This week I was fortunate to be present for the A.C.T. Now! Anti-Racism Rally on the National Mall in Washington, DC. This prayer was born from my experience. When we do not see in one another the Imago Dei, we “other” them. May all who are Called be change agents for reconciliation and peace.
Oh Lord…
We who walk in the light-skin
Do not see
Do not know
Do not experience
Hatred because of the color of our skin;
We who preach
The Light of the world
and the glow of your Resurrection power
and the inclusive work of the Spirit
Are trapped in our pre-dawn words.
How long, O Lord?
How long until we are awakened
To the Son in our hearts
To the hate in our speech
To the work of repentance
To the need for reconciliation?
How long, O Lord?
How long until our hearts grieve like yours
For our brothers and sisters
For our forefathers and foremothers
Who scream out hate speech
Who hide in anxiety and fear
Who do not grieve for the injustices of “the others”?
No longer, Lord.
No more.
Confiteor!
Mea culpa.
Amen.
Rev. Deborah Vaughn is a hospice chaplain endorsed by the Alliance of Baptists, and Assistant Minister at Twinbrook Baptist Church in Rockville, MD. She blogs at An Unfinished Symphony, and was a contributor to There’s a Woman in the Pulpit. She is an avid Buckeye fan and lives with her family outside Washington, DC.
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