Pray

For all God’s people, that we may have the courage to resist. For the Church, that we may resist the temptation to settle for easy answers to hard questions. For our LGBTQIA+ siblings that they may draw strength from the willingness or all God’s people to stand together to resist the forces of exclusion and know here and now the love of Christ.

Prayers of Resistance

Loving God, resisting evil, injustice, and oppression in all of its forms is hard work and I often feel small and fearful. May your love abolish my fear and replace my wavering with unfaltering courage. May your strength annihilate my feebleness. Give me the boldness to step forward with full courage to call the Church to celebrate our wide diversity and to proclaim God’s love for all, resisting all those forces that reject any of God’s beloved children. In the name of Jesus, who promises to be with us in this and all things, Amen.

Almighty God, you know the heart and mind of every person, and (yet) you love them, including me. As I seek to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in all its forms, may I never resist your love, wherever it is to be found and however it shows up. Grant me the strength and clarity to proclaim Your love for all of Your children and to co-work with You for a world where diversity is celebrated and welcomed, not feared and punished. When I am weary and need to rest, may I find my rest in You. In the name of Jesus, the Christ. Amen.

Inviting God, give us grace to hear and respond to your invitation to be co-creators with you in the cause of justice and peace-making, through the practice of nonviolent resistance and the ministry of reconciliation. Amen.

Overcoming God, who brings light out of darkness, hope out of despair, and life out of death, give us the strength to overcome evil with good, to defeat hatred with love, and to eliminate discrimination with inclusion. Give us the strength to endure hardship, misunderstanding, and opposition, so that the fruit of the Spirit may characterize our resistance. Empower us to continue laboring in the vineyard until all are one in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Loving and holy God, when you set a task before us, you do not leave us to labor alone. Thank you for the presence and power of your Holy Spirit who empowers us and enables us to persevere in the face of challenge. Give us steadfast hearts and minds towards the day ahead, surround us with your love and help us to be forces for love in all that we do. Remind us God that you love both the outcast and the one doing the casting out. It is a mystery we cannot fathom, yet as we follow in Christ's footsteps we seek to spread your love, inclusion and justice to all. May it be so. Amen.