| Peace
“For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”-1 Corinthians 14:33
The unthinkable happened today. Here, in this country, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Activists stormed a church and disrupted a service of worship. Their reason was that one of the pastors has ties to ICE. As I write this, it remains somewhat unclear whether or not this is accurate, but no matter. Even if their information is correct, it does not justify what happened this morning. I could spend a lot of time writing about the political and Constitutional ramifications of this, but that would serve no purpose. It would generate heat, but very little light. So, all I have to offer is a prayer.
Dear God,
You are not the author of disorder, of lawlessness, of violence, no matter the source of it.
You are the God of order, of peace.
You call your people to quiet lives, lives of honor and integrity, lives of gentleness and forgiveness; lives that show others who You are and whom You call Your people to be.
We know that chaos cannot come from You, Father, so there is only one other possibility.
The battle against the Enemy is Yours, Father, not ours.
And so, without blame, without censure, we pray this in the mighty name of Your Son:
Free us from this bondage, Lord. From the bondage of anger, of right-fighting, of hatred.
Free us from disunity borne of mistakes and misinformation and lies.
Free us from the delusion that we are on different “sides.”
Open our hearts and our eyes, Lord, to see that we are all sinners in Your sight, and that no one has all the answers, no one is completely right or completely wrong.
Cause us to love each other enough to have the courage to speak—not to shout, not to accuse, not to attack—but to speak truth.
Lead us to tell each other the why of our anger, our frustration, and our fear--because we are afraid, Abba, of so many things, for so many different reasons.
And O, Father, guide us to listen.
Give us all, everyone, a spirit of forgiveness, a spirit of mercy—the Spirit of Christ.
Show us, Father, all of us, how to begin to heal from this deep and seemingly unpassable chasm.
We are lost.
Help us.
Teaute nos gratia. Dona nobis pacem.
Teach us grace. Grant us peace.
Amen. |
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