Racial Justice Prayers of Liberation
Prayers Based on Luke 4:18-19
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
God of the Hebrew slaves, Moses, Jeremiah, Esther, the man called Legion, the woman at the well, Harriet Tubman, the Freedom Riders, Nelson Mandela, Cesar Chavez, Vincent Simmons, the Central Park 5, Berta Cáceres, and Joan Baez; God of all of those who have lived in bondage, been falsely imprisoned, or been oppressed; God of all who have fought for the imprisoned and the oppressed; - we praise your Holy name.
Thank you for Your Spirit which sets prisoners free, gives sight to those who are blind to their participation in systems of oppression, and breaks down structures of persecution and exploitation.
We pray for those who are imprisoned, especially for those whose only “crime” was being a member of an oppressed people. We pray for the Esthers and Chavezes among us who you have called to will rise up and speak to principalities, legislators, governors, and presidents declaring with passion those ancient words of Moses, “Let my people go!”
We pray for the eyes of those who are oppressors and those who benefit of the systems of oppression to be opened. We pray that they rise up, turn, and go another way repenting of their sin and begin working to restore justice in places where there has been no justice, and therefore, no peace.
Almighty One, if you are calling me to be Esther, help me to have the courage to respond. If you are calling me to repent, open my eyes! In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi
Bishop of The United Methodist Church
Western Pennsylvania
God of Desert Transformation,
We confess that we are afraid of the desert
even though you blessed Hagar there.
We are afraid of the desert
even though you freed your enslaved people there.
We are afraid of the desert
even though Jesus prayed there.
Help us to be a people of the desert
liberated and transformed through discomfort.
We pray for the courage to listen
to the ways your Spirit disturbs us
for the sake of our liberation.
God, we know your Spirit speaks to us
through our neighbor.
In the desert of racial unrest in our land,
grant us a willingness of heart
to listen to our black and brown neighbors
even when it makes us uncomfortable;
Lord, especially when it makes us uncomfortable.
Free from our hearts the need to have the last word;
Lift from our shoulders the compulsion to always correct our neighbors;
Pluck from our minds the twisted roots of white supremacy,
so we may be free to receive the guidance and blessing you offer us
in the holy temple of our neighbor.
Amen.
Rev. Eric Mayle
Minister of Connection at Calvary United Methodist Church
Nashville, TN
Most Holy and Just Liberator,
Our yearnings for Good News have been fulfilled. The long-awaited hour is upon us and yet we are terrified to truly be liberated. Can we taste sweet liberation and retreat into the bliss of our blinders and rose-colored world?
We cry “Heal us!” But cleaning out the wound hurts!
The summer of 2020 exposed the layers upon layers of white supremacy built into our institutions and society. We rose together to defeat the beast, bend the arc, and declare a new reality. But some destroyed property and looted. It wasn’t us. Is liberation for looters, too?
Anti-Asian hate crimes and #SayHerName sharply intersected racism with misogyny and sexual violence. Is it true you ate with loan sharks and sex workers? If this is not who we claim to be, is there still liberation for us?
If we set the prisoners free, must we also leave judgement and sentencing to you? Will you set them on equal footing with us? Above us?
Are you sure about this liberation thing, God? It sounds like liberal agenda. You turn our worlds upside down and inside out. How can we unlearn the othering we’ve been taught our whole lives? We cannot even conceptualize the true liberation you promise. Help our unbelief.
Your liberation is for the poor, prisoners, blind, and oppressed. May your will be done for your beloved children. Vanquish our hubris, fears, uncertainty, and doubts and lead us into your sweet liberation. Amen.
Nadia Kanhai
NIC Chair, Anti-Racism Task Force, co-chair CCORR
Aurora, IL
This series of prayers was originally part of our Racial Justice Prayer & Action Challenge which took place in summer 2022.
To learn more about the Racial Justice Prayer & Action Challenge and read the other prayers, click here.
Leader: Creator God, the world continues to chide, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” (Psalm 137:3)
People: But like our ancestors in the faith, we continue to ask, “How can we sing the LORD’S song in a foreign land?” (Psalm 137:4)
Leader: Remind us, O God, that wherever we live, it is no longer foreign, but it is your land. Help us to honor this land as sacred.
People: Remind us that Zion’s songs are to be sung everywhere and all the time in our global community.
Leader: Gracious God, we do not truly honor and respect your creation as good stewards. Our failure to see that every human being is created in your own image…
People: Our refusal to celebrate the earth you have given us with sanctity and decorum…
Leader: Our inability to sing the songs of Zion, through our lips, hearts, minds, and actions,
People: Have caused pain, anger, suffering, racial injustice, poverty, war, and conflict in our communities, nation, and world.
Leader: Merciful God, hear our humble confession that we have sinned against you by refusing to sing these songs of Zion.
People: We confess that our silence-when colleagues and friends with different skin colors, accents, or cultures have been unfairly treated — has made the oppressor stronger and has harmed the oppressed. We take that responsibility for our weakness and failure.
Leader: Powerful God, grant us the grace, courage, and wisdom to be dynamic disciples of Jesus Christ, filled with the mighty power of the Holy Spirit…
People: So that we may sing with gusto the songs of Zion wherever we are. So that we live the words of our song through our acts of holy boldness. So that we might keep marching to Zion. So that we, as baptized Christians, fight against all kinds of racism, inequality, and injustice.
Leader: Make us new. And help us to remember and renew our baptismal covenant,
People: So we might become your beloved community, and the world may know. That we are committed to dismantling all kinds of -isms and oppressions that tear the fabric of humanity. We commit ourselves to singing a new song, to sing the songs of Zion always and everywhere in our land. Amen.
Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar
Bishop of The United Methodist Church
New England Annual Conference
Divine Masterpiece Creator, you designed humanity in your Imago Dei, and it was good.
We claim this day to live in liberation from
Biases that dehumanize us;
Systems that continue to oppress one group over another;
Behaviors that harm and destroy relationships;
and the ways that continue to claim power over communities and your creative order.
We stand with the assurance that the Divine Spirit will lead us to liberation,
from chaos to order,
from injustice to justice,
from invisibility to wholeness,
from hatred to love,
from oppression to Freedom!
So, we boldly join in singing the South African hymn words: Freedom is coming. Freedom is coming. Freedom is coming. So let it be so! Amen.
Rev. Dr. Giovanni Arroyo
General Secretary
General Commission on Religion and Race of The United Methodist Church
Washington, DC
God of all people, a friend of the poor, our holy liberator.
You have promised us salvation through Christ
a heaven of justice, mercy, and righteousness.
Help us to overcome worries
and threats of life
so that everyone will live in harmony,
friendship, and solidarity of life surrounds us.
Through your Holy Spirit
make us a mouthpiece of your salvific act,
a hand that comforts,
a provider of food for the poor,
a light that ignites hope
a testimony of your love
and a champion of your peace to all.
Amen.
Kenneth Dulanas Base
Local Youth Pastor at UMC – Mortola St.
Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
Heavenly Creator, come to us, for the need is great.
May empty stomachs be filled with justice and lonely pockets burst with peace.
May freedom come to all prisoners. Those imprisoned by sin, addiction, fear, war, and walls, both physical and metaphoric.
Open our eyes so we may see your Creation in all its wonderment. May we no longer stumble in our self-imposed darkness, but rather, let us walk in your light.
By Christ’s death and resurrection, I am reborn with the Holy Spirit. Help me to lead, to guide, and to protect but most importantly, teach me to follow, and show me the way that I should go.
May my eyes remain affixed on Jesus, in Whose name I pray, Amen.
Vince Gonzales
Lay person
GCORR Board Member
