By the next morning, I added another prayer to that list: I prayed that the world would see what happened, and that true justice would be done.
Today I watched the events unfolding in DC, as Trump encouraged the people at his rally to move towards the capitol building to stop Congress from counting the Electoral College votes. I watched as a protest turned into a coup, as the people present engaged in domestic terrorism, breaking into the Capitol, forcing Congress to evacuate, in an attempt to stop the democratic process and keep Trump in power. Watching the police do little to stop them, and then allowing these terrorists who had attempted to overthrow the government to leave with no consequences, I was reminded of how differently the police responded this past summer when we peacefully protested an unarmed black man being choked to death by police. And I was reminded of my friend’s question: What do you pray for at times like this?
I spent all day trying to answer that question. What am I supposed to pray for? What prayer could possibly be sufficient for what happened to this country today? And then I realized, my prayer is not so different from the prayer I prayed that night in May.
I’m not one to pray for a miracle to just happen. I don’t believe God will just make peace happen on its own just because we pray for it. I believe that God calls on us to go out and be Their hands and feet in the world, and that it is our job to bring about peace and justice. The work God calls us to today is not new. It is not the result of today’s attempted coup. Many of us have already been doing this work, and many of us are tired from how long we’ve been doing it. So today I pray that when we are worn out from the struggle for justice, God gives us the strength to keep going. I pray that when we falter or need to take a break, there is someone there to encourage us and step in for us. I pray that when we are threatened, when we are afraid, we have the courage not to give up. And finally, I pray that today will be a wakeup call to the many people in this country who have ignored the truth for so long. For all those who have convinced themselves that systemic injustices are only isolated incidents, and “this is not who we are” and white supremacy and Christian nationalism do not govern this country, I pray that they will finally see the truth, and join us in striving to create a world that is more like the Kin-dom of God, one where justice and peace reign, and oppression is no more.
Amen.