“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends” - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dear Friends,
I remember learning Martin Luther King, Jr’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech for a school performance and as part of history. My educational experience included people of all faiths and ethnicities, and my classmates represented the rich diversity of the Bronx. My part of the school play included these words, and they have stayed with me, sewn into the soul of my life. It is a simple statement, it seems obvious, yet nearly 58 years later, our nation is deeply divided on this unfulfilled dream. Character is often set aside in our human engagement, while love and equity take a back seat as well. We are still seeking to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and Posterity.” (1)
American Baptist Women’s Ministries (ABWM) seeks to engage and empower women, young adult women, and girls to live Christ-centered lives in all that they do. We embrace and respect our diversity and love the ways all gifts impact our sisterhood. Let us be prayerful so that we can actualize our dreams. This week during our quarterly Sisters in Prayer event, we shared many prayers, including this prayer. We invite you to add to it and continue to pray with us to heal in our nation.
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace, the government shall rest on your shoulders. Please bless your land, your people and our nation; remove deceit, megalomania and break the strongholds of oppression and replace it with holiness and submission to love. Lord hear our plea and give us actions of grace.
Sprinkle clean water upon us and cleanse us of the stains of violence, division, and bigotry. Gift us new hearts and plant a new spirit within us. Remove from our bodies the hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh that grieve injustice.
Lord hear our plea and give us hearts of love.
Break the strongholds of generational injustice and imposed poverty. Please help us find our humanity and connection as people made in your image, each uniquely carrying the divine imprint. Teach us to honor you and to live holy. Grant us the Spirit of generosity.
Lord hear our plea and give us actions of justice.
Please help us hold up Christ the mirror to see ourselves for who we truly are. For when we turn to you, the veil that conceals your glory dissipates. Send your Spirit; may it fall on all of your children. For where your Spirit is, there is freedom.
Lord, hear what we cannot say, transform the darkness in our souls to light and give us peace in our nation.
Together we can keep our hopes and dreams centered in Christ,
Rev. Dr. Gina Jacobs-Strain
Executive Director
1.
"U.S. Const. pmbl. (repealed 1933)."
2.
Prayer written by Rev. LaThelma Yenn-Batah and Rev. Dr. Gina Jacobs-Strain