A Prayer for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

O God of all nations and peoples,
we are grateful for the dreams
of freedom, justice, and peace
forever spun by your Spirit
and focused by prophets in every age.

We are grateful that in our time
you call every man and woman
to lift up and live by that dream,
to embody it in our world by
walking the walk,
confessing our complicities,
braving the work,
daring the confrontation,
exposing the lies,
singing our faith,
asking the questions,
raising the Cain,
making the sacrifices,
organizing the community,
easing the hate,
expanding the compassion,
enduring in humility,
risking the revolution of love,
and ratifying the "not for sale" sign on our souls.

We especially praise you this day
for the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.,
and for countless others down the ages
whose names are known and unknown,
and for those who yet lift up the dream and confirm it as yours,
who quicken the conscience of this country
and the human family around this globe,
whose courage and commitments,
vision and enthusiasm and joy
brace our spirits and fire our wills.

So we thank you and remember
and move boldly on in the faith that,
however dark the night,
however fearful the tyranniesof oppression,
however heavy the weight of arrogance,
we can yet be confident and buoyant in you and your promise
that one day justice will roll down like waters
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream
and peace abide in our hearts,
through this land,
on this earth,
between brothers and sisters of every race,
of every nation. every faith, every orientation,
every generation, every wounded, wonderful
one and all your human family.

Keep us faithful to that promise,
your dream,
and for Christ's sake, and for ours.
Amen.



(from Loder, T.  (2000).  My Heart in My Mouth; prayers for our lives.  Philadelphia: Innisfree.