June 21, 2023
“Maybe We Should Pray that We Should Be Afraid”: A Prayer
O Lord, maybe we should pray that we should be afraid,
afraid of you,
afraid of your anger,
afraid of your judgment,
because
being afraid of
everything but you
hasn't helped much,
hasn't done much
except make us more afraid,
hasn't done anything
about all that makes us afraid;
and we are afraid,
afraid of
the violence,
the rage,
the hatred,
going to the mall,
going to the store,
going for a stroll;
afraid of
the neighbor next door,
walking up to the neighbor’s door,
knocking on the neighbor’s door;
afraid of
the stranger,
the other driver,
our own shadow;
we are afraid,
but then
politicians, those
pathetic, pathological, prats
want us to
be afraid,
vote fear,
and so
fuel fear;
we are afraid,
afraid of the truth
(lies so comforting);
afraid of reality
(fantasy so reassuring);
afraid of tomorrow
(nostalgia so soothing);
but
not afraid
of you;
and shouldn't be,
because, many say,
God of love,
God of mercy,
God of grace;
and what want,
your love, your mercy, your grace;
but
not your forgiveness
because, many feel,
don't need forgiveness, because
don't sin (negative notion negated years ago); and
don't need forgiveness of others,
because, many believe,
can't be wrong, can only be right,
because
no one has the right
to tell us we're wrong, and anyway,
no right, no wrong, only personal feelings, opinions, actions, so
always right,
never wrong,
never sin, so
never need to be
afraid of your judgment.
And yet, O Lord, maybe we should be afraid, should be afraid of you;
afraid that you will turn away, let us go our own way;
afraid that you will leave us to our own devices;
afraid that you will say to us the most
terrifying thing you can say,
“Not my will,
but your will
be done;”
maybe we should be afraid
because we know what happens when
our will be done,
go our own way,
left to our own devices;
what happens is
we get
what we've got, and
what we've got are
the consequences of
devising our own devices,
going our own way,
doing what we will;
the consequences of
doing nothing except more nothing;
the consequences of
public preferring petulant, pernicious politics,
egos gone wild;
the consequences of
thinking that
your love
implies no obedience needed,
your mercy
implies no judgement involved,
your grace
implies no accountability
required;
the consequences of
superficial Christianity,
shallow belief,
surface faith;
what we’ve gotten is what is always gotten when people have
gotten away
from you.
And so, O Lord, maybe it’s time to be afraid of you again,
afraid in the best sense,
feel the fear that is the
beginning of wisdom, feel
the awe, the wonder, the reverence, that
tells us that you are truly Lord of all; and
yes, even feel the flat out fear
of you coming near
because
you are Lord of all;
the quaking,
the shaking,
the shuddering,
we should feel
because
you are the Lord
who loves with a fierce love,
a mother’s fierce love that
censures without hesitation, and yet
covers a multitude of sins
without reservation;
who is merciful even when we deserve
condemnation;
who is gracious to us even when
we are anything but gracious;
who is faithful even when
we are faithless;
who never gives us on us even when
we give up on you; and so
maybe it’s time to
wise up.
O Lord, we pray for those who are afraid in another sense, afraid
because they are ill, suffering or hurting, dying, alone,
lost without the one they loved, have nowhere
to turn, and the homeless, the hungry,
refugees everywhere.
Cast out their fears with your love, give them the peace of
your presence, grace their days with hope,
even joy and laughter.
O Lord, sometimes I think we’re not the brightest bulbs in the box,
dim bulbs, really, like the first disciples,
not very sharp when it comes to it,
because
we keep getting
more of
what we’ve got,
what we always get when
get away from you, and will
get even more, unless
get back to you, get back to consequences, get back to accountability,
and
wise up
and live with the
love and fear that is
not afraid.
Amen.