(Editor’s Note: Our regular contributor Rich Villodas offered the prayer of lament below in front of the Queens Criminal Courthouse in New York City this past Saturday, prior to a two-mile protest march. We are grateful that he has allowed us to share this prayer with the Missio Alliance community. May we continue as the church to lean into a posture of prayer, lament, and repentance during these troubling times.)
To lament is to cry out to God, naming the pain and injustice in our world, and in so doing, receiving God’s strength to work for peace.
How long, O Lord? Will you forget us forever?
How long will you hide your face from us?
How long must we wrestle with our thoughts and day after day, have sorrow in our hearts?
How long, O Lord, will injustice fill this nation?
How long, O Lord, will the poor and powerless be treated as less than human?
How long, O Lord, will Black and Brown people have to carry the burden of living a society that drowns out our cries?
Lord, from the founding of this country, to the present day, we grieve that racism has been America’s enduring sin—that racism has been a strategy of evil powers and principalities.
Lord, we grieve, that the the protests and policy changes of the past have not eradicated the deep-stain of racial injustice.
Lord, we confess our anger, our deep sadness, our bewilderment, and our collective sense of weakness to see this world healed through our own strength.
From the founding of this country, to the present day, we grieve that racism has been America’s enduring sin—that racism has been a strategy of evil powers and principalities. Click To Tweet
Lord, we lament the way the church has often been complicit in racist behavior.
We lament the ways that the church has often turned its head, focusing on souls, to the exclusion of Black and Brown bodies.
Lord, we lament, that although we identify with the name of Jesus, we often don’t live like Jesus.
We lament that Ahmaud Arbery couldn’t go for a jog without putting his life in great danger.
We lament that Breonna Taylor couldn’t sleep peacefully in her own home, but was found to be unjustly killed in the middle of the night.
We lament that George Floyd would be callously killed by someone who was sworn to protect.
We lament that it takes millions of people to raise our voices to hold people accountable for wrongdoing and abuse of power.
Lord, we lament, that the powers of our society have often seen Black life as disposable.
We lament that it takes millions of people to raise our voices to hold people accountable for wrongdoing and abuse of power. Click To Tweet
So, God of justice, we call on your name.
God of righteousness, hear the words that signal our pain.
God of the oppressed, show yourself strong.
God of healing, make right everything that’s wrong.
Lord, we grieve that in this society, not everyone can breathe.
We grieve that Black men and women too often can’t breathe.
We grieve that Brown men and women too often can’t breathe.
We grieve that poor men and women too can’t breathe.
But Lord, in your kingdom, we ALL can breathe.
In your kingdom, the breath of life is for everyone.
In your kingdom, you breathe life and we come alive.
So, Lord, breathe on us.
Breathe on this nation.
Breathe on the lawmakers.
Breathe on the church.
Lord Jesus, your kingdom is good news for a world caught in racial injustice and hostility.
We ask that you would give us grace for the deep challenges facing our country.
And in the power of the Holy Spirit, empower us to see your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
In Jesus’s name. Amen.
Missio Alliance Comment Policy
The Missio Alliance Writing Collectives exist as a ministry of writing to resource theological practitioners for mission. From our Leading Voices to our regular Writing Team and those invited to publish with us as Community Voices, we are creating a space for thoughtful engagement of critical issues and questions facing the North American Church in God’s mission. This sort of thoughtful engagement is something that we seek to engender not only in our publishing, but in conversations that unfold as a result in the comment section of our articles.
Unfortunately, because of the relational distance introduced by online communication, “thoughtful engagement” and “comment sections” seldom go hand in hand. At the same time, censorship of comments by those who disagree with points made by authors, whose anger or limited perspective taints their words, or who simply feel the need to express their own opinion on a topic without any meaningful engagement with the article or comment in question can mask an important window into the true state of Christian discourse. As such, Missio Alliance sets forth the following suggestions for those who wish to engage in conversation around our writing:
1. Seek to understand the author’s intent.
If you disagree with something the an author said, consider framing your response as, “I hear you as saying _________. Am I understanding you correctly? If so, here’s why I disagree. _____________.
2. Seek to make your own voice heard.
We deeply desire and value the voice and perspective of our readers. However you may react to an article we publish or a fellow commenter, we encourage you to set forth that reaction is the most constructive way possible. Use your voice and perspective to move conversation forward rather than shut it down.
3. Share your story.
One of our favorite tenants is that “an enemy is someone whose story we haven’t heard.” Very often disagreements and rants are the result of people talking past rather than to one another. Everyone’s perspective is intimately bound up with their own stories – their contexts and experiences. We encourage you to couch your comments in whatever aspect of your own story might help others understand where you are coming from.
In view of those suggestions for shaping conversation on our site and in an effort to curate a hospitable space of open conversation, Missio Alliance may delete comments and/or ban users who show no regard for constructive engagement, especially those whose comments are easily construed as trolling, threatening, or abusive.