This week, Pastor Margo will offer excerpts from the Confession of Belhar and articles on the “Purple Church” for our reflection, in the wake of tumultuous national events and in the “bleak midwinter” of COVID. Come along for the ride!
Confession of Belhar (September 1986): https://www.pcusa.org/site_media/media/uploads/theologyandworship/pdfs/belhar.pdf.
- We believe in the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who gathers, protects and cares for the church through Word and Spirit. This, God has done since the beginning of the world and will do to the end.
- We believe in one holy, universal Christian church, the communion of saints called from the entire human family.
Since this is what we believe and since the church of Jesus Christ does not yet reflect our beliefs, let us begin this week in prayer, led by Christopher Edmonston, pastor at White Memorial Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Reflection and Prayer
On Epiphany, January 6, a day rightly dedicated to the discovery of the Christ-child, our national identity, trust and conscience were simultaneously exposed and violated by the tragic violence at our Capitol. In response, I have been asked to write a prayer from a purple church. That is a prayer from a congregation where liberal people, conservative people and people somewhere in between worship, pray and serve their neighbors together.
My wife (a teacher teaching from home), our teenage children (learning from home) and I (working from home) watched the events necessitating this prayer in real time like many of you. There is no gray area when violence begins, no gray area when hatred is on display. We found ourselves lamenting in real time. On occasions of lament, it is right to pray. And while prayer alone is not all the work to do, it is a faithful place to start.
O Lord, hear our prayer:
Dismay. Shock. Lament. How did it come to this?
Almighty God, we confess the sins of the worst parts of our history.
We ask that your Holy Spirit guide us toward a deep repentance.
We confess that too often we have relied upon temporal promises which come and go with every news cycle.
Instead, help us to rely upon Jesus. Jesus who calls us to love. Jesus who offers grace. Jesus who offers mercy.
We remember your promises of restoration and covenant, and we call upon them now.
We pray that the Holy Spirit will bring a newfound peace to our land. A surprising peace, yes. But a deeply needed one. Peace to heal wounds. Peace to end a time more defined by outrageous rhetoric than by acts of kindness.
We remember the warnings of Jesus about violence begetting violence:
Save us from further acts of political and racial violence. Save us from mistrust, chaos, and injustice.
May the coming days be ruled by truth, goodness and integrity.
From sea to shining sea, from small town streets to the halls of power, help each and every one of us to walk in the manner of Jesus Christ.
We offer this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.