PRAYER: "No More of This!"

Luke 22: When those who were around Jesus saw what was coming, they asked, ‘Lord, should we strike with the sword?’ Then one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, ‘No more of this!’ 

Tonight, our prayer is lamentation; tonight, our prayer is grief.

"No more of this!"

Tonight, we cry for the dead in Atlanta, for the dead in Boulder, Colorado.

"No more of this!"

Tonight, we cry all over again for an AME church Charleston, and for a gay dance club in Orlando, and for a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

"No more of this!"

Tonight, we cry out to elected officials intimidated, persuaded, beholden to gun lobby interests, and gun lobby money.

"No more of this!"

Tonight, we cry out against anti-Asian bigotry, and against anti-Black hatred, and against anti-gay hysteria, and against anti-Jewish violence.  All of it.  We cry out!

"No more of this!"

Tonight, we cry out against white nationalism, justified by white Christianity, emboldened by white priests and pastors, and addicted to white readings of scripture.

"No more of this!"

In the name of the nameless God, by the power of the powerless God, for the love of the gunned down and crucified in places like Atlanta and Boulder and Orlando and Pittsburgh and Charleston--"NO MORE OF THIS!"

3/22/21
DGJ

With gratitude to Mary James and Mark Heim.