Opening Prayers/Prayers of Adoration on Racial Reconciliation

God of all nations and peoples, Lord of all places and lands, who did form us out of the dust of the ground, and made in us a living soul, we praise you for the infinite variety of human beings. We thank you for the wonderful shadings of color and shape, the incredible differences of insight and habit, and especially the endless flights of heart and mind that lift your children above the beasts of the field and let them share a holy fellowship with you. Glory be to you for your creation of man! Glory be to you for his manifold diversities.

Yet even as we magnify your name, we seek your forgiveness; for we have sinned against our brothers and done evil in your sight. We have looked on the outward appearance and not on the heart, passed judgment in terms of what men and women have and not of what they were, called ourselves your sons and daughters, but lived as if we thought all other men and women our servants. We have seen pain without pity and heard of want without compassion. We have despised our brothers and sisters for their ignorance but denied them the means of knowledge, forced them to fight for what they needed but condemned their aggressiveness, offered them no opportunities except servitude but complained because they were nothing but servants. We have withheld our neighbors’ rights and thought we had the right to withhold them, and we have hated your creatures without understanding that we were hating their Creator. Forgive us, we pray. Forgive us. 

Save us from the insecurity that makes us fearful, and free us from the fear that leads to arrogance. Teach us from where we came, who we are, and where we shall go; and grant that, proud to be your sons and daughters, we may need no other cause for pride. If we have beaten our plowshares into swords and our pruning hooks into spears, give us grace to shape our swords to plowshares and our spears to pruning hooks. Deepen the roots of our faith. Widen the circle of our love. And help us so to live with all our brothers on the earth that thou wilt have a place for us among them in thy realm of many mansions. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Roy Pearson, Language Modernized by Stuart Strachan Jr.

God of all nations and peoples, Lord of all places and lands, who didst form man of the dust of the ground, and make of him a living soul, we praise thee for the infinite variety of thy human creatures. We thank thee for the wonderful shadings of color and shape, the incredible differences of insight and habit, and especially the endless flights of heart and mind that lift thy children above the beasts of the field and let them share a holy comradeship with thee. Glory be to thee for thy creation of man! Glory be to thee for his manifold diversities.

Yet even as we magnify thy name, we seek thy forgiveness; for we have sinned against our brothers and done evil in thy sight. We have looked on the outward appearance and not on the heart, passed judgment in terms of what men had and not of what they were, called ourselves thy sons but lived as if we thought all other men our slaves. We have seen pain without pity and heard of want without compassion. We have despised our brothers for their ignorance but denied them the means of knowledge, forced them to fight for what they needed but condemned their aggressiveness, offered them no opportunities except servitude but complained because they were nothing but servants. We have withheld our neighbors’ rights and thought we had the right to withhold them, and we have hated thy creatures without understanding that we were hating their Creator. Forgive us, we pray. Forgive us. 

Save us from the insecurity that makes us fearful, and free us from the fear that leads to arrogance. Teach us whence we came, who we are, and whither we shall go; and grant that, proud to be thy sons and daughters, we may need no other cause for pride. If we have beaten our plowshares into swords and our pruning hooks into spears, give us grace to shape our swords to plowshares and our spears to pruning hooks. Deepen the roots of our faith. Widen the circle of our love. And help us so to live with all our brothers on the earth that thou wilt have a place for us among them in thy realm of many mansions. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Roy Pearson 

O God, we thank you that you have made human beings in your own image. Help us to see ourselves as you see us, all standing in need of your mercy yet precious to you. We confess to the many injustices and prejudices of which we are guilty. Our arrogance and pride make us unworthy to be called your children. 

We rejoice that you are no respecter of persons. We know you send rain on the just and the unjust. Help us to grasp the truth that you have made one blood all nations of people to dwell on all the face of the earth. Since we have all sinned and fall short of your glory, may we cling to your Cross, by which your love is commended to all. May we in honor prefer one another. In the light of your redeeming grace help us to strive for reconciliation among all races and kinds of people. Remove from us all unchristian attitudes. Give to us the mind of Christ. Lift us above all that alienates and separates us in the human family. Through Jesus Christ enable us to strive in this world for that fellowship of kindred spirits to which we look forward in the heavenly Kingdom. In his name and by his power who is the Savior of the world. Amen. 

John S. Land, Language Modernized by Stuart Strachan Jr.

O God, we thank thee thou that hast made man in thine own image. Help us to see ourselves as thou seest us, all standing in need of thy mercy yet dear unto thee. We confess to the many injustices and prejudices of which we are guilty. Our arrogance and pride make us unworthy to be called thy children. 

We rejoice that thou art no respecter of persons. We know thou sendest rain on the just and the unjust. Help us to grasp the truth that thou hast made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth. Since we have all sinned and come short of thy glory, may we cling to thy Cross, by which thy love is commended to all. May we in honor prefer one another. In the light of thy redeeming grace help us to strive for reconciliation among all races and kindreds of men. Remove from us all unchristian attitudes. Beget in us the mind of Christ. Lift us above all that alienates and separates in the human family. Through Jesus Christ enable us to strive in this world for that fellowship of kindred spirits to which we look forward in the heavenly Kingdom. In his name and by his power who is the Saviour of the world. Amen. 

John S. Land