Liturgy 054: A Prayer For the Morning After Election Day

🕊️ A Prayer and a Blessing to Participate in the Kingdom of God

☕️ Lectio Divina

My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.

— Jesus of Nazareth

Jesus Christ did not come to rule an empire; He came to wash the feet of the broken and bear the cross of the oppressed.

— Unknown

🪴 Prayer

LORD

You entered our world
in the days of Caesar
and a corrupt
Second Temple Administration

Tax Collectors
and the Religious Right
were all in bed with Rome

And in that swamp
of power hungry
compromisers
you had
the gall
the courage
the nerve
to love

With thorns pressed
into your skull,
nails into your flesh,
with the sound
of mocking men
daring you to come down
and defy
the powers of Rome and a
crooked church committee
you prayed
for their forgiveness

Selah

Oh God we confess

Our love
is not as strong

Our vision
much more
short sighted

Selah

My citizenship
is not of
Republican
Democrat
Korean
or American
origin

But Your Kingdom
does not issue
social security cards
or permanent residencies

Instead

They will know
we are Christian
by our love

They will know
we are Christian
by our imitation
of Christ’s
surprising love

God
bless
America
with
ordinary
women
and
men
who
love
as
Jesus
did
in
the
days
of
Caesar

Amen

🕊️ Blessing

May you pray for Congress, the Senate, the White House, and the appointed Justices in our land. And may you include all persons, including your elected officials as persons undeserving and yet included within the grasp of God’s scandalous unmerited grace. May inclusion be not limited to a privileged gaze.

May we all make our feeble attempts to love as Jesus did. May God bless what little bread we offer to Christ.

And may justice roll like a mighty river despite this winding road.

May you give yourself to serving the poor, visiting the sick, and remembering those in prison - no matter which empire you find yourself in.

In the Name of the One
Who Suffered Under
Pontius Pilate
And Was
Without Sin

Amen.