Lord, Have Mercy

One of the coolest things about my move to Wisconsin (besides owning my first home), is that I have found a church and faith community that I really like. I was grown up in a Presbyterian home, and my wife in a Methodist. However, both of those communities have proven to be a bit too conservative for our tastes at times. We want to find a fun church, with a good variety of ages, and one with traditional services and old organs....can't breed the protestant out of us! We knew the ultra-large Baptist mega churches were not for us, but we instead turned to the United Church of Christ. I was first caught by their advertisements in which they say, "God is still speaking", and the tag line of "Never place a period where God has placed a comma."

At any rate the church is lovely and the sermons really seem to reflect a lot of my thoughts and experiences, which is really cool.

Last week a prayer was shared that I really enjoyed, and so I thought I would post it here, as it reflects current events.

Lord, have mercy. Kyrie eleison.
A Prayer for the Middle East at a Time of War.

You did not make us O God, to die in bomb craters or to huddle through the
night in basement shelters. You made us to play under olive trees and cedars and
to sleep soundly with animal toys and gentle lovers. Lord, have mercy.

You did not make us, O God, to hold hostages for barter or to rain deadly
fury on innocent children and beautiful coast lands. You made us, O God, to
welcome strangers and to cherish all creation. Christ, have mercy.

You did not make us, O God, to oppress in the name of security or to kill
in the name of justice. You made us, O God, to find security in justice and to
risk life in the name of peace, Lord, have mercy.

While leaders in Tel Aviv and Damascus, Tehran, Washington, and southern
Lebanon pander to ancient fears, claim the mantle of righteous victim, and
pursue their little empires in the name of gods of their own devising, the
people of Lebanon and northern Israel are made captive to fear, true victims
whose only advocate is You.

Save us from self-justifying histories and from moral equations that excuse
our folly. Search our hearts for our own complicity. Spare us from pious prayers
that neglect the prophet's angry cry. Let us speak a resounding "no" to this
warring madness and thus unmake our ways of death, so that we may be made more
and more into your image.

The Rev. John H. Thomas
General Minister and President
United Church of Christ
July 19, 2006