Rev. Tex Sample, Pastor, Trinity United Methodist Church, Kansas City, MO, Robert B. And Kathleen Rogers Professor Emeritus of Church and Society, Saint Paul School of Theology, and Member of Gamaliel affiliate, MORE2
Gracious God of sovereign love, we give you thanks for the gift of this creation; for the blessings of earth, water, and skies; and for the creatures who inhabit it and make it a team with life. Grant us such a sense of the giftedness of creation that we are transformed by its beneficence. Help us through the rich offerings of your grace to call into question the desecrations of your covenant with the earth and with the peoples of the world.
We repent, O God, of our participation and complicity in the violations of each other. Save us from talking freedom that covers domination, from a language of justice that hides exploitation, and from mouthing about equities that deepen inequality.
Make us loathe to support wars when we send other people’s children to fight them. May our tongues cleave to the roofs of our mouths when we delight in the stock market’s success with no concern for what it does to people whom it exploits. Make us suspicious of governments that privilege wealth and ignore the poor.
O God, fill us with a passion for the common good and for justice founded upon it. Call us again to a covenant of life together. Let a dream of a world where children are born to hope, where work serves vocation, and where righteousness and justice cover the earth. In the meanwhile let us embody these dreams in our lives.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, our friend, and our brother, Amen.
The Common Prayer on Our Journey
Source of all being, Sacred mystery, you are the wellspring of justice. Weaver of the warp and weft of history, weave our lives into the fabric of your will. Guide us towards the Beloved Community. Forgive us when we have failed to give shape to the Beloved Community in our communities and in our lives.
All around us the ugly onslaughts of white nationalism, hate crimes, and systemic racism devastate your people, divide us, and threaten our democracy. All around us the wicked strut, and in high places are those who encourage the basest of attitudes and actions. Grant us wisdom and courage to confront these evils with the power of love and truth. Free us from timidity and equivocation. Help us to be bold in thought and action. May our lives and our faith communities model the change we hope to see in the world.
As we approach the November elections, keep us mindful that the right to vote is a sacred trust won by beatings, by imprisonments, by blood, by the relentless struggles of many who came before us. Help us to honor that legacy. May we vote our conscience and encourage others to do the same.
Heal our nation. Heal our hearts. Heal our nation. Amen.
Gamaliel National Religious Leaders’ Caucus invites you to 40 Days of Reflection on Our Journey to the Polls
Few national elections have had similar consequences as the November Election in 2020. Our nation stands in crisis and at a significant crossroad. The Gamaliel Network, an interfaith coalition of persons of faith who stand and act together for justice and equality, pledges to undergird the 40 days leading up to the election with prayer and reflection.
We urge you to use the Common Prayer below every day. On each day, we have asked a faith leader, from different traditions, to offer a reflection on the Common Prayer at this Moment of American Crossroads. We urge you to begin this prayer preparation with a day of fasting on Sept. 24,(or a similar expression of spiritual preparation), and then to engage in prayer at a time of your choosing each day, to prepare yourself, your friends and neighbors, and our nation, for this election.
The Gamaliel Religious Leaders Table has written a “Theological Statement on Hate Crimes and White Nationalism.” a faith statement on “White Nationalism.” The link to this statement is: https://gamaliel.org/our-work/religious-leaders-caucus/gnrlc-a-faithful-response-to-hate-crimes-and-white-nationalism/
Each reflection will include the leader’s personal reflection, questions for contemplation, and a suggested scriptural text from their tradition.
The Gamaliel National Religious Leaders’ Steering Committee