Intentional family prayers: Racism

And here is where I tell you what I am working on in terms of a book.

It will be a book of Intentional Family Prayers.
Available as an e-book at first.

My hope is that it will foster intimacy in a family between members of that family and with God.
Look for it in the beginning of September.

For now,
I offer this prayer time regarding racism.
It will be part of a series of prayers in the book,
all using different types of contemplative prayer styles as well as praying through various issues.

My hope,
is that in light of all that has happened in the last year regarding race,
and because of the massacre that took place in Charleston when Christians were murdered as an act of hate against the color of their skin,
that families will use this to not only open themselves to discussion,
but also to change.

Because prayer is the deepest of conversations,
and one of the most vulnerable of intimacies...
it can shift everything.
And it can root us.

A Contemplative Prayer of Repentance for Racism

Light a candle and place it on a table around which your family gathers.
Watch the flicker of the flame, note the warmth it brings, the illumination.

Reader #1: John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

Head of Household #1: Take a moment to reflect on dark places in your heart: jealousy
                                                                               unforgiveness
                                                                               hate

Now, bring these to Jesus, the Light of the world,
Who came for all people, all creation,
Who broke down dividing walls,
Whose resurrection is redeeming the earth.

Just as light consumes darkness,
So does the finished work of Jesus consume our darkness.

Breathe in deeply, exhale slowly.
Repeat this breathing for as long as the members in your family can,
focusing on the light of the candle, remembering this represents Jesus,
considering the work of restoration between all peoples He has completed

Head of Household #2:
Jesus~
Our redeemer
We come as a family to say we have not
viewed all people the same.
Fear has been our friend
and a history of exclusion rather than embrace
has kept us from welcoming another.

We want to be a family that embraces all,
Just as you do.
We repent of anything but reconciliation and restoration.

In Jesus Name.

Reader #2: John 8:12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the Light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Should you have further questions about the upcoming e-book or regarding racism, reconciliation, and restoration, comments are welcome.

The beginning of the end

And we know the end of racism is only the beginning of what we dream of for the future...

But the beginning,
it is here,
in the intimate settings of our lives.
When those who don't live with us,
who don't see the reality of how we daily live,
are not present.

It is in what we think about,
the thoughts only God knows.
(I'm not trying to shame talk here...
it is true...only God knows our hearts, our thoughts).

And the passing comment,
thrown out a car window.
The prayers we pray,
and the language we use to pray them.
A quick intake of breath,
or the tightening hold of a purse
when passing a man of a certain race
in the store aisle.

How do we answer the questions:
Mom, why are all our friend's white?
How does one explain
that the minority is really the majority?
And if God views us all the same,
then why don't we?

It trickles down,
those small thoughts we think,
the simple jokes we tell,
around a table,
at the soccer field.

I believe it starts with those places and people with whom we are the most intimate.
See us at our most vulnerable.
Who know we are not perfect.

That is the beginning of  the end.

~~~~

How do you answer the questions about race in your home...when most your friends are white and the white really is the minority and in God's economy, we are all the same. Truly, in God's economy, the powerful are called to serve the weak. Please comment.

Early morning hopes

You know those first minutes when you wake up in the morning?
How sometimes it all feels like a dream?

If you aren't too tired,
and haven't been woken in the night by tiny visitors called children,
or the invasion of old nightmares and overwhelming pictures of life,
the way the light throws itself into a dim room
or birds sing outside a window,
can be magic.

And into this ethereal luminosity of another day,
we reach for what is good,
in the hope that maybe this day
I won't raise my voice too often,
or get angry,
or be hurt by others who probably didn't mean to hurt me...

We look forward,
breathe deeply.
Good morning.

As I consider the possible thousands of new days my children will see,
and what I hope for them,
I want to imagine
pursue
dream
pray
believe
for a day without racism.

And I believe it starts in my own home,
around my own dinner table,
in moments of play
or conversation.
In the jokes I tell
in how I treat every person I meet,
I can change a future.
Not by disregarding color,
but by completely regarding humanity...
acknowledging
embracing
holding tight the
precious
priceless
infinite
life of every human.

Yes,
may we inhabit our lives
in the intimate moments of first light,
when all is still magic
and the honest vulnerable minutes of a day are before us.
May the clearest truth about us be in those first seconds,
that the Light is extending our reach
past what has been dark for so long in the caverns of our hearts.
And its luminosity is making reality of the dream.

How do you teach your children about racism? How do you talk about it in your home, with your friends, in the community? What are your thoughts on making sure what happened last week in Charleston never happens again? Comment welcome.