A Prayer for Lent
March 25, 2020
O Lord, help us to tame our tongues,
to watch our mouths,
to guard what we say,
because words matter,
names hurt,
what we say
can destroy a person.
And if ever there has been a time to bridle
our tongues,
it is now
because
mean and cruel words are the new entertainment,
and many people,
including many Christians,
find name-calling funny
and enjoy people being demeaned and
degraded,
and many Christians
act as if
there is no connection
between what they say and how
they are seen,
seen by others,
seen by you,
seen to be hardly Christian at all.
O Lord, give us the strength this day, every day,
to resist the temptation to join the chorus of derision,
culture’s choir of cruelty,
that fills the air,
to think before we speak,
to consider the feelings of others,
to speak words you would have us speak,
language that heals,
and gives life.
And help us to see that every encounter we have,
no matter how brief or insignificant,
will be an encounter
that will build up or tear down another,
that will make someone glad he met us
or sorry that he met us,
that will make someone’s day or
ruin someone’s day –
the checkout clerk,
the child,
the husband or wife,
fellow worker or fellow member,
the stranger on the elevator,
the bum on the corner,
the kid who just handed you your burger
and fries –
because
of the words we speak.
O Lord, remind us each and every day
that to say we are Christian
means nothing
unless what we say as Christians
means everything.
Amen.