Our gracious God, Source and End of all
we cherish,
we pray for courage and we pray for faith.
In every time, those who have sought
to follow the Way of Jesus Christ
have found the path to be challenging,
and so do we.
We are in the world of empire
but wish to be not of it.
We enjoy to the fullest
the large and small benefits of power,
knowing that we may forfeit some
as we work to share power with others.
We love our families,
we love our country,
we love your world,
we pray for ourselves.
That we may love and serve with integrity,
send us your Spirit!
We pray, great God, for the courage to resist —
to resist inner voices of fear and of selfishness
that make us hoard what privilege we have;
to resist policies and structures that mask
violence, hatred, greed, or discrimination;
to resist those who proclaim
that dominations cannot end
nor can justice come to all.
Grant us the courage to risk,
the courage to suffer,
the courage to choose well
the direction of our days.
That we may have the courage to resist,
send us your Spirit!
We pray, gracious God, for the faith to
resist —
to speak truth to power,
be ministers of reconciliation,
and builders of your beloved community.
Grant us the wisdom that is born of faith,
discerning the spirits,
naming the devious,
proclaiming your truth.
Filled with your love
that will not let us go,
may we be empowered to love in return
all people around us
and those we may never come to know.
May we see you, great God, in them,
thou source of human dignity.
Grant us the faith to be the disciples you
need
even here, even now.
That we may have the faith to resist, send
us your Spirit!
Send us your Spirit of resistance, 0 God,
lest we make our peace with the suffering
of others,
lest we lower our commitments and call it
progress,
lest we be silent in the face of oppression,
lest we not testify with the whole of our
lives to your inbreaking realm,
on earth as it is in heaven.
In the name of Christ we pray. Amen.
— Alison L. Boden in Resist! by Michael G. Long