As the seasons change we continue to wait, to hope, to imagine, to trust and to believe in you, Oh God We believe that there is a time for every season and we’re getting ready and we’re doing the work and we’re building the relationships and we’re refusing to move in a spirit of “business… Read More
Wednesday Prayer
Creator, we feel it The atmosphere shifting The atmosphere is shifting Words of hate spilling out of mouths of leaders, filling the ears of the desolate, loud and brazen over airways, from pulpits, and in the streets The disease of white supremacy metastasizing and showing up ever more aggressive, threatening and terminal The atmosphere is… Read More
The Pastoral Is Political
The perfect storm Usually, a period of calm follows a storm. And often we see a rainbow in the sky. From an early age, children are told in church that the rainbow represents a sign of God’s promise to us. We often spare children the harsh bits of the story of Noah and the Ark… Read More
Sunday Prayer: By the Oaks of Mamre
Stay awhile, O Stranger, for the night has been long and cruel and our souls are not yet wrung dry from weeping. Stay awhile, O Stranger, for the fires are raging on cultic altars built to sacrifice precious fruit to ravenous gods. Stay awhile, O Stranger, for the day has burned our eyes with violence… Read More
Saturday Prayer: Brokenness
Holy One, We are struggling, and the weight of loss and grief is breaking us. The waves of injustice upon injustice, violence upon violence are drowning our hearts. We pour out our questions of “why’s” and “why not’s”. We look for answers within our own understanding and experience… and there is nothing. We have chosen… Read More
Thursday Prayer: Blessing for exhalation.
Breathing in, I know I am breathing, alive, lungs full, ready to speak, to shout. Bless my breathing out, the words my breath will carry. Breathing in, I feel my ribs expanding, I am in my body, my living body, steady. Bless my breathing out, the rooting down to stand. Breathing in I feel my… Read More
Saturday Prayer
My friend Dayalan Devanesen, director of Roofs for the Roofless, of Chennai, India, sent me a photo of Gurdon Brewster’s sculpture given to him by his mother. It is ‘Christ Dancing Off the Cross’. On the last of the waiting nights for whatever the “power” is going to be, it seems important to hold carefully… Read More
Tuesday Prayer
Holy Spirit, Holy Breath- Our black neighbors can’t breathe. The ones in power have knees cutting into their necks robbing them of air and of many tomorrows. Our black neighbors can’t breathe. They wonder what the “nice white lady” will say when she calls the police for no reason. And then what will happen… Our… Read More
Wednesday Prayer
Elections Illnesses [Un]natural disasters Policing Racism Transphobia Anti-Blackness Patriarchy Anti-Immigrant …this and more … …has me playing the theme song from “Harriet” on repeat this Wednesday, O God. And praying, praying, praying… But I know that this is not enough So I am asking for energy to keep standing up I am asking for courage… Read More
The Pastoral is Political: Beyond Civility
I’ve recently become aware of an organization called The National Institute for Civil Discourse because they launched a “Golden Rule 2020” campaign on November 3. Many mainline denominational leaders participated in the gathering that led to this campaign and subsequently endorsed it. As a result, in my social media feeds, people I respect offered very… Read More
