Written after reading Julia Esquivel’s, "Lord’s Prayer from Guatemala" in Threatened with Resurrection. Esquivel's contextual and liturgical expansion of Jesus' prayer provides a framework and formative praxis for individuals and communities called to prayer in the midst of the varied human struggles and related incarnations of the gospel. Work through each movement of the Lord's' Prayer and add what the Spirit may draw to the forefront of your heart and imagination...
Our Father of the human family
whose image is reflected in every person
young and older
here and there
across all nations, neighborhoods, colors, and class
Be near.
Our Father of children who walk into schools each day,
of teachers who guide and instruct them
of youth who do not have access to quality education
or the arts
vulnerable to a life of less and not enough
Be near.
Our Father of those who only know of violence and war
who flee countries
mothers and children
looking for refuge in a land not their own.
Bear near.
Our Father of those who know guns are too readily accessible
whose loved ones have been killed
their bodies lay in the streets
taken by weapons purchased with great ease
legally
quickly
tragically
to others profit.
Be near.
Our Father of First Nations People
those who have been forced to live as strangers
Water Protectors who care for creation
more than oil, innovation, and profit margins
Be near.
Our Father of those who fear the red and blue lights
who have to speak with greater caution when stopped
afraid they will be perceived as threat because of their pigmentation
many slain by those called to serve and protect
in front of their children
Be near.
Our Father in heaven
your name is not hallowed on this earth.
But the names of the fallen are.
The endless names attached to hashtags and movements
headlines and calls to action
Hallow your name in the wake of their suffering.
Hallowed be your name through the witness of the persecuted church
the faithful present and in ages past
who have remained true to the call
even at the expense of their very lives
claimed by those whose god is Terror
whose faith is Vengeance
whose doctrine is Hate.
Hallowed be your name through the bodies of the oppressed
the wounds of the neglected
the cries of those who have struggled for far too long
in neighborhoods quarantined from opportunity
fenced off from privilege
brushed under the rugs of the elite.
Hallowed be your name in young people who struggle with visions of the future
who take on debt just to keep up with the new normal
youth who are uncertain about what is to come
yet know what is cannot remain
Hallowed be your name in their voices that long for change
seek a better way.
Hallowed be your name in the work of teachers and activists
doctors and lawyers
pastors and church leaders
theologians and contemplatives
social workers and peacemakers
artists and writers
protesters and community organizers
leaders in political office who dare to see their work as truly serving the public good.
May your kingdom come where there is malnourishment in the developing world
and in our own nation
where food banks have surplus in preservatives and nutrition comes at a high cost
May your kingdom come through urban gardens
Your will be done in community dinners.
May your kingdom come in calls to peace
your will be done in non-violent means to conflict resolution
May your kingdom come through the church willing to surrender old programs and paradigms
as we develop holistic initiatives that benefit those beyond our buildings
your will be done in faithful use of the arts alongside those in recovery
others re-entering after years of imprisonment
May your kingdom come in parts of the earth
Philadelphia
Coatesville
Baltimore
Baton Rouge
Chicago
Cleveland
LA
Chester
San Diego
Tegucigalpa
Mexico City
Aleppo
Bogotà
Juba
Tel Aviv
Palestine
Pakistan
As it is heaven.
Give daily bread to those hungry for medical care
steady employment
education
safety
fair treatment
women who long for equal pay and equal opportunity
immigrants looking for housing, employment, and full-inclusion as citizens in this nation.
Give daily bread to those unable to make mortgage payments
who fear foreclosure
cannot make rent
others whose families are torn by addiction and infidelity.
To children who wonder their worth
sit alone at lunch
whose mothers or fathers are absent
Give them their daily bread of love and comfort
adults who will remind them they are valued and mean something to somebody
to You.
Give daily bread of freedom to those who live under surveillance
hear sounds of war out their bedroom windows
who have lived under the thumb of dictators and leaders thirsty for more power
protect us from the threat of tyranny.
Give daily bread of liberation to those who have remained behind closet doors
in house
church
family
countries
where orientation is used as yet another means to exploit
exclude, and rob another of their dignity.
Give daily bread to those who truly need a slice of bread
or fruit
or fresh vegetables
that many of us waste without conviction
Give them our daily bread when we have weeks worth of sustenance
taken for granted and left to rot.
And forgive us when we ignore the cries and concerns of our neighbor
forgive those who have not heard us when we have been in need
move us towards the day when debts do not lead to another’s capital gain
Forgive us for the way we have constructed systems fueled by debt
worked by indentured servants
who go from earned degree to endless streams of bills never to be fully paid.
Forgive us our debts.
Lead us to jubilee rooted in more than enough for all.
Lead us not into the temptation of individualism
separating ourselves from your call to the common good
to the needs of our neighbor
Deliver us from the evil of hoarding what we have for ourselves
alone
Deliver us from the evil of us and them language
from religious language as undergarments of political systems,
legislation, and powers bent on the privileged
quests for empire expansion
Deliver us from the myth of national security that leads us to build higher walls
wield more weapons of war
and label persons of varied ethnicities and religions as perceived threats.
Deliver us from the evil of greed and rhetoric that bullies our opponents
those with whom we disagree.
Deliver us from the temptation to seek the destruction of our enemies
versus pursue reconciliation, redemption, and diplomacy
at. all. costs.
Deliver us from divisions in church and home,
neighborhoods and nations.
Lead us out of the temptation to despair alone.
For yours is the kingdom of dreams and new possibilities
welcome and universal love.
Yours is the power that leads others towards wholeness and hope,
not leveraged at the expense of another.
Yours is the glory that draws all towards a brighter day when all will have enough
when the one human family will gather together
to worship
to work
to embrace
to celebrate
that our labors were never- not for one instant
in vain.
All will be well.
All will be right again.
Amen.