February 17, 2021
Return to the Lord: A Prayer for Ash Wednesday
O Lord, on this Ash Wednesday,
you call us
to repent,
to confess our sin,
to return
to you;
but which you
are we to return to?
So many yous out there,
the Democrat you,
the Republican you,
the Independent you,
the right-wing you, the left-wing you, the moderate you,
the American you,
the AK47 you,
the peacenik you,
the capitalist you, socialist you, on-the-fence you,
and of course
the male you,
the female you,
the non binary you,
and can’t forget,
the Old Testament you, the New Testament you
(and never the twain shall meet?),
my you,
their you,
and more yous too,
the you for whom
truth (a) matters, or
(b) is no big deal since its whatever someone says it is;
mercy, kindness, compassion
(a) count big, or
(b) are for losers;
character
(a) rates high, or
(b) should never get in the way of making money;
the poor
(a) are precious in your eyes, or
(b) are poor because they want to be
and just need to get a job;
loving the neighbor
(a) means to act for the sake of the other,
even an enemy, or
(b) means to be nice to those who
are nice to us;
righteousness and justice
(a) are high on the agenda, or
(b) can wait until we get around to them;
obedience
(a) is non-negotiable, or
(b) is no longer required
since it’s a very dated idea
and has no place
in healthy relationships.
O Lord, forgive us,
forgive your people,
forgive us all
for making you
into the you
we want,
(step right up and pick a god)
the god of our favorite Bible passages;
the god who always forgives, never judges
(well, not us, only “them”);
who never holds us accountable;
the god of all grace, no consequences;
the god who never confronts or challenges,
only comforts and consoles.
Forgive us
for loving
our opinions and beliefs and prejudices
more than we
love you.
Forgive us
the sin
at the heart of
all sin,
at the heart of
our culture,
the sin
at the heart of
our churches too:
idolatry,
the idolatry of worshipping
our you
as if
it is you.
O Lord, it is way past time that we
come to our senses,
repent,
return to you, the you
beyond the you we believe in,
the you who is Lord of all creation,
the you we meet in Jesus,
the you Scripture points us to,
the you the Spirit leads us too see,
the you
who is our lover who loves us with a love beyond all telling;
who gives all and demands all;
who heals us with your wonders
and wounds us healingly with your judgements;*
who calls us to a hard obedience;
who is
our hope
and salvation.
And so,
grace us with the faith and courage and strength
to return
to you;
to return
to your truth;
to mercy, kindness, compassion;
to character;
to lifting up the poor;
to loving our neighbor;
to doing righteousness
and justice;
to
obedience;
to return to
what we have known for a long time
we must return to
if ever
we, our nation, this earth,
are to know
hope.
And we give you thanks, O Lord, for the covid vaccine
and what it means for resuming some sense
of normal living.
But we’re not there yet and so
give us the patience and discipline
to keep doing what we should
to protect others and ourselves.
And we pray that you would
heal, sustain, be with, support, lift up
those battling the coronavirus,
those caring for them,
those mourning the loss of someone to the virus,
those struggling financially,
those fighting depression.
O Lord, during this season of Lent,
in every season,
help us
to return
to the you
you are,
so that
we return
to being
the we
we should be.
Amen.
*This phrase comes from Frederick Buechner