Prayers of the People
Let us pray for the Church and for the world.
God of love, we pray for your church: equip us with compassion, that we would not succumb to indifference or accept the status quo. Help us to carry out your work of reconciliation in the world.
God of love,
Hear our prayer.
God of freedom, we pray for our nation: strengthen us to live out our founding ideals of liberty and justice for all. Inspire us and all citizens with courage to speak out against hatred and to resist evil, and help us build bridges across barriers of language, race, and creed.
God of freedom,
Hear our prayer.
God of peace, we pray for our community: for our elected leaders, judges, and all who make decisions of consequence; for all who serve in law enforcement, working under profound stress to defend and protect our communities; and for all who, fearing for their safety, are afraid of law enforcement. Kindle in every heart a belief in the equal dignity of all people and a commitment to justice for all.
God of peace,
Hear our prayer.
God of creation, we pray for the good earth which you have entrusted to our care: for animals and birds, mountains and oceans, and all parts of your creation that have no voice of their own. Stir up in us a thirst for justice that protects the earth and all its resources, that we may leave to our inheritors the legacy of beauty and abundance you have given us.
God of creation,
Hear our prayer.
God of mercy, we pray for all injured by the sins of racism, prejudice, and white supremacy: bind up the wounds to their souls, give them grace to persevere in love, and fill them with hope for a more just future.
God of mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God of forgiveness, we pray for all who have hurt others, whether intentionally or not: for Amber Guyger, who bears the killing of Botham Jean on her conscience; for those in positions of public trust who have used their power cruelly or unjustly; and for those who have succumbed to hatred and acted violently. Shine your light into the darkest corners of every soul, so the whole human family may find our way back to the goodness with which we were created.
God of forgiveness,
Hear our prayer.
God of grace, we pray for those who have died and those who mourn: for the repose of the soul of Botham Jean and for his grieving family; for all people of color targeted for their race and killed because of hate; and for those who have given their lives in defense of the rights of others. Bring them nearer to your own presence, where there is no crying, but life and peace eternal.
God of grace,
Hear our prayer.
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.
Confession/Litany of Repentance
As followers of Christ, we strive to love all people, respect all people, and work for the good of all people. We must stand alongside God’s children of every race, language, and culture, and work together as agents of justice, peace, and reconciliation. In the assurance of our forgiveness through the grace of Christ, let us kneel before God and humbly confess our sins, and particularly our participation in the sin of racism that is woven in the fabric of all human history, including our own.
Silence is then kept for a time, all kneeling.
God the Father, you freed your people from slavery in Egypt, yet the legacy of slavery deforms our lives today.
Have mercy on us.
God the Son, you prayed that all would be united in your love, yet divisions among us rend your body.
Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, you inspire us to live peaceably with all, yet prejudice mars our willingness to see God’s image in some.
Have mercy on us.
We have harmed one another through negligence, greed, and self-interest.
Have mercy on us.
We have failed to condemn discrimination that leads to injustice.
Have mercy on us.
We have made compromises of conscience for the sake of a false peace.
Have mercy on us.
We have sought comfort for ourselves but been indifferent to the misery of others.
Have mercy on us.
We have claimed credit for our blessings, but blamed the poor for their poverty.
Have mercy on us.
We have been fearful and suspicious of those who are different from us.
Have mercy on us.
We have let cynicism prevent us from helping others in need.
Have mercy on us.
We have preferred order over justice, and been deaf to the cries of the oppressed.
Have mercy on us.
We have quietly held good intentions, but allowed fear to keep us silent too often.
Have mercy on us.
We have failed to act with courage for the sake of justice and reconciliation.
Have mercy on us.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us of what we have done and what we have left undone, grant us courage and conviction, and strengthen us to love others who are unlike us. May God, the Holy and Undivided Trinity, make us compassionate in our actions and courageous in our works, that we may see Christ’s Beloved Community in our own day. Amen.