Читать книгу Disciplined Hope - Shannon Craigo-Snell - Страница 8

January 24, 2017

Every day I will pray for those who resist. Today, I pray blessing and protection for the badass people at the Badlands.25

January 25, 2017

I pray this evening for water protectors at Standing Rock, for Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, for journalists who tell the truth, and for scientists who protect the data.26

January 26, 2017

Tonight I pray for Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and every other mayor who is standing up for immigrants. I pray for Dan Rather and for whoever turned Teen Vogue into a political force for good. I pray for every single person calling their representatives. And for artists, of every stripe, who make us more human.27

January 27, 2017

I pray strength and inspiration for every writer who is shaping words to resist hate and cultivate compassion, in tweets, FB posts, essays, op-eds, newsletters, blog posts, books, and every other format and genre. I pray for the preachers who are writing sermons that emphasize the consistent biblical mandate to care for refugees. Writing mercies to you all.

January 28, 2017

I pray tonight for all the people who went to airports to protest DT’s despicable action, for the taxi drivers who stopped picking up passengers at JFK, for the ACLU, for Judge Ann M. Donnelly, and for all those who participated in local actions to reject discrimination. I pray that God blesses you and adds the strength and power of the Holy Spirit to your efforts.28

January 29, 2017

Throughout the day I pray for those in need of protection, healing, justice, and strength. In the evening, I focus on what I am thankful for, and I lift up those people and communities who work for justice and resist hate.

Tonight I am in awe of the continuing protests around the country, and so many friends who are standing with immigrants and refugees. You are amazing. I praise God for your witness.

I pray tonight for Guilford College, my beloved alma mater, which started the #everycampusarefuge program. God bless the people there who are working so hard right now. And I pray for every other school that is rejecting and resisting this Muslim ban. This is important teaching!

I pray also for the Guiding Light Islamic Center in Louisville. The youth of our church visited today, and were greeted with incredible hospitality and kindness. They taught my kids about Islam and fed them delicious food.29

January 30, 2017

I pray for courage and protection for all of those who resist. Tonight, that includes the thousands of people who rallied in Louisville. I pray guidance and resilience for the young ones who carried signs saying “Dumbledore’s Army.” I pray strength for the elders using walkers in the crowd. I pray joy for the Muslim family laughing as they all tried to fit in a selfie. I pray welcome for the people from all over the world who sang the national anthem, claiming a beautiful vision of America as the truth that will yet be. I pray stamina for the civic and religious leaders—Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and more—who call us to our better angels. And for the teenage African-American boy who thanked me for coming out tonight, I pray that he be surrounded by so much active work for justice, so much engagement and care by people outside his family, that he someday expects old white ladies to be on the street.30

January 31, 2017

This evening I am praying for the Black Lives Matter activists who brought the venerable American tradition of protest into the forefront of our collective imagination. Labor unions and peacemakers and others have kept the tradition alive, but the BLM activists taught a new generation, and reminded some of the rest of us, how to stand up together. When news of this Muslim ban came out, people all over the country made signs and went to the nearest international airport. We knew what to do. We know what this looks like, because we have had such fine exemplars these past few years. Many of those activists have paid—and continue to pay—a heavy price for their work for justice. Tonight I pray help comes at every crossroad, support on every difficult day, concrete assistance in times of need, and a hedge against the evil that always pushes against true courage. I pray they are each surrounded by steadfast companions on this journey, and that joy rises of its own accord.31

February 1, 2017

Tonight I give thanks for rigorous historians who offer us facts, perspective, and a sense of how different scenarios have unfolded in the past. Historians teach us about great figures from other centuries, models of courage and fierce intelligence to emulate in our own lives. They also teach us about danger signs and patterns of predictable misuse of power.

I pray stamina for every historian who spends long hours in the library, persistence for the scholars who check the sources carefully, encouragement for young history buffs who are told this isn’t a good career path, and patience for those stalwart teachers who strive to hand the wisdom of the ages to students unconvinced of its value. I pray for the non-professional historians—the grandparents, uncles and aunts, and elders of the community who remember the communal story. Here I think especially of Jewish friends whose remembrance of the Shoah compels them to work for justice in Palestine and in America. I think also of families whose grandparents immigrated to the U.S. years ago. The community no longer thinks that this is an immigrant family. But the family remembers the experiences that lead them to flee, the long struggle to get here, the fear and hunger and insecurity. I pray that these historians tell their stories loud and clear. Dear God, please bless me with a history-loving spirit. Bless those who do this noble work. Amen.

February 2, 2017

I ask God to bless those people—over 1,000—who signed the State Department dissent cable. DT makes it a point of pride to harm those whom he perceives to have slighted him in some way. These Foreign Service officers and other employees of the State Department are taking a stand that has significant risks. God, please smooth the paths before them, protect them from meanness, and give them perseverance in this tumultuous time.

I also thank God for the many people who have worked over the years to make the Boy Scouts of America more inclusive. That must have looked like a hopeless battle at many points. Yet people kept pressing, and now transgender boys can join the Boy Scouts. I do not know the names of the people who made this happen, bit by bit, but God does. May they always be greeted with the welcome they worked to extend to others.32

February 3, 2017

I thank God for humor tonight, and pray God’s blessing on every comedian and satirist who is resisting with wit and laughter. Like parents passing out snacks and juice to exhausted children, they give us a bit of sustenance and cajole us back onto the field of play.

When it seems like staying sane and being politically engaged are mutually exclusive choices, humorists demonstrate that this is a false dichotomy. We can be sane, informed, and engaged, but it requires levity.

God, these people offer their light to the rest of us. Grant them deep wellsprings of humor, pleasure, and joy. To every subversive late night host, every funny writer who takes aim at injustice, and every soul who adds to the restorative resistance of hashtag humor about Bowling Green and updates about the current whereabouts of Frederick Douglass, please bring energy and inspiration. Laughter is an antidote to fear. May we fear no evil. Amen.33

February 4, 2017

I pray for all the lawyers who are working on behalf of vulnerable populations. The legal system in the U.S. is terribly flawed, but it also marks our aspirations for justice and equity. Many lawyers enter the field to uphold these values and spend their days pursuing them. God, please grant stamina and energy to these servants of the public good. Help them to be clear-headed, quick-thinking, and creative in their use of legal measures to protect our society’s highest goals. Guide those who are judges with your spirit of compassion and your relentless grace.

February 5, 2017

Holy God, I am bewildered. I keep blinking at the screens that show large companies declaring their support for immigrants, refugees, and the value of inclusivity. I am unaccustomed to the idea that multinational brands could take moral leadership. Questions come: Yes, but how do they treat their workers? Yes, but what is their impact on the environment? Yes, but are they just trying to manipulate our emotions for financial gain?

As the questions bounce around, I sense an underlying swell of gratitude. Thank you, God, for the businesswomen and men who are choosing to use their public platforms to affirm the noble values to which our society aspires. Justice. Fairness. The strength of difference in unity. They are, in some small way, reminding us who we say we are, and holding us accountable to that standard. The questions that come to me are valid and important, insofar as they are used to hold these businesses accountable, too. Forgive me, God, when I lose sight of that, and let my critical inquiry become a test of purity. Because rejecting tests of imagined purity—of any kind—is central to the work of justice. I give thanks for help from unexpected places, and I ask God to bless the people of 84 Lumber, Ben and Jerry’s, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Nike, Budweiser, and every other company resisting hate and supporting welcome. Grant them each a double measure of courage and creativity, and may their examples stir the hearts of other business professionals. Let them not grow weary in this work. Amen.34

February 7, 2017

I pray God’s peace upon John Bercow, the speaker of the House of Commons, who has stated that someone who embraces racism and sexism should not be invited to address parliament. I don’t know anything about this man except this: he is refusing to acquiesce. He is resisting the temptation to pretend things are normal, or to normalize them with pomp and ceremony. God grant him a steadfast spirit, a loud voice, and increasing company.35

February 8, 2017

Faithful and steadfast God, please bless every person who persists in talking about the sin of racism that plagues us. In our broken state, we are eager to be deceived, and so we willingly accept nonsense. We imagine that speaking about racism is impolite, and thereby allow racism to flourish.

Thank you, God, that Coretta Scott King persisted in speaking and writing about racism, using her voice and pen to tell the truth and shame the devil.

I ask that you guard and protect Senator Elizabeth Warren. Place around her a hedge against evil. Grant her eloquence; incline the ears of many towards her. Bless her speech with power and her soul with an unyielding dedication to the truth. May she be an example to her peers, and to us, that it may be said of us, “nevertheless, they persisted.”36

February 9, 2017

Holy God, tonight I want to pray for the judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. I ask you—God of justice, mercy, and gratuitous love—to bless these persons, in that mysterious way that you do, providing what is needed even before the lack is felt.

I’ve said that I will pray every evening for people who are resisting the destructive forces at work in the United States. I am wary that I might insult these judges by including them in these nightly devotions. I do not know them. Perhaps they would prefer not to be portrayed as taking a side in our current struggle. Perhaps they are clear that they are simply following the rule of law—which transcends partisanship—and their ruling today is the logical outcome. Yet such an attitude is, in these bewildering days, revolutionary. Abiding by the rule of law, having three distinct branches of government, attending to the expressed will and concerns of the people, separating the Presidency from business—so that business relations can’t influence the president and the president can’t influence business deals—these basic tenets of American governance are all under threat, such that anyone who sustains them is a resister. Whether these judges see their actions as resistance or merely competence, I am grateful to and for them. I pray for every person who refuses to be bought or sold. We live in a world in which anything can be commoditized—even our attention—and financial transactions have become a dominant model for human interaction. I pray that our new administration is consistently denied an adequate source of people eager to be bought, eager to sell. Creator God, keep it at the forefront of our minds that we are yours in a much more grounded way. Your claim on us is not ownership, but rather creation and love. We are yours because you made us. We are yours because you love us. Unstoppable resistance can be grounded in this love. Amen37

February 10, 2017

Dear God, I give thanks for all the schools across the country, from Ivy League universities to the Jefferson County Public Schools in Kentucky, that have publicly stated their commitment to immigrant, refugee, and international students.

The current administration of the United States incites fear—fear that demands walls and divisions. Schools are not meant to house fear, but to nurture curiosity. God, you made us curious creatures. We long to know more. At our best, this is not a quest for individual self-aggrandizement, but the communal and collective longing to reach beyond ourselves toward one another and, ultimately, toward you. The educators at these schools recognize that we face global challenges that require global collaboration, challenges that are environmental, medical, scientific, economic, political, ethical, and philosophical. They know that we learn, teach, research, discover, create, and innovate better together. They acknowledge that music blows past borders; art escapes containment; literature calls across continents. Please bless the students, faculty, administration, and staff of each of these schools. Grant them the courage of their convictions, should there be need, to protect the vulnerable in their communities. In particular, I pray tonight for Todd G. May, Chenjerai Kumanyika, and Mike Sears, three professors at Clemson University. Their school has not yet publicly opposed the Muslim and Refugee ban. In order to bring attention to this issue and to encourage the administration to take a principled stand, these teachers began a six-day “Fast Against Silence” on February 6. Matthew 5:6 states, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” In order to promote justice and compassion in their school, these teachers go hungry. God, please strengthen, protect, and support these professors. Grant them physical health to endure this discipline. Gather support around them, and let their witness be fruitful in the Clemson community. Amen.38

February 11, 2017

God, please bless all the people who are showing up at town halls, rallies, and protests. It makes such a difference to show up in person. But, of course, you know that.

February 12, 2017

Dear God, please bless the musicians who give us strength to resist, who tell the truth, who cast visions of new realities, and who comfort us in times of suffering. Grant them inspiration. Amen.

February 13, 2017

Dear God, please bless the coders working in Berkeley and some twenty other places around the country to preserve all the intricate scientific data that is now vulnerable to government erasure. They are “tagging and bagging” complex information that could help us prevent still more harm to the earth. They are tracking when data goes missing—as some already has. Guard them, God, as they try to guard your creation from willful stupidity. Give them insight, creativity, brilliance, and good coffee. Let your Spirit sustain them in this work. Amen.39

February 14, 2017

Steadfast God, thank you for the elders in the struggle. I am thinking particularly of a woman at church who told me in November that we would have to take to the streets. An activist throughout the sixties, she is deeply troubled that she no longer has the physical strength to march. I am also thinking of an eighty-three-year-old man from the same congregation, who has been protesting for the first time in his life this year. He refuses to stand idly by while immigrants and refugees are targeted. God of strength and mercy, I ask you to multiply—exponentially—the power and influence of these two faithful Christians. And while you’re at it, please grant the rest of us a portion of her wise determination and a measure of his openness to new ways of living faith. Amen.

February 15, 2017

Dear God, please bless all those whose resistance cannot be publicized. I have known many wonderful administrative assistants and secretaries in my life. They know how things get done. I have been thinking since November that there are women and men behind desks who will misfile things, forget attachments, or otherwise slow down the implementation of new unjust policies. Or perhaps make information known, when not doing so would endanger our democracy. These people probably will not get to feel the life-giving solidarity that is shared at rallies, or to feel the appreciation of others who thank them for their work. Instead, I suspect, their resistance is lonely, and perhaps frightening. I suspect it stems from a sense of duty, patriotism, and an unwillingness to lose one’s self through acquiescence.

During WWII, there were several different means of protest. While some people hid Jewish families in the attic, others forged papers, and others publicly denounced the Nazis. One group of resistors, called the White Rose, was made up mostly of about five college students and one philosophy professor. They dared to have conversations on campus, and to produce a series of leaflets urging nonviolent resistance to Hitler. It must have been both tempting and maddening to think that printing some leaflets couldn’t really make a difference. Yet they did it anyway. Eventually, the members of the White Rose were caught, to be executed or imprisoned.

We don’t look back at the White Rose group today and critique their methods. Well, that might not have been the most efficient, or the most effective, or reach the widest audience, or, or, or. Instead, we look to them with honor and hold them up as examples of ordinary citizens who—in the ways available to them—tried to prevent harm and foster justice.

For those honorable people who use whatever means available to slow the implementation of unjust policies, I give thanks. For those faithful people who use the tools at hand to protect human lives and American democracy—even though no one will ever know—I pray. You know what they are up to, God. Give them guidance and strength. Grant then discernment and protect them from temptations towards power. Keep close to their hearts the principles and peoples who would be swiftly damaged by the new political realities in DC. Protect them, sustain them. Grant them determination and a strong guiding hand. And somehow give them joy. Amen.40

February 16, 2017

Dear God, please bless the writing teachers. They know the world does not need another batch of five-page essays on Moby Dick. But they believe that learning how to construct a thesis statement, and a paragraph, and to connect subject with verb in a sentence, will help students learn how to think clearly. And the world desperately needs more clear thinkers. Bless the writing teachers with hope and patience, God.

And while you’re at it, grant some determination to the geometry teachers who drag reluctant adolescents through the basics of logic. If this is true, and this is true, then you can logically conclude this other truth. Not because we need basic proofs recreated, but because the exercises teach students how to think clearly. The science teachers—please grant them the gift of inspiring curiosity, the tenacity to nourish it, and ample safety glasses. What is your hypothesis? How could we test that theory? Watch what happens. Take notes. Draw conclusions from the evidence. Most of the students will never repeat any specific experiment, but they still learn to think clearly. God, we need clear thinking. And it appears to be thin on the ground, so please grant strength and power, creativity and humor, and a sense of just how vital their work is, to the teachers. Protect those lessons on clear thinking. We need them. Quick. Amen.

February 17, 2017

During the day, I pray a lot of “are you kidding me?!” type prayers, and a lot of “Please God protect” kind of prayers, and a fair number of “may the odor of skunk fill his nostrils day and night” sort of prayers. At night, I ask God to bless particular people or groups who are resisting the forces of hate and fear around us. It is a discipline that makes me notice those who are working for good, and to hold that which is positive in the light of God’s mercy. I post them here because I want to be connected to all of you in this moment. Some of you have found these prayers helpful, and I am glad for that. I try to remember to make them public so they can be easily shared.

This morning, I received a prayer request. A loved one who served in the military was joining other veterans in South Carolina to protest the current administration’s policies. One veteran said, “this is horrifying to what WE stand for. It is a disgrace.” Another veteran lamented, “It’s breaking my heart.” It has been a privilege to pray for them all day.

Dear God, please bless the veterans who are protesting. These brave souls have shaped their lives in an effort to serve the common good. When it comes to the aspirational values of the United States—justice and freedom for all—they have skin in the game. And arms. And legs. And lives. The sacrifices they have made on our behalf command respect.

Now, they are fighting for our country in a different way, by demanding that we move towards the values we proclaim and not away from them. From South Carolina to Standing Rock, veterans around the country are calling the government and the people of the United States to become who we say we are.

God, please surround these veterans with your grace and peace. Give them a steady sense of your presence as they, again, work for the common good. Energize them with a sense of community, purpose, and calling. Grant them levity; bless them with joy. May their demonstration of true patriotism instruct and inspire us all. Amen.

February 18, 2017

God of knowledge and wisdom, I pray this night for reporters and journalists. Bless their efforts to know and understand our shared world, to communicate with accuracy and clarity, to provide the transparency upon which the premise of government by, for, and of the people rests. Protect them from harm, as many willingly go into dangerous situations so that the truth might be known. Guard their families, who must worry. And tonight, God, after they have been maligned, give them comfort and sleep.

In the morning, please set them on fire with determination to do their work. Give them a collaborative spirit, that their efforts might be multiplied. Guide them to investigate the most fruitful leads, and scatter their paths with useful information. Fill their days with happenstance that points them in the right directions for vital stories. Sharpen their minds to attend to details, and give them focused energy for long hours of research.

The motivation of a little righteous anger would seem appropriate, too, God. But you know best. Amen.

February 19, 2017

God of all creation, please bless the scientists who rallied today in Boston. Give them stamina not only to do the work of science, but to resist this administration’s attacks on data, funding, and the very concept of facts. These people didn’t sign up to be political activists. But they recognize how high the stakes are at this moment, and that telling the truth is a necessary political act. Grant them encouragement and creativity in the new roles they now occupy.

Scientists exemplify an important virtue. They regularly take in new information and revise their conclusions in accordance with the data. This means they are always open to the possibility that they have been wrong and they are willing to change their views. It is a discipline of humility. God, while you bless these scientists-turned-activists, please grant the rest of us a measure of this virtue. Help us to face the facts around us and to respond accordingly, even when this means changing our understanding. May we be more concerned with truth than status, and may we always seek to know you more. Amen.41

February 20, 2017

Holy God, I give thanks for the 16 members of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who resigned over the injustices of the administration’s current policies and rhetoric. I give thanks for Edward Price, who resigned from the CIA after years of service, and for Retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward, who turned down the job of National Security Advisor. I give thanks for all those who are willing to relinquish power and prestige in order to stand for justice.

It is tempting to believe that moral compromise is an acceptable—even necessary—part of attaining influence with which to serve the common good. Honestly, we are all already compromised. We can’t pretend our hands are clean. It would be selfish to value preserving some sense of our individual moral goodness over doing everything we can to make systemic changes that would help those most vulnerable.

And yet. This kind of thinking makes it all too easy to ally ourselves with evil, in small, incremental steps.

God, please bless each person who resists the pull of accolades and influence and, instead, is drawn towards equality and compassion. Grant them new opportunities to use their talents, unexpected collaborators, and a sense of peace. Open doors to joyful and surprising places to fulfill their vocations. Amen.42

February 21, 2017

Holy God, I ask you to pour blessings upon Linda Sarsour and Tarek El-Messidi, and all the people who responded to their call to action. These two people acted quickly after a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis was desecrated, creating an online fundraiser to repair the damage and communicate support to the Jewish community.

In a time when hate crimes and religious discrimination are on the rise, and when Muslim communities and the religion of Islam have been targets of hateful rhetoric, it would be understandable if American Muslims were focused on their own difficulties. It would be understandable if the climate of fear made it harder to reach out to neighbors. And yet, these two particular American Muslims, and many others, are rallying around Jewish communities that have been threatened, harassed, and harmed. Perhaps they know that Islamophobia and anti-Semitism are cut from the same vile cloth. Perhaps they know that dividing the population into separate groups taught to fear one another is a well-worn strategy for social control. But it appears—from the statements to the press and from the warm response of other Muslims—to be simply an outward expression of their faith. Raising money to repair a desecrated Jewish cemetery? That’s what being Muslim looks like. These people make me hopeful, God, and increase my own faith. Please protect them and their loved ones; grant them peace and wisdom; let their lights burn bright so that the rest of us might see more clearly. Amen.43

February 22, 2017

Steadfast God, I pray for my friends and neighbors in Kentucky who keep showing up outside events where Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is present. Although Senator McConnell was elected to represent the people of Kentucky, he refuses to have town hall meetings. Instead, he only meets with constituents who pay money to attend RSVP events.

God bless the people who show up for democracy even when they have been disinvited.

Grant them relentless and persistent hope. Give them comfortable shoes, friends willing to watch the kids, and coworkers who help arrange schedules. Bless them with energy and laughter, with solidarity and Spirit. Amen.44

February 23, 2017

Loving God, I pray for every pastor, youth leader, Christian educator, and Sunday school teacher who is preaching and teaching about what faith looks like in our current political situation. Every one who is reflecting on the consistent biblical mandate to care for the refugee. Every one who is reflecting on the grace-filled call to right relationship and the sinfulness of racism. Every one who is reflecting on prophetic calls to justice and mercy. It is always easier to preach and teach a weaker gospel. But it is faithful to tell the truth of who you are and who we are called to be.

Bless these Christian leaders. Give them perseverance in the face of complaints that religion ought not be political, as these complaints ignore both the gospel and the reality that silence is also a political statement. Grant them insight, patience, and good metaphors. Bless them with courage and humility in equal measure.

Triune God, I ask you not just to bless these leaders individually, but also to bless them in relation, giving them strength in community. Give them each, and all together, the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

February 24, 2017

God of Revelation, I pray for Marty Baron. I only know about this person through the work produced by the Boston Globe while he was editor (from the Spotlight team reporting on sexual abuse within the Catholic church, for instance) and, more recently, through the excellent journalism of the Washington Post on political issues since he became editor there in 2013. Through his work, I know him to be a leader in journalism in the United States, and someone who is not easily intimidated.

But God, you know Marty Baron completely. So I ask you to bless this man with whatever he needs to support and empower investigative journalism. You know what fuels his work—coffee or anger or good music in the background or prayer or carbohydrates. Whatever it is, PLEASE GIVE HIM SOME. And spread that blessing around. Pour your grace on every editor in every news outlet that cares about factual accuracy. Somewhere today the next great editors of the Boston Globe, the New York Times, and the Washington Post are cutting their teeth on local stories in small towns around the country. Please bless them, too. Amen.45

February 25, 2017

Faithful God, please bless all the community organizers who are working to resist the current administration’s harmful policies. Bless those who have been doing this for decades and those who are new to this vocation.

Some of us are used to thinking there are grown-ups in charge and they will do their jobs. Others are used to thinking that the government has never been interested in their well-being. Community organizers take up the task of convincing the first group that their imagined political savior is not coming; and convincing the second group that their own political activism can make a difference.