A Prayer for Social Justice - The Rev. Philip DeVaul

The truth is, some of the barriers we experience are systemic, and they create reason for suspicion and hatred. Sometimes suspicions and hatreds are not themselves the problem, but symptoms of more deeply rooted problems. If I support defunding your child’s school, if I refuse to recognize your gender identity and vote for laws that marginalize you, if I cheer the removal of laws that protect you from discrimination, I have no right to wonder why there is a barrier between us. I have no business pondering why we can’t just disagree and get along.

I have a responsibility to you. I believe that is present in this prayer and must not be overlooked. We are praying that God would move the hearts of the people of our land, that God would move our hearts. The idea being that we want God to help us truly see each other’s humanity and belonging in such a way that we work together to remove the barriers that separate us. This, then, does not have to be idealism: it is the practical application of the command to love your neighbor, to love your enemy. See the humanity in all in such a way that you are moved to tear down the cultural, societal, and socio-economic barriers that separate us.