Heavenly
Father, we are thankful as we start a new year for a rhythm and a calendar that
reminds us of events and people who had a lasting impact on our history and on
the human experience.
We look to
the national holiday tomorrow and join our nation in remembering and honoring a
man, Martin Luther King, Jr., who preached the word of God and promoted justice
in his own time. We acknowledge that any man, or any preacher, is not honored
because of words of eloquent wisdom or even their motives, but along with the
Apostle Paul we rejoice whenever Christ is proclaimed.
Yet, it is
not lost on us that the cultural landscape in 2019 makes the celebration of
this holiday particularly sobering, and particularly important. The dream of
racial harmony is not yet realized. Our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and
churches do not yet reflect the diversity that your Word describes is beautiful.
Racial prejudice still lingers and brings hurt that affects generations.
Therefore,
we take this opportunity on this occasion to pray to you God – our Wonderful
Counselor, Everlasting Father, Mighty God, Prince of Peace – for a specific
working of your Spirit and your healing hand in our country, our world, and our
hearts.
We live in a
culture and a time when it is far easier to judge the opinions and actions of
others rather than reflect on the wickedness in our own heart. Lord, please
forgive us and have mercy. Help us remove the log in our eye before identifying
the speck in our brothers’ and sisters’.
And we live
in a culture and a time when it is far easier to attend to our own needs
without also being aware of and caring for the needs of others, especially
those who are different than us. Forgive us Lord! Deliver us from the snare of
debating “who is my neighbor?” like the lawyer in the parable in Luke, and
instead help us simply be a good neighbor to whomever we
encounter, especially those in need, like the good Samaritan did in that story,
and like you, Jesus, did throughout your earthly life.
Lord we pray
that you would victoriously cast out fear that may exist in our hearts, and
that does exist in our country and perhaps even our local church, towards
pursuing biblical reconciliation and diversity; the kind of reconciliation and
diversity we see so clearly in the Bible, the gospel, and in your promises of a
new heaven and a new earth. Give us courage to overcome our own fears and strengthen
us to love with the perfect love that you tell us casts out fear.
We pray for
the same thing that King prayed for more than 50 years ago; a world, a country,
and a church that more closely reflects the holiness, the love, and the hope
displayed in the person and work of Jesus Christ. We lament like he did that we
live in a place and a time that has a stained history and a present problem of
racism. But we trust like he did that our God is able and willing to bring
about everlasting healing and reconciliation in our generation.
Father,
through your Son Jesus and by the power of your Spirit, bring to bear in our
lives, in our country, and in our church, the only message that can truly
change sinful hearts, save and unite sinful people, and reflect the glory that
you intend for us to reflect – the message of the gospel that He who knew no
sin became sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God. In
awe of that message and dependent on your power, we pray in the name of Jesus,
our Savior. Amen!
