A Liturgy from Praying the News
During a Protest
“Vindicate me, O God, and defend my causeagainst an ungodly people,from the deceitful and unjust mandeliver me!For you are the God in whom I take refuge;why have you rejected me?Why do I go about mourningbecause of the oppression of the enemy?Send out your light and your truth;let them lead me;let them bring me to your holy hilland to your dwelling!Then I will go to the altar of God,to God my exceeding joy,and I will praise you with the lyre,O God, my God.”
Psalm 43:1–4 (ESV)
King of Justice,France is wrestling and dividingand drawing lines around what is good.Send out your light and your truth;let them lead the nation.
Lead protesters into peaceful organizationand constructive conversation with public officials;lead this community into creative collaborationso that dissent sows change that lifts the lowly.
Protect France from the unchecked ragethat will destroy progressand drown out peaceful dissent;shelter the vulnerable and bring stillness.May rioters' destruction bear no fruit for their cause;turn the violent so that they chase after peace.Equip law enforcement with prudence and courage,and strengthen the courts to establish justice.
And if peace remains elusive and consensus never comes,establish your church as a lighthousethat welcomes the exhausted.May the saints be unified and distinct,marking our otherworldlinessby how we love one another.Protect us from rebellion, hatred, and spite,which have no place among your people.May we be gracious and patient servants,pursuing justice for our neighborswhile leaving vengeance in your capable hands.Protect us from loving order more than righteousness;from preferring the absence of tensionto the presence of justice.
Give your people discernment to knowwhich policies merely chafe against our preferences,and which run contrary to your Word.Direct us toward godliness in our watching,in our debating,in our staying put,or in our mobilizing.
O God Our Exceeding Joy,send out your light and your truth;let them lead us.Lead us into righteousness and justice in our wrestling;lead us into joyful worship in our waiting.
Amen
Praying the News
Liturgies for reading the headlines.
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