God, We Are Sorry…
A prayer of gratitude, repentance, and petition because black lives matter
Earlier this week I was invited to offer a prayer and some words of hope and motivation at the Black Lives Matter rally in my old hometown of Irvine, Kentucky.
I plan to post the entire transcript of my remarks soon but wanted to go ahead and share the prayer now. I hope you will join me in this prayer of gratitude, confession, and petition:
God, first we say thanks. We offer gratitude for all of those who do good and do right. We offer our appreciation for honest and thoughtful law enforcement. We ask you to keep them safe, to give them patience and understanding, and to protect their loved ones.
We are grateful for leaders who listen for your voice and see your spirit in every single human life, especially those lives who are victimized and marginalized like our black brothers and sisters.
We are ecstatic that we are able to gather like this, lift up our black neighbors and friends, and call out some of the names of those who have fallen at the hands of thoughtless and calloused police:
(Please say their names after me…)
Breonna Taylor,
George Floyd,
Philando Castile,
Ahmaud Arbery,
Botham Jean,
Trayvon Martin,
Tamir Rice,
Sean Reed,
Michael Brown,
Ezell Ford;
And God, may we never, ever forget George Stinney Jr.
We know, God that you are aware of these and the too many others who have lost their lives simply because of their skin. We ask you to use their fate to stir our hearts, to steel our resolve, to melt our conscience, and to multiply our compassion. Do your good work in the hearts of those who loved them, give to them your generous measure of comfort and peace, and allow them to know your presence in the middle of their trauma.
God, we are sorry…
We are sorry that we are just getting here.
We are sorry that we have been silent for so long.
We are sorry for allowing other voices to speak for us.
We are sorry for the passive racism we have practiced through our silence.
We are sorry that there are still those who just don’t care beyond their own lives, their own homes, their own pocketbooks.
We are sorry that there are still those who deny the reality of race-motivated violence and death at the hands of angry, misguided police officers.
We are sorry that there are some who have so much hate, and have so much racism in their hearts as to spread lies and misinformation in an effort to keep the oppressed oppressed.
We are sorry that some will believe them.
We are sorry that there are those who try to intimidate and scare those of us who feel called to lift their black brothers and sisters up.
We are sorry that there are those who are too frightened to speak up and speak out.
We are sorry that there are those too lazy to make an effort.
We are sorry that we have allowed matters of life and death to become political issues that divide us.
We are sorry that we have removed the humanness and humanity that should always unite us.
We are sorry that so many of our religious leaders, pastors, and government leaders have chosen to be silent…
We are sorry that they have chosen not to use their influence to make things better for our black brothers and sisters.
We are sorry that every single minister and preacher of the Gospel in Estill County is not right here right now.
We are sorry that we have selfishly enjoyed the benefits of a system that oppresses people of color…
We are sorry that we have flourished at their expense.
We are sorry that protecting our privilege has been more important than protecting their dignity, their lives.
We’re sorry that so many cannot see you except in white skin.
We are sorry that we have not looked through your eyes, reached out with your hands, and loved with your heart.
We confess our sins, God… all of them. We repent of the arrogance, the pride, the willful neglect, the denial, the selfishness, the racism that has become so easy to us.
Help those of us who know better, do better.
Help us to see your image in every black man, black woman, and black child.
Help us to love them the way you do.
Help us to use our privileged place to make every place better, especially for our black family members who’ve known so much pain.
Help us to lift our voices, even if we lift them alone — but we know we are not alone — for you join us and we are joined by millions who agree that systemic racism is coming to an end.
Help us to do what is right even if we do it alone — but we are not alone — for you are with us and we are part of a worldwide movement that is declaring the truth that no lives matter until Black Lives Matter.
Amen.
