A Prayer That Made Us all Think

With your hands of power and your heart of love, help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nations shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid, when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen.

Dr. Rev. Joseph Lowery, Benediction for the Inauguration of President Barak Obama

I was so excited about this prayer when I first heard it. It echoed many of my prayers and meditations on Scripture: Isaiah 2:4, Micah 6:8, Amos 5:24 Zechariah 3:10. I was so surprised to hear that this prayer offended people. Really I was shocked. I hope that this is simply a product of the blogosphere and not how most listeners felt. Or maybe they felt fine then they listened to the pundits go off and thought well if they say I should be offended then well I guess I had better be. There was nothing to get worked up about.

 

This was an 87 old man who had fought his whole life for racial equality. This was a black man who had been asked by the newly elected President of the United States to come and pray for him, his wife and his family. He was with Dr. King at the Montgomery bus boycott, his property was seized in 1959 by the state of Alabama for his role in the civil rights movement, He was one of the first to be arrested in front of the South African Embassy in his protest against apartheid. And guess what? Tuesday he was having some fun. I would imagine he was having the time of his life.

 

I think sometimes we forget to give each other a break, to cut each other some slack. This man spent his whole life fighting for the civil rights of others. Do we really think he was being racist? I don’t think the critics even know what this word means. A bunch of white men calling a black man racist, that is ironic. Do the critics really think that this preacher who had spent his whole life defending the least of these was being a racist. Shame on them!! It shows that they will go to no ends to keep this world divided.

 

Rev. Lowery was having a good time celebrating a new day. He was remembering the language of his youth, he was remembering the songs of his fathers, he was remembering the words that God had given him over the years as promises, that he held onto for hope. His prayer was a prayer of thanksgiving and hope for a better tomorrow. The fact that he recognized that we still have a long way to go lets me know that even at 87, he still has great vision.