Prayer 3045: In continued remembrance of the Tulsa Race Massacre

In silent adoration,
we pray to You,
O Creator, O Reddemer, O Spirit of Truth,
and seek your guidance in our daily journey.

Author of Life,
inscribe your law of love within our hearts,
that we may be vessels of hope
and instruments of peace and reconciliation
in all we do today.

Merciful One,
you call us to justice
that flows like a river from our hearts:
may we confront the injustice we have inherited
with honesty and remorse,
and seek ways to restore
our relationships with our kindred.

Give us the will
to sacrifice and persevere in faith,
to build bridges among communities
and seek the common good for all.

Blessed Jesus, heal us of our fractured hearts,
that we may turn back to You rejoicing
and bring praise to your healing power in the world.

We lay our prayers before You,
O God of the Oppressed and Forsaken:
grant the blessing of your comfort
to all whom we lift before You.

Amen.

Prayer 3043: On the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre

God of Justice and Mercy,
we kneel before you in humble prayer
acknowledging our sins and divisions,
emptying ourselves of our pride
asking your aid as we seek your wisdom.

Give us the courage
to seek the truth where it is under assault,
and to seek to repair the breaches in our communities.
As children of truth,
may we acknowledge and repent
where we have profited from the lie,
and work to right the wrongs of our past
which have continued consequences today.

Holy One, we mourn for those
who lost their livelihoods and their lives
to the evil of racism, violence, fear, and envy.
We mourn for those who were forced into silence
by the demands of their tormentors
to preserve the edifice of power
founded upon the rock of exploitation and threat.

May we stand alongside the survivors
and work for true justice
as the foundation of peace and fellowship.
May we call for redress and reparation
to mend the fabric of community
and demand equity for the wronged.

Blessed Lord, give us the will
to put our shoulders to the wheel of unity
that is your vision for our lives together.
Help us to persevere
in the pursuit of righteousness and integrity
that is our duty to one another
as your children, O God of Our Ancestors.

Grant us the blessing of hope, O Eternal Light,
and rest your protection on those
whose cry is to You.

Amen.

Prayer 2701: A Prayer for Juneteenth

Almighty God,
Your benevolent hand upholds us as
You call us to a shared life together
built on the solid rock of justice and kinship.
We shout with joy
at the breaking of the captives' chains
and join in the glad cry of freedom!

Set us upon the higher rock of brotherhood,
and make us wise in the knowledge
that none are free unless all are free.

May we never seek our well-being
at the expense of others,
but protect each other in amity and compassion.
May we stand with courage
on the side of equality and liberty for the oppressed.

Triune, loving God,
may we never forget that freedom,
intended for us by God but generated within community,
comes with responsibility to each other,
grounded in love and mutual support.

Open our eyes to see the lingering divides among us,
O God of Justice,
and strengthen our hands to build bridges
and join hands in Your Holy Name.
Bless and keep us
and all those who cry out to You, O God,
and rest your peace upon these for whom we pray.

Amen.