Wednesday, October 21, 2020
In Less Than Two Weeks: A Prayer
O Lord, in less than two weeks,
just two weeks,
the day I have been longing for
will come
at last,
and at last
I will be able to do
what I have been longing to do
for months,
and that is
turn on the news
and enjoy
my morning
cup of coffee,
because
what has been stealing my peace
will cease,
and what needs to be no more
will be no more,
political ads
will be
no more,
and so
no more
sincere-sounding seekers of office sincerely
lying
through their teeth;
no more
attack ads attacking
without relief;
no more
bad mouthing
beyond belief;
no more
perfect-pitched pitchmen pitching fear
like carnival pitchmen
pitching sideshow shows
(Step right up and be scared by
scary man!);
campaigns
regular circuses,
but soon to be
no more,
no more
canting, ranting, panting
candidates
center ring;
my morning coffee
enjoyable
once more.
And yet, O Lord, I know that’s
not quite true
because
no matter who wins,
things will not magically change,
things gone too far,
divisions so deep,
resentment so powerful,
bitterness so bitter,
hatred so strong,
anger so big,
that healing
will be hard
so very hard;
and prejudice and injustice so ingrained,
violence and killing so accepted,
fear so fixed,
that little hope
for hope;
and common courtesy so uncommon,
disrespect so very common,
incivility so uncommonly common,
that
unity,
peace,
will be uncommonly
rare;
and there goes that cup of coffee,
the news not being
very new
for a long time maybe.
O Lord, send us your Spirit to
get with us,
get on us,
get after us,
so that
we are truly your people,
a people
who work to make
the news
new,
by being people who value
truth,
love,
kindness,
generosity,
dignity,
moral courage and character;
people
who want to come together with others,
work together to
establish justice,
bring peace,
give hope;
people
who are not afraid of being a “We”
in a culture of “Me’s”
(marriage service now reads: “And the two shall…
remain two”, two “Me’s”
none of that become one business, please),
people
who seek a union,
a more perfect union.
And forgive us if we have joined the chorus of Christians
who gladly sing along with
whatever tune
politicians play.
Make us better
than that!
O Lord, so many today need news that is new,
good news,
and need us to be good news ourselves
and respond to them
with compassion and care,
especially
those who are fighting the coronavirus,
those who are battling other illnesses and disease,
those who are mourning,
those who are struggling
financially and feel like giving up,
those who are becoming
more and more depressed
as they languish alone.
And we pray for and remember those so easily forgotten today:
the hungry and homeless,
refugees and detained children,
the losers of this world.
And we pray that no matter how fatigued by it all we are,
we would have sense enough
to keep doing what is
right and responsible.
O Lord, in less than two weeks,
just two weeks
the campaigns
will be
no more.
What will be
we do not know.
What must be
we do know.
Your campaign
to usher in
your Kingdom of
righteousness,
justice,
peace,
must go on
until at last
the longed-for day comes
and the news
is news
of your new day,
and we can all
enjoy
our morning coffee
(or tea)!
Amen.