National Day of Prayer

For Trinity, following Christ has always included meeting with believers of other faiths.  We do this to see the greatness of God, beyond our understanding.  National Day of Prayer provides one such opportunity.  On Thursday, May 4, 6pm in Grape Day Park,  we will join Mormons, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and others in prayer.  Faith leaders will pray in different languages, using symbols and styles that are not ours, but we will be united in a  common vision of hope and belonging to our nation.

This observance takes on extra meaning as we struggle to define the intersection between our faith and our citizenship.  Lately we have been finding division and controversy in every attempt to connect prayer with patriotism.  Prayers for the president (or the previous  president) seem suspicious.  Separation of Church and State!

Are we afraid to admit that our Christian identity challenges all our other loyalties, even political ones?  If so, that could be a good thing!

Fear always represents an opportunity for spiritual growth.  Our response to fear is to repent of the limitations we have placed on God and ourselves, limitations that prevent us from following Christ.  Politics simply offers one more arena for practicing our faith:  for loving God and loving our neighbor.  The Bible–which is a very political book–has countless examples of how this can be done.  We can (and should) argue about the “how” of policy, but the “why” of purpose is simply part of following Christ.

To get us ready for praying for our country, I end with a Thanksgiving for our Nation from the Book of Common Prayer (one of many prayers for our nation you will find there):

Almighty God, giver of all good things:
We thank you for the natural majesty and beauty of this land.
They restore us, though we often destroy them.
Heal us.

We thank you for the great resources of this land.
They make us rich, though we often exploit them.
Forgive us.

We thank you for the men and women who have made this
country strong. They are models for us, though we often fall
short of them.
Inspire us.

We thank you for the torch of liberty which has been lit in
this land. It has drawn people from every nation, though we
have often hidden from its light.
Enlighten us.

We thank you for the faith we have inherited in all its rich
variety. It sustains our life, though we have been faithless
again and again.
Renew us.

Help us, O Lord, to finish the good work here begun.
Strengthen our efforts to blot out ignorance and prejudice,
and to abolish poverty and crime. And hasten the day when
all our people, with many voices in one united chorus, will
glorify your holy Name. Amen.