I was asked to do the Invocation at MLK dinner which was held last Friday evening.
And instead of closing our eyes and bowing our heads, I asked those who were there to pray with their eyes wide open and their heads held high so we could pray seeing each other and looking beyond the walls of the room where we were gathered out onto the world God has entrusted to our care and keeping.
O God,
As we gather this evening to remember and to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. challenge us to remember not just with our hearts, but also with our hands.
And, not just with our words, but also with our works.
For if we remember just with our hearts or just with our words
We will have fallen well short of that dream.
The dream Dr. King saw so clearly and gave his life to.
A dream meant not just for you and me.
But for all God’s children.
And, help us remember, too, O God, that our gathering this evening is not just about yesterday, but also about tomorrow. For we, too, are called to dream dreams and to see visions. We, too, are called to walk, each day, in the direction of justice even when that walking is hard. We, too, are called to stand, side by side, with those who have been forgotten and, those whose voices have been silenced.
Be with us and among us this evening we pray, O God.
Be with us in the fellowship we share.
Be among us in the words we hear and the songs we sing.
That our hope might be renewed and our spirits strengthened
So, when it is our turn (and it is our turn now!)
In whatever we are able…
And with whatever strength we have
We grab hold of that long arc of history
And hold on for dear life
And pull for all we are worth.
Amen.
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