Racism in Our Land - Prayer of Lament
Prayer of Lament
Oh Lord, who is ever before me, beside me, behind me, and within me,
In this time of deepening awareness of the brokenness of racism in our land, I lament:
How often I have looked outward to see racism yet have failed to look within;
How complex and messy racism is and how difficult to address.
How little I have truly done in the midst of all I see;
How I often did not know what to do when I am aware of the deep pain of racism;
How often I have been speechless when a word was needed;
How black parents have to find the words to give their kids the talk on how to come home safe.
How again and again, blacks end up dead at the hands of the police who have sworn to protect;
How again and again police are faced with life-threatening situations that end with life being lost;
How racism has been part of the fabric of this country since its founding;
How the effects of racism, from Jim Crow laws to redlining to fear of the “Black Male” to Mass Incarceration, continue to plague our land.
How our country has not confessed its racism nor experienced deep lament and thus racism has such a hold on us.How hard it is to imagine blacks and brown and whites living beyond being defined by their skin color;
How hard it is to imagine an open, cross-culture, vulnerable conversation of how racism affects each one of us;
How it is not enough to simply talk about racism but that racism must be dismantle, little by little;
How I live in White privilege and do not really know or understand what it is to be Black in this country.
How much I want to ignore the issues of racism, the deaths caused by racism, the anxiety living in racism and have them not affect me.
O Lord, break my heart open with lament.
O Lord, pierce my soul with lament.
O Lord, open my eyes, open my mouth, open my arms that I might love in the midst of this deep pain.
Thank you Lord for this grace and power and love.
By Rev. Dr. Clay Brantley, Retreat House Co-Founder