I was invited by the Center for Public Justice to offer a short prayer for their Prayers for Our Political Community, series this November. In the current political climate (and always) prayer is a must.
Father God, creator of heaven and earth, protector of the orphan and immigrant, pleader of the widow's cause, provider for the poor-- forgive us for how we have sin and neglected to care for the most vulnerable among us. Forgive us Lord for how we have allowed unjust practices and policies to become the law of our land. Forgive us for turning a blind eye to systems of, supremacy, oppression and injustice as they permeate our society.
We cry out to you Father, help us to put our faith to work as we acknowledge the image of God in those relegated to the margins of society and seek to love them, our neighbors, as we love ourselves. Enlarge our hearts to the cause of the immigrant and the orphan, those born unwanted and those who lose their parents to mass incarceration, forced separation, gun violence, drug use and underemployment.
Open our eyes to the needs of the widows among us, women who inequitably bear the burden of failing social safety nets, racialized housing practices and lack of access to adequate health care. Give us compassion for the poor, Lord help us to advocate on an individual, local and national level for education, home ownership, restorative policies and job creation to pull people out of poverty. Help us to learn to do good, seek justice, and correct oppression in our time, so that it may be on earth as it is in heaven.