair, Rev. Justin Thornburgh, co-chair, et al, https://www.abc-usa.org/2021/01/prayer-for-truth-and-action-from-the-abc-anti-racism-task-force/.
JULY 28, 2023
O God, who created and loves all people,
We come before you today confessing the sin of racism in our country, our church and in ourselves. Forgive us for our part in it, for the ways we have contributed to the oppression of others whether knowingly or unknowingly.
We want to be different and for our nation to be different, but it is hard when we face the injustice of institutions as well as the prejudice in ourselves.
Help us to see the reality of racism and bigotry wherever it exists and to have the courage to challenge it. Through your Holy Spirit, may we be given the grace and power to change within ourselves and also, to join with others to do the work of love and justice in the world; to move toward the goal of bringing an end to racism.
Through the name of your son, Jesus, who came for all people,
Amen.
Prayer of Confession by Heather Burtch, member, WPAUMC Anti-Racism Team, cited in Anti-Racism Worship Resources, Western Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church, https://www.wpaumc.org/antiracismworshipresources.
JULY 31, 2023
Lord, make us an instrument of your peace. People are crying and are dying. Violence is raging all around us. Another Black and Brown body laid to rest because of violence and injustice. Lord, we know that you see all and know all. Please, oh God, send your angels of mercy over this City to stop the madness. We humbly ask for your forgiveness. Create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us. We ask this in Jesus ‘name, who laid His life down for such as this. Amen.
Church of the Servant (Christian Reformed Church), Prayerwalk Prayers, https://www.churchoftheservantcrc.org/cos-prayer-walk-antiracism-team.
AUGUST 1, 2023
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.
Excerpted from “Confession Racism: A Lament for the Church, ELCA, Worship Resources for the Day of Racial Healing, page 2, https://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Worship_Resources_for_Day_of_Racial_Healing.pdf.
AUGUST 2, 2023
The dog days of summer, that’s what they call them, Lord of times and seasons, this hot and humid ending to summer. We’re all uncomfortable, some more than others. Some are suffering and dying in the relentless heat. The hottest temperatures ever recorded are all recent. We’re heating up. And our patience is thin, our tolerance disappearing, we’re prickly. We lash out, call names and point fingers. It’s all a bit unfair to dogs, it seems to me. If any creature is patient and forgiving, willing to lick the hand of the one who hurts them, it is dogs. Maybe in these dog days, we should resolve to be more doggish.
I know, the dog days aren’t about dogs, but about Sirius the dog star, supposedly the cause of the dragging out of the summer heat. It’s the brightest star after the sun. Maybe we could let the dog star guide us into a new way of living in community – with grace, with justice, with forgiveness, and with reconciliation. Let us overcome our prickly emotions and discomfort and lean into the kin-dom of heaven. Even in the dog days of summer. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Derek Weber, July 2023
AUGUST 3, 2023
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart and especially the hearts of the people of this land, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
“Prayer for Social Justice,” Weekly Prayers, Christ Church Episcopal, Anchorage, Alaska, page 1, https://www.christchurchanchorage.org/weekly%20prayers.pdf.
AUGUST 4, 2023
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.
Excerpted from Vigil following the Insurrection at the Capitol, Episcopal Peace Fellowship, https://epfnational.org/resources/litanies.
AUGUST 7, 2023
Lord Jesus, guide us into a deeper awareness of the sin of the world, specifically the sin of racism. Give us eyes to see, Lord, so that we may configure ourselves to you. Amen.
by Jorge Roque, SJ, “Mundane Racism—Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat,” The Jesuit Post (August 5, 2020), https://thejesuitpost.org/2020/08/mundane-racism-know-justice-know-peace-a-jesuit-antiracism-retreat.
AUGUST 8, 2023
God of Justice, we give you thanks for your great glory. God of Love, we give you thanks for your great mercy. We pray that you will help us to see all your children veiled in the dignity of love.
God, we acknowledge the current times. The times of growing fears, growing violence, and growing hate. This world needs your love. Give us the courage to be your love.
God, we acknowledge the child who lost their mother because of our broken immigration system. Our children need your love. Give us the courage to be your love.
God, we acknowledge the parent who lost their child because of our broken criminal justice system. Our parents need your love. Give us the courage to be your love.
God, we acknowledge the youth who are left to bear the pain of our broken racial systems. Our youth need your love. Give us the courage to be your love.
God, we acknowledge the oppressors who have been given positions of power. They need your love. Give us the courage to be your love.
God, I acknowledge my responsibility to my sisters and brothers in the current times and in the future. I need your love. Give me the courage to be your love.
Amen.
Written by Edith Avila Olea, Justice and Peace Associate Director at the Diocese of Joliet in Illinois, “Recommit to Racial Justice,” page 14, Network Advocates for Justice, https://networkadvocates.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/05/RecommittoRacialJustice.pdf.
AUGUST 9, 2023
While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" And pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." Matthew 12:46-50 NRSV
It is summertime, God of labor and of rest, and some of us are spending time with family, going on vacation, playing with children, and caring for parents and grandparents. It is a busy time, sometimes a difficult time, often a full-heart time, and we give you thanks for all of it.
We admit that part of what we’re doing is getting away. Getting away from work, getting away from boredom, getting away from others who occupy our time and our energy and who get in the way of spending time with family. But that’s a good thing, right? We need perspective; we need to be with those in our care to bind the family together.
Except Jesus seems to have a different idea of what family is. And that somehow, we are supposed to be bonded with those who are not of our blood, not in our family line. We are somehow supposed to be in communion with those who don’t look like us or sound like us. God, Father and Mother of us all, you know how hard it is to get along with relatives. So, help us begin to be the family you have called us to be. In our brother Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Derek Weber, July 2023
AUGUST 10, 2023
Almighty God, source of our life, we acknowledge you as Creator of all people of every race, language, and way of life. Help us to see each other as you see us: your sons and daughters loved into being and sustained by your parental care. Keep watch over our hearts so that the evil of racism will find no home with us. Direct our spirits to work for justice and peace so that all barriers to your grace which oppress our brothers and sisters will be removed. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
“Bible Readings and Prayers to End Racism,” page 2, Used with permission, Augustinian Secretariate for Justice and Peace and midwestaugustinians.org/, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/50e5979fe4b0d83d9231662c/t/58c3181dbf629a85334f8694/1489180701327/justpaxracepray.pdf.
AUGUST 11, 2023
Creator God, open our hearts to the love and light in all of our brothers and sisters. Open our minds to empty ourselves of racial stereotypes. Help us to see difference as a treasure. Give us the grace to embrace one another so that one day we will be transformed and no longer strangers but united as one family, the family of God. Provide for us the strength to live in this hope and do this work in Mercy. Amen.
“Anti-Racism Prayer,” Sisters of Mercy, http://www.mercymidatlantic.org/Anti-RacismPrayer.pdf.
AUGUST 14, 2023
Most merciful God,
We confess that we are mired in sin and cannot get free on our own. We have judged others based on skin color, sex, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, ability, financial and social status. We have preferred the ease and simplicity of placing others into boxes to the complexity of getting to know one another as siblings. We have contributed to and often benefited from systems that maintain the power of a privileged few. We have remained silent in the face of racism, sexism, heterosexism, transphobia, ableism, and other forms of prejudice. Through both our action and inaction, war, poverty, and environmental degradation continue on massive scales. We have ignored your prophets and turned from your command to put you first and neighbor second. We have permitted the ends for which we live to become confused with the means by which we live. Forgive our ignorance. Forgive our weakness. Forgive our sin. May your love overwhelm us, your peace disturb us, and your spirit move us so that we cannot help but do your will at all times and in all places, always glorifying your name.
Amen.
Rev. Elizabeth Rawlings, “Confession of Complicity in Injustice,” Disrupt Worship Project, https://www.disruptworshipproject.com/confession-of-complicity-in-injustice.
AUGUST 15, 2023
Your children are hurting, God. With hearts aching and spirits broken, with emotions overflowing, we don't know what to do. For centuries, we have faced adversity, hardship, and pain. False promises are made that things will change, but they don't.
My God, The Preamble of our Constitution of the United States of America promises justice, an assurance of domestic tranquility, provide for common defense, provide for general welfare, and secure the liberty to ourselves and our prosperity. This has proven not to be true for Your Black and Brown children.
We are bound by the injustices of hatred and meanness. The injustice of unsanitary living conditions. The injustice of poor health care. The injustice of poor education. he injustice of lack of jobs and employment. The injustice of a biased judicial system against us. The injustice of little food to eat and lack of clean water.
How long, God, must we suffer? Your Word says I am in you, and you are in me. Every time they kill one of your children, You die also.
During this Pentecost season, we need the strong, powerful winds of Your mighty power to blow through our world to bring about a change that must change, or we will be lost.
We humbly come to you, O God, where hearts are fearful and constricted, grant courage and hope. Where anxiety is infectious and widening, grant peace and reassurance. Where impossibilities close every door and window, grant imagination and resistance. Where distrust twists our thinking, grant healing and illumination. Where spirits are daunted and weakened, grant soaring wings and strengthened dreams. All these things we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
Excepted from “Prayer for Comfort: I'm Tired!” (June 2, 2020) The Rev. Linda Bell, Member of the Metropolitan New York Synod 50-40-10 Taskforce, https://www.mnys.org/from-pastors-desk/prayer-for-comfort-im-tired/.
AUGUST 16, 2023
My mind is reeling these days, O God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I’m sure I’m reading it wrong, hearing it wrong, missing something vital in the news about those who wish to shape how we teach our own history. It has been reported that there is the intention to teach our children that slavery was a beneficial thing for some. That it was, while admittedly harsh at times, a jobs training course of sorts. I hardly know how to pray about this, God of truth and God of justice.
Some have said that it was a long time ago, so what does it matter now? But if we lie to ourselves and teach our children falsehoods about our history, why not lie to ourselves about what is happening around us every day? The evils of slavery are not simply a past we must reckon with but continue to reverberate through our culture and our legal system and far too many hearts and minds, all of which still see someone of a darker skin tone as being somehow worth less than those of lighter skin. Heal us, Lord, of our chains of the past that still shape us today. And give us grace to tell the truth about what was, what is, and what could be. In your Spirit. Amen.
Derek Weber, August 2023
AUGUST 17, 2023
O God, father, mother, sister, brother, all our faces are seen across the world. Across this land, help us to value and enjoy the diversity in your creation and in the human family. Help us to embrace one another and allow your Spirit to transform and enrich us in these growing relationships.
We pray for your grace to touch our lives in ways that bring us to life to work for you more effectively. Help each of us to know more clearly who we are, so that all can be proud of being created in your image and trust your presence with us on our life’s journey. Amen.
Prayers and Reflections on Racial Justice (compiled June 2020), page 5, https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5ea728009d83428de2d8ea2d/62efeb15dd39ff3f3202712f_RJM_Prayers_and_Reflections_on_Racial_Justice.pdf.
AUGUST 18, 2023
God of the Oppressed,
Yet again you have been killed by the very people that claim to love you
Yet again your innocent blood has been poured out
How long must your body endure this suffering?
God of Justice,
Yet again we ask you, when will you make all things right? When will you hold accountable the evil doers?
We are tired of waiting! Your people are still dying!
Make your ears deaf to the prayers of those who would say these evil acts are justified
For you are a God who loves justice and will punish the evil doer.
Reconciling God,
We lament we are not your reconciled people
We lament that the love of power has found a place in your church
Forgive us. Heal us. Speak your truth to us.
Amen.
By Danilo Sanchez cited in “Prayers of Lament: Responding to the Violence of Racism” (June 1, 2020)m Mennonite Church USA, https://www.mennoniteusa.org/menno-snapshots/lament-violence-of-racism.
AUGUST 21, 2023
Most Holy Lord, with much praise and thanksgiving, we seek Your divine help as we focus now on removing racial injustices from the face of America. We come as we continue to relive the eight minutes and forty-five seconds that stopped the perpetual clock of racial injustice in this nation and around the world. Lord, we find ourselves in a season of overt unrest after centuries of relative silence where we often endured much needless pain caused by a justice so long denied. While we seek for this country the force of Your will for us, we join the overwhelming cries of a people who shout, “Enough! Enough!” as we envision a transformed nation where racism is completely eradicated.
Come, Almighty Father! Be our strength and shield as we forge through many obstacles to make justice grounded in love spring to the forefront of this country’s collective conscience, bringing with it a long-sought equality for everyone. We pray for both peace and justice as realities everywhere, Lord, as we pray also for the speedy conversion of persons committed to racism, to acts of violence and to other racially motivated injustices. Almighty Father, with a sustained sense of faith in You and a bright vision of racial justice for all, we pray this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
“A Prayer for Racial Justice” by Ann Price, https://b65de766771c0b853a36-be165dca3b4cdda77f8dc2ad6b17900c.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/uploaded/p/0e10547891_1592165164_prayer-racial-justice-web-page-a-price.pdf.
AUGUST 22, 2023
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, Church of England, https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/liturgical-resources-racial-justice-sunday.
AUGUST 23, 2023
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, “Day 2: Lord Search My Heart,” 30 Day Prayer Challenge for Ending Racism (June 15, 2020), https://www.ibelieve.com/faith/day-anti-racism-prayer-challenge.html.
AUGUST 24, 2023
Dear God, my prayer is that we will all have our consciousness raised, that we will each find large or small ways to help bring about reconciliation, and that one day, with Your help, we will come together with our brothers and sisters in The Beloved Community. Amen.
Social Justice and Anti-Racism Commission, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Mt. Lebanon, Pittsburgh, page 7, https://www.stpaulspgh.org/uploads/images/sjar-parish-guide-first-draft_680.pdf.
AUGUST 25, 2023
Someone named this day “Kiss and Make Up” day, God of conflict and of reconciliation. What a simplistic idea, it seems to me. It calls to mind the days when whatever hurt you had could be fixed with a hug from mom or a cookie. Oh, that the problems we face in this wonderful world you have given to us could be solved with a cookie or a kiss. If only it were that easy. The divisions among us, the history that divides us, the denied animosity and overlooked injustice are simply too great, too complex, too hurtful and troubling to be resolved with simplistic solutions, no matter how heartfelt.
Yet, we have to start somewhere. We have to reach across the lines we’ve drawn, embrace the enemies we’ve created in our own minds, find unity in diversity. Maybe the holy kiss we need is an acknowledgment of the problem and the will to make a change. Help us, Lord, begin the journey of reconciliation and hope. Amen.
Derek Weber, August 2023
AUGUST 28, 2023
Good and gracious God
who loves and delights in all people,
we stand in awe before You,
knowing that the spark of life
within each person on earth
is the spark of your divine life.
Differences among cultures and races
are multicolored manifestations of Your light.
May our hearts and minds be open
to celebrate similarities and differences
among our sisters and brothers.
We place our hopes for racial harmony in You,
Our loving God.
AMEN
Adapted from Joseph Stoutzenberger, Justice & Peace, Dubuque, Iowa: Brown-ROA, 2000, cited in A Toolkit for Anti-Racism Prayer Services, page 16, Archdiocese of Chicago, Office for Racial Justice, http://www.ospihm.org/racial-healing/docs/Toolkit-for-Anti-Racism-Prayer-Services.pdf.
AUGUST 29, 2023
Use us, oh God, to be your voice of justice in our hurting world.
Use us, oh God, to be the change we know you want to see
Where eyes and ears and hearts are opened –
And every Black brother and sister can breathe free, be recognized as
sacred, and racism is dismantled.
Change takes time. And time is up!! May we do everything in the name of love. Because you, our god created us to, you called us to, and you will give us the strength and courage we need to do it. Amen.
Prayer – Betsy Conway, CSJ, Anti‐Racism Prayer Vigil, Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston, page 1, https://www.csjboston.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/CSJ-Anti-Racism-opening-prayer-and-statemen-for-vigil-6-7-20.pdf.
AUGUST 30, 2023
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.
“A Prayer for Challenging Racism,” Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, cited in “Stand Up to Racism,” Social Justice Resource Center, https://socialjusticeresourcecenter.org/prayers/racism.
AUGUST 31, 2023
August ends today, God of change and of season. September speaks to many of us of intensity and transition. Some of our youngest have been in school for a while; others are starting soon. We can’t help but feel a deeper anxiety as we let our children go. In addition to all the usual fears and concerns about growing and learning and being apart from parents and protectors, we worry about the world they are learning about. We worry about the relationships they are building. We worry about the future they will help to create. Raising children is an anxiety-ridden enterprise, God who tells us not to fear. So, help us with our fears. Help us with our short-sightedness. Help us with our suspicions of the other. Help us support and trust those who have chosen to be educators and administrators of the schools we have built and funded.
But most of all, help us to not pass on our fears in ways that inhibit our children and confine them to the worlds we have created for ourselves – worlds of suspicion and division and hate. Instead, help us learn from the young ones who care less about differences in skin tone and zip code and are able to forge bonds that give us all hope. Help us listen and learn with them as, together, we all build a beloved community that resembles the kingdom you described to us. Help us seek the treasure of friendship. In Christ’s name, Amen.
Derek Weber, August 2023
SEPTEMBER 1, 2023
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 Anti-Racism,” The United Church of Canada, https://united-church.ca/prayers/prayer-anti-racism.
SEPTEMBER 4, 2023
Another Labor Day, God of call and of sending. Let us celebrate work of all kinds today. Let us be grateful for those who labor, for those who do the jobs that many of us wouldn’t do. Remind us to appreciate those we once called essential and now mostly ignore or complain about. There are so many workers that many of us take for granted, God who sees. Open our eyes; teach us to be kind to workers, those who serve and yet want to be seen as human, as equal, and appreciated. Workers in retail, workers in food industry and entertainment, workers in education and health care, workers in agriculture, workers in sanitation and road construction, all these and more deserve respect and fair wages and benefits to make it possible to live in the cities and towns and country where they work. Let’s tear down the tacit caste system that sees some as less than others; let’s live as if we were all in one beloved community of honor and justice. Let us declare a happy Labor Day for all and find ways to mean it. In the name of the one who calls into service, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Derek Weber, August 2023
SEPTEMBER 5, 2023
Wake me up, Lord, so that the evil of racism finds no home within me.
Keep watch over my heart, Lord, and remove from me any barriers to your grace that may oppress and offend my brothers and sisters.
Fill my spirit, Lord, so that I may give services of justice and peace.
Clear my mind, Lord, and use it for your glory.
And finally, remind us, Lord, that you said, "blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God."
Amen.
from For The Love of One Another (1989), a special message from the Bishops' Committee on Black Catholics of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, https://www.usccb.org/resources/prayer-service-racial-healing-our-land.
SEPTEMBER 6, 2023
Sovereign Lord Jesus Christ, who took human form and broke down the walls that divide;
We seek your forgiveness for not living out the truth that all are one in Christ, for the sin of racism.
We pray for all those affected by the marginalisation of prejudice and the violence of racist words and actions.
We pray that we might uproot its cancerous and systemic hold on our own institutions.
We pray that we might recognise in reverence your divine image and likeness in our neighbour,
And find joy in the resemblance.
We pray in your name and seeking your glory. Amen.
Archbishop Justin Welby and Dr Sanjee Perera, Archbishops' Adviser on Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns, for Racial Justice Sunday, “A Prayer for Racial Justice Sunday” (2/13/2021), https://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/news/news-and-statements/prayer-racial-justice-sunday.
SEPTEMBER 7, 2023
O God, author of true freedom, whose will it is to shape all men and women into a single people released from slavery, and who offers us a tome of grace and blessing, grant to your people, we pray, that, as we receive new growth in freedom, we may appear more clearly to the world as the universal sacrament of salvation, manifesting and making present the mystery of your love for all.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Opening Prayer, Requiem for Black Children of God, created by Bishop Fernand Cheri of the, Archdiocese of New Orleans, page 3, https://paxchristiusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/REQUIEM-FOR-BLACK-CHILDREN-OF-GOD-edited.pdf.
SEPTEMBER 8, 2023
God of Justice that created all people, without exception in your image, liberate us from the Sin of Racism and Tribalism.
Strengthen our Faith to overcome the fear of racism and tribalism so we may gain understanding and realize the harmful impact racism and tribalism has on people.
Open our eyes to realize the dignity and worth of every human being.
Open our ears to hear the cries of those wounded by racial and tribal discrimination and their lament for change.
Open our hearts to repent of hate-filled attitudes, behaviors, and speech that demeans others.
Let us repent for not doing enough to speak up – to say, “No! That’s not right!”
In your mercy and compassion, walk with us as we continue our journey of healing to create a future that is just and equitable. Lord, you are our hope. Without you, nothing will ever change. Provide us the courage and passion to exhibit Christ-like love. Equip us to speak and act in love for all people and work in every aspect of life to eliminate all racism and tribalism.
Thank You, Lord, for your mercy and grace. We lift this prayer for all ethnicities, tribes, and nations to live in peace. Amen.
Pamela Hammond McDavid, Ph.D.,Laity, Springfield, IL, cited in “Racial Justice Prayers of Repentance,” R2, Religions and Race, https://www.r2hub.org/library/racial-justice-prayers-of-repentance.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2023
It has come to be called “Patriot Day,” God of all days and all nations. Sometimes we call it a National Day of Service and Remembrance, this anniversary of a tragedy. It is a reminder of vulnerability and the riskiness of living in a divided world. Much of the world lives this way all the time, on the edge of disaster, or under the threat of terror and death. But it was a shock to us, the citizens of a country we call the USA. It brought the startling realization that not everyone in the world saw us as the heroes, the good guys, the shining example of democracy and human rights that we tell ourselves we are. And it opened the door to hate that has always been around and within us. Name-calling and finger pointing and race suspicion and fear. And it has only gotten worse, it seems, in the twenty-two years since that fateful day.
So, for what shall we pray on this day, the sad and terrible day? Maybe that we indeed continue to choose service as a response. Maybe that we examine the divisions between us, both within our nations and between them. Maybe that we take up the task that our Lord brought and work toward reconciliation rather than condemnation, peace rather than vengeance. Maybe we should pray for mercy – mercy received and mercy given. In Christ’s name. Amen.
Derek Weber, September 2023
SEPTEMBER 12, 2023
Almighty God, Creator of us all,
In ancient times the Psalmist cried out,
“How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?” (Psalm 13:1-2)
This weekend another shooter,
leaving messages of racial hatred in so many locations
that they could not be missed,
took an AR-15 and killed
Angela, AJ, and Jerrald,
three Black people
who were buying groceries and goods,
and going about a normal day.
How long, O LORD, will some have to live in fear,
while others read the news
with docile sadness,
as though a shooting in a Dollar General
is a normal day?
How long, O LORD, before we conform to
your commandment
to love our neighbor as ourselves?
Excerpted from Bishop Tom Berlin, a prayer in response to the shootings in Jacksonville, Florida, News from us (brtapp.com), Part One.
SEPTEMBER 13, 2023
How long before we see your commandment
as more than an aspiration, or suggestion,
or a good intention that we should hold
for some day in the future that we sense
we will never live to see?
The enemy that triumphs over us is
the long and tenacious root of racism
that continues to invade our society.
We confess that we have never fully committed
to removing it fully.
We have laid aside our spade and shovel
when the day got hot and the work felt
too hard or too long.
We pray for those who have lost life
and those they love.
We pray for those who experience fear
that is based on facts.
Stir up in us a desire to serve you,
to live peacefully with our neighbors,
to be their allies and friends.
As we devote each day to your Son,
our Savior, Jesus Christ,
we pray that his Lordship would lead us
to move beyond acceptance
to the work of transformation,
so that all would know the goodness
of life that is free from fear and death.
Help us to love our neighbor
in ways that bring your kingdom
to earth
as it is in heaven.
Amen.
Excerpted from Bishop Tom Berlin, a prayer in response to the shootings in Jacksonville, Florida, News from us (brtapp.com), Part Two.
SEPTEMBER 14, 2023
God of justice, all people are made in your image and all people have equal dignity and worth.
Show me the ways I have been blind to my own prejudices and help me be part of the healing rather than part of the problem.
May I have the humility to learn and the courage to call others forth to a world of greater equality.
Amen.
Shannon K. Evans, “Active Antiracism Prayer” (August 23, 2021, Franciscan Media, https://www.franciscanmedia.org/pausepray/active-anti-racism/.
SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
Our Jewish brothers and sisters will begin celebrating Rosh Hashanah at sundown tonight, God of the people and of seasons. It is one of the celebrations of the Jewish New Year, and we who are outside that faith join in wishing a blessed observance and a humble entry into the Yamim Nora’im or the Days of Awe that end with Yom Kippur. Rather than being a celebration of excess, this is a time of introspection and reflection, leading to confession and repentance. Perhaps we could learn from these siblings, God of us all, at this the “head of the year” and be humble enough to truly see ourselves as you see us and then claim again your vision for how we are to live in community and peace. Help us, with them, to start again and learn to live without antisemitism and all kinds of hate. Let us learn to live in true shalom with all creation. Amen and amen.
Derek Weber, September 2023
SEPTEMBER 18, 2023
Loving God, you are the author and sustainer of our lives. You know the anguish of the sorrowful, you are attentive to the prayers of the brokenhearted. Hear your people who cry out to you in their need; strengthen their hope in your lasting goodness.
We pray today for those who have died because of violence, of terrorism. Draw them to yourself; let your face shine upon them. May they be greeted with choirs of angels and experience your eternal peace and joy.
Be near to all those who have been touched by violence: those who have been hurt, lost their loved ones. or lost their sense of security. Be for them a steady comfort and safe resting place.
Soften the hearts and steady the minds of those who would do violence to others. May hate be replaced with love, violence with peace, and darkness with your light. Amen.
“Prayer for the Victims of Violence,” Prayers for Racial Justice,” St. Andrews Episcopal Church, Allentown, PA, https://www.standrewsbethlehem.org/welcome-home-page/prayers-for-racial-justice.
SEPTEMBER 19, 2023
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.
A Prayer Vigil for the End of Racism, Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church, page 7, https://mcusercontent.com/feb95d46dfddcc6a909f9880a/files/24b24b5f-ae75-4714-bf0e-2a40a1403699/A_Prayer_Vigil_for_the_End_of_Racism.pdf.
SEPTEMBER 20, 2023
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,” People’s Congregational Church cited in Exploring Antiracism: Welcome to the Table (July 18, 2021), page 2, https://peoplescongregational.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/7-18-2021-Bulletin.pdf.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2023
Is it odd, God of providence and coincidence both, that today has been declared by the United Nations as both World Gratitude Day and the International Day of Peace? It doesn’t seem odd, really, as those concepts – Attitudes? Experiences? Conditions? – seem to weave together in profound ways. Maybe peace is more possible when we live with gratitude as a constant discipline. Or perhaps gratitude is a result of learning to live in peace.
If we are honest, however, both seem far from us these days. We find it hard to be grateful to those outside our circles or who share different opinions about what is good and right in our world today. And we certainly don’t want peace with those we have come to see as enemies because of those same differences. So, these emphases are sorely needed, loving God of reconciliation and of grace. So, help us learn to see beyond the differences to a more common humanity and move us toward one another rather than further apart. We long for peace, and we need to be grateful. So, help us Lord. In the name of the one who invites us to love. Amen.
Derek Weber, September 2023
SEPTEMBER 22, 2023
Gracious God,
our sins are too heavy to carry,
too real to hide,
and too deep to undo.
Forgive what our lips tremble to name,
What our hearts can no longer bear,
And what has become for us
a consuming fire of judgment.
Set us free from a past that we cannot change;
Open to us a future in which we can be changed;
and grant us grace
to grow more and more in your likeness and image;
through Jesus Christ, the light of the world.
“Service of Justice and Prayer” (Word document, page 2), Antiracism Tools, PCUSA, https://facing-racism.pcusa.org/item/41776/.
SEPTEMBER 25, 2023
When our eyes do not see the gravity of racial injustice,
Shake us from our slumber and open our eyes, O Lord.
When out of fear we are frozen into inaction,
Give us a spirit of bravery, O Lord.
When we try our best but say the wrong things,
Give us a spirit of humility, O Lord.
When the chaos of this dies down,
Give us a lasting spirit of solidarity, O Lord.
When it becomes easier to point fingers outward,
Help us to examine our own hearts, O Lord.
God of truth, in your wisdom, Enlighten Us.
God of love, in your mercy, Forgive Us.
God of hope in your kindness, Heal Us.
Creator of All People, in your generosity, Guide Us.
Racism breaks your heart,
break our hearts for what breaks yours, O Lord.
“A Prayer for Racial Justice,” Social Justice Resource Center, https://socialjusticeresourcecenter.org/prayers/racism/.
SEPTEMBER 26, 2023
Inhale: My freedom is our freedom.
Exhale: Our freedom is my freedom.
Breath Prayer Day 14, from “Courageous Conversations: A Lenten Antiracism Journey,” United Church of Christ, https://jointhemovementucc.org/jtm-resources/courageous-conversations-a-lenten-antiracism-journey/.
SEPTEMBER 27, 2023
Justice-seeking, righteousness-proclaiming, life-creating God, we open our hearts and minds to you. Send your Holy Spirit to remind us of all you have taught us. Remove the blinders from our eyes. Renew our conviction to do all we can to work with you, alongside our sisters and brothers, in shaping your New Creation. Guide our feet into your ways of justice and peace, and into your vision of shalom. Fill us, use us, Lord, as your emissaries of love and hope. Amen.
Rev. Patricia Farris, posted by Santa Monica United Methodist Church, https://santamonicaumc.org/united-against-racism/.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2023
Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong … - 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 NRSV
Who am I? God of the cosmos, my single voice, my small deeds barely make a ripple in the vast ocean of sound and fury about in the world right now. Who am I to carry a banner of antiracism when so many scoff or dismiss or diminish? Who am I to envision a kingdom of unity and of peace, when some say that doesn’t work these days; we need power, they say; we need force. Who am I to stand against an unchanging tide of history and exclusion?
I am a fool, but a fool for Christ. As such, I stand in the company of fools who seek to turn the tide. My prayers will continue, my confessions will go on, and my small actions on behalf of a beloved community of justice that sees all as equally loved and honored and respected will still drop like grains of sand in an hourglass counting up to a world I may not see in this life but for which I hope in faith. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Derek Weber, September 2023
SEPTEMBER 29, 2023
Holy God, you made all that is and ever will be,
And by your Love you have connected each of us to one another.
We pray now for your Hispanic/Latino(a) children.
We pray for the diverse languages, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic Americans.
O God, bless your diverse human family
And strengthen us that we might walk together in your grace.
All Glory and Honor are yours, God.
Amen
Santo Dios, tú hiciste todo lo que es y siempre será,
Y por tu Amor nos has conectado a cada uno de nosotros.
Oramos ahora por tus hijos hispanos/latinos(a).
Oramos por las diversas lenguas, culturas y contribuciones de los hispanoamericanos.
Oh Dios, bendice a tu diversa familia humana
y fortalécenos para que caminemos juntos en tu gracia.
Toda la Gloria y el Honor son tuyos Dios.
Amén
Prayer for Hispanic Heritage Month, Bread for the World, email, https://www.bread.org/pray/.
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