MLK Untitled Prayer 04

“O God, the Creator and Presever of all mankind; In whom to dwell is to find peace and security; toward whom to turn is to find life and life eternal, we humbly beseech Thee for all sorts and conditions of men; that thou wouldst be pleased to make thy ways known unto them, Thy saving health unto all nations. We also pray for Thy holy Church universal; that it may be so guided and governed by thy Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the [land?] of peace, and in righteousness of life. Finally we commend to thy Fatherly goodness all those who are in any way afflicted or distressed in mind or body. Give them patience under the suffering and power of endurance This we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.”

• Taken from a short collection in the King Papers simply called “Prayers” and available here.

MLK Untitled Prayer 03

“Most Gracious and all wise God; Before whose face the generations rise and fall; Thou in whom we live, and move, and have our being.6 We thank thee [for?] all of thy good and gracious gifts, for life and for health; for food and for raiment; for the beauties of nature and the love of human nature. We come before thee painfully aware of our inadaqucis and shortcomigs. We realize that we stand surrounded with the mountains of love and we deliberately dwell in the valley of hate. We stand amid the forces of truth and deliberately lie; We are forever offered the high road and yet we choose the lo to travel the low road. For these sins O God forgive. Break the spell of that which blinds our minds. Purify our hearts that we may see thee. O God in these turbulent day when fear and doubt are mounting high give us broad visions, penetrating eys, and power of endurance. Help us to work with rewed vigor for a warless world, for a better distribution of wealth, and for a brotherhood that transcends race or color. In the name and spirit of Jesus we pray. Amen.”

• Taken from a short collection in the King Papers simply called “Prayers” and available here.

MLK Untitled Prayer 02

“O God our eternal Father, we praise thee for gifts of mind with which thou hast endowed us. We are able to rise out of the half-realities of the sense world to a world of ideal beauty and eternal truth. Teach us, we pray Thee, how to use this great gift of reason and imagination so that it shall not be a curse but a blessing. Grant us visions that shall lift us [strikeout illegible] from worldiness and sin into the light of thine own holy presence. Through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.”

• Taken from a short collection in the King Papers simply called “Prayers” and available here.

MLK Untitled Prayer 01

“O thou Eternal God, out of whose absolute power and infinite intelligence the whole universe has come into being. We humbly confess that we have not loved thee with our hearts, souls and minds and we have not loved our neighbors as Christ loved us.4 We have all too often lived by our own selfish impulses rather than by the life of sacrificial love as revealed by Christ. We often give in order to receive, we love our friends and hate our enimies, we go the first mile but dare not travel the second, we forgive but dare not forget.5 And so as we look within ourselves we are confronted with the appalling fact that the history of our lives is the history of an eternal revolt against thee. But thou, O God, have mercy upon us. Forgive us for what we could have been but failed to be. Give us the intelligence to know thy will. Give us the courage to do thy will. Give us the devotion to love thy will. In the name and spirit of Jesus we pray. Amen.”

• Taken from a short collection in the King Papers simply called “Prayers” and available here.

Because They Couldn't Breathe, We Cannot Be Silent (A Responsive Reading For George Floyd and Others)

This responsive reading was inspired by the following Tweet from Latasha Morrison:

Because I can breathe, I don’t want another person to die at the hands of police brutality because they can’t breathe. What will you do with the breath in your body?

Creating, Sustaining, and Saving God,
Hear us in these heavy times
because it feels like no one else does.

People of God take heart, for the Scriptures tell us:

“God hears the hearts of the afflicted;
He encourages them and listens to their cries,
He defends the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that people will no longer terrorize us”
(Psalm 10:17-18)

How long?
How long, O Lord?

People of God take heart, for the Scriptures tells us:

“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”
(Joel 2:32)

How long?
How long, O Lord?

I don’t know.

It feels too long.

I know.

It feels too heavy.

People of God take heart, for the Scriptures tells us:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
(Matthew 11:28-30)

But it doesn’t feel that way.
The oppression feels too heavy.
Another video.
Another life taken by authority

By those who are supposed to protect

People of God take heart, God has word for you:

“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.”
(Isaiah 10:1-2)

But it keeps happening:

Alton Sterling
Tamir Rice
Trayvon Martin
Philando Castile
Eric Garner
Bothem Sean
Breonna Taylor
Amaud Arbery
George Floyd

And so many more.

Live cut short

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality,
tied in a single garment of destiny.
Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
(Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from the Birmingham Jail)

Creating, Sustaining, and Saving God,
Remind us of our mutuality

Their suffering is our suffering

George Floyd couldn’t breathe.

But we can.

Eric Garner couldn’t breathe.

But we can.

So what will we do with our breath?

Remind ourselves that it is a gift.

And gifts are not to be wasted.

We will use our breath to speak for the voiceless.
We will use our breath to cry with the afflicted.

Because they could not breathe,
we cannot be silent.

God, you promised to cast down the mighty
and we don’t know how much longer we can wait.

Because they could not breathe,
we cannot be silent.

God, give us the courage to lead with love,
to challenge unjust systems
and to name the national sin of racism.

Because they could not breathe,
we cannot be silent.

Because they could not breathe,
we will not be silent.

A Prayer For Justice From The United Church of Christ

“Grant us, Lord God, a vision of your world
as your love would have it:
a world where the weak are protected,
and none go hungry or poor;
a world where the riches of creation are shared,
and everyone can enjoy them;
a world where different races and cultures
live in harmony and mutual respect;
a world where peace is built with justice,
and justice is guided by love.
Give us the inspiration and courage to build it,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.”

(taken from the United Church of Christ “Prayers” page)