September 15, 2021
What’s with Us Anyway? A Prayer
O Lord, once again in the midst of devastation,
the devastation of
Hurricane Ida in the South,
the floods in the Northeast,
the fires out West,
we saw
neighbor helping neighbor,
stranger helping stranger,
well-off helping not-so-well-off,
not so-well-off helping well-off,
black and white,
Republican and Democrat,
liberal and conservative,
helping one another,
Christians being Christian,
human beings being human,
communities being communities;
once again,
for a time,
we saw
goodness,
kindness,
generosity,
sacrifice,
bravery;
for a time,
we saw
what people can truly be,
we saw
differences put aside,
we saw
what it means to love
our neighbors as ourselves;
and so,
for a time,
couldn’t help but
be heartened,
feel hope,
give thanks,
because,
even though we might not think so some days,
there are still many
good people;
but now,
once again, as
the crises pass,
the power comes back on,
the water recedes,
the fires are put out,
and people return to their lives and homes and jobs,
there is a return as well to
ignoring the neighbor,
being suspicious of strangers,
seeing others as the enemy,
prejudices surfacing,
divisions dividing,
humans not being very human,
Christians not being very Christian,
communities not being very community-like,
and can’t help but
be saddened,
feel despair,
give in
to cynicism.
What’s with us anyway, Lord?
Why do we always
revert,
regress,
return to
the fears and prejudices,
the cruelty and thoughtlessness,
the divisive opinions and attitudes and judgements?
Do we need
such things
or what?
Why is it that
it’s only in a crisis that
our better beliefs guide us,
our better angels take over,
our better selves emerge?
What’s with us?
Of course for you, Lord, it’s a no-brainer,
and it should be
a no-brainer
for us as well,
because
the answer
is what it’s been
since time began,
the answer
people don’t like to hear,
the answer
people find so negative, so outdated, so churchy,
in other words:
sin;
and I don’t mean failing
to believe in ourselves enough, or
not living up to our potential, or
not loving ourselves as we should;
I mean
sin,
old-fashioned sin,
not believing in you enough,
not living up to your commands,
not loving you and others as we should; or
to use words never
to be spoken in polite society:
idolatry,
disobedience,
faithlessness.
Forgive us!
Forgive us
if we are
crisis-only Christians,
crisis-only human beings,
crisis-only communities.
Forgive us
if we refuse
to forget ourselves,
forget our fears and resentments and angers,
our prejudices and precious opinions,
so good they make us feel;
forgive us
if we prefer to be
part-time believers,
part-time Christians,
part-time human beings.
Forgive us
our sin.
And grace us,
with the faith and courage and strength to be
what we know we can be,
what we’ve seen ourselves to be,
what you have set us free to be
full time:
truly human,
truly Christian,
truly faithful.
And we pray, Lord, for all those who need your full-time help:
those who are battling the coronavirus and other diseases;
those who are dying;
those who are grieving;
those who are trying to recover from
the devastation wrought by wind or water or fire;
those who are struggling with despair;
and for refugees, the homeless and hungry everywhere.
Be there for them
in the way they most need,
and move us to be there for them as well.
O Lord, once again it has taken crises for us to see
what people can be
at their best.
But
what you know
and
what we know
is that we can be at our best each and every day if
what’s with us
is
faith,
obedience,
love.
It really is
a no-brainer.
Amen.