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Volume 33, No. 24

12/18/19 | Newsletter

A Prayer for 2020

Garland Hamic, Carol Barger, Bill Elliott, and I attended the Faith in Texas Annual Meeting on Monday evening at Communities Foundation of Texas. Staff, leadership, lay people, and clergy from Faith in Texas and partnering congregations gathered to celebrate the good accomplishments of 2019 and prepare for the work of 2020. Faith in Texas laid out their vision for how they will participate with civic leaders and partner with congregations to impact underserved and marginalized people and communities.

At the close of the evening, I asked my fellow clergy members to gather around all of the Faith in Texas partners in order to say a prayer over them and bless them. This is the prayer I wrote for the occasion. May it also be a prayer for Royal Lane Baptist Church in this new and purposeful year as we seek to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.

God of all things,
We should not merely pray for an end to injustice,
You have called us to speak words of change and challenge. 

God of all names,
We should not simply come together and have meetings,
You have called us to persistently and passionately organize for peace. 

God of all nations,
We should not only seek ways to end starvation,
You have called us to diligently distribute our resources to feed the world. 

God of all races,
We should not simply see the places of prejudice and pain,
You have called us to train our eyes to see the good in everyone and to lovingly share power. 

God of all people,
We should not merely be persons who want to end the disease of oppression and suppression,
You have called us to use our minds and our actions to bring healing to the systems, schemes, and structures of this world. 

Therefore, grant us the vision to see the world as you see it, a world where all people have dignity and worth, the weak are protected, the hungry and poor have more than enough, and everyone, of all races, classes, identities and labels, live in harmony, equity, and peace.

We pray to you, O God, for strength, determination, and stamina as we do the work of justice – as we share stories, improve lives, grow people, and change this city. Send us forth from this place to do, in addition to pray, to become, in addition to wish. Bless each soul in this room with courage, this day and every day, as we go in peace and as we go in power.

Amen.

Pastor Mike