I was asked to give an impromptu prayer to conclude the local NAACP Martin Luther King, Jr. commemorative march today in downtown Las Cruces. While I can't get this word for word, here is the essence of what I said....
"I was reading this morning about how much Dr. King and his good friend, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, valued and explored prophecy. We may think of prophets as primarily having a vision that let them see the future. The main focus of their vision was on what what happening right around them, during their time. They saw injustice and oppression, saw what needed to be changed, and spoke out about it to the community and leadership. One passage that Dr. King quoted was from Isaiah, Chapter 40: 'Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places will be made a plain.' This was a vision of equality and justice that can guide us.
Eternal God, as we stand here, from our diverse backgrounds, help us to be prophets who see more than just our diversity around us, prophets who notice racism and oppression, who can work to make changes that will create more equality, who will keep our eyes and hearts open, and who will hold onto and openly share a
vision of a better community and a better world. May this be a mission to which we can commit together."
No comments:
Post a Comment