Prayer 1.15.23
(MLK Weekend)
God who dwells in darkness,
and God who guides in light -
God of all we praise you and pray to you,
for the newness you are illuminating for us in this new year.
For God, we have journeyed long enough to know
that new years often begin with more anticipation than they deserve.
We’ve journeyed just long enough to know,
that new years often look much like the old.
And yet…and yet you are the God who is always doing a new thing.
You are the God who illuminates
new possibility present in each day.
And so we praise you here,
for the ways you’re inviting us to seek renewal.
We praise you here,
for the opportunity
to try again every day -
to notice more, of the world around us,
to give more, of ourselves to you.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.
So God, in this new year,
we pray that you renew us,
to seek you in new and different ways.
For there was a time, God,
when we spent much effort
muddling metaphors of darkness and light.
You are the light of the world,
and in our failure, and our fragility,
in our love of binary thinking,
we confused darkness for evil.
Or perhaps, God,
perhaps we weren’t confused at all.
Perhaps evil snuck into our language,
as it seems to do,
and convinced us to fear that which is dark.
It wouldn’t seem like that big of deal, God,
except that is has been.
This metaphor has allowed us to elevate whiteness,
demonize blackness,
legislate racism,
create systems that keep all of us trapped.
But this is a new year, God.
And you are the one who illuminates new things.
And so we ask you to shine into our own unknowing,
and help us to see the ways we must do better.
Free us from small thinking and shallow metaphors,
and help us to delight in the full spectrum of your palette.
For you are the God who creates in the depths of darkness,
you are the God who shines as light.
So make us, to seek you in new ways,
in these news days.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.
Make us to seek you anew here, God,
for another new year means another chance
to take steps closer to that dream of Dr. King’s.
It’s been too long, God.
We haven’t traveled far enough.
And yet to ignore the progress is to squander the work
of Dr. King and others -
who called us to stay awake,
who called us to work,
who have pushed progress forward,
despite all that still needs to be done.
So let us, in this holiday weekend, God,
offer thanksgiving and celebration
for those who got us here.
And let us, in all of this new year, God,
take inventory of all that is left to do.
For you are the light of the world.
You are for all, and in all.
So let us work in new ways,
for you, for the sake of all our freedom,
in these new days.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.
