May our liberation come as we seek
to bring liberation to others, realizing
that our freedoms are bound together
in our common humanity.
May our pain expand our capacity
for joy, our brokenness lead to
realizations of beauty within, our
despair challenge us to cling to hope,
and our suffering invite us to love.
May we realize that God's presence
is found in the voices of the
oppressed among us.
May we learn to love ourselves as
we love the oppressed in our world,
inviting us into an experience of
liberation that is nearer to us
than ever before.
CREDIT: Nikole Lim
Lim, Nikole. 2020. Liberation is Here: Women Uncovering Hope in a Broken World. IVP.
Holy One, this prayer is birthed from the depths of weariness of a black woman to the black woman. God, you know we are tired. You see the world restricts us. You know that we need to rest. So, today God, we declare freedom—no longer will we be mandated surrogates for a nation that cannot accept us. We will be free. Jesus comes, so we know our spirits can be free. So, God, enlighten us to recognize the presence of Heaven within our Spirit and orient us toward an everlasting freedom. For it is so. Amen.
Credit: Rev. Mahogany S. Thomas
Jesus Christ, Son of God, who promised in your first sermon to break the chains of the oppressed and to set the prisoners free, break apart our wrecked and ruinous criminal (in)justice system. Do not let profits strangle your prophets any longer, but be with us and teach us not to tolerate these practices from this day forward. May we not only visit the sick and imprisoned but support smart legislation, protest, and incline our hearts towards rehabilitative justice and the abolition of human cages, that all may know the freedom from judgment that only Christ can bring. Amen
Credit: Kenji Kuramitsu
Kuramitsu, Kenji. 2017. A Booklet of Uncommon Prayer: Collects for the #BlackLivesMatter Movement - and Beyond. Evangelicals for Social Action.