You, our God, are with us. You move through us and in us;
around us and between us;
because of us and despite us.
You are an active God,
whose Spirit causes empires to fall and the oppressed to go free.
The purveyors of jim crow worshipped falsehood.
Their gods are made of bronze and concrete,
the work of factories and lost causes.
Their gods have mouths, but do not call for justice;
eyes, but do not see the poor;
ears, but do not hear the truth.
They have hands, but do not heal;
feet, but do not march;
they make no sound in their throats;
hold no love in their hearts.
The erectors of false idols shall be put to shame;
so will all who defend and worship them.
Sound your trumpets of repair, our God,
then we shall cry out with a great shout;
and monuments to evil will fall down flat,
and reparation shall charge straight ahead.
Chant loudly, you people of God!
For our God has toppled the confederacy;
the monuments and their white supremacy shall be devoted to our God for destruction.
Praise and glory to our living God!
Credit: Rev. Brittany "Smash" Caine-Conley
God of wonder; God of every leaf, flower, stream of water, and human being:
you touch a thing and make it well. Give us your hands, O God; hands that heal,
nourish and cherish this sacred land. For it is in the very midst of this land you dwell.
Deliver us from temptation to desecrate, exploit and plunder for our selfish gain;
Turn us from mere convenience and instead orient our lives towards a land flowing with
clean rivers, bursting with fresh air, and laden with every color possible.
Might this be why you have anointed us? To commit to loving well
the earth, air, rivers of abundant life and every being who inhabits your splendor.
Consecrate our vow as we now commit to loving well;
Give us the hands that heal, Lord God.
Give us your hands that heal. Amen.
Credit: Melody Zhang
Helicopters in the air
Triggering my fears What's next comes the rubber bullets Piercing my body like they pierced Jesus Crying out for momma to behold thy son I can't breathe They don't even need guns
Castrate our bodies from the lynching trees
Cut off my lungs 10 minutes with his knees Crying out for momma I can't breathe
Hands in his pockets with a grin on his face
Resentment for my race as my life slips away
Cameras recording America don't care Black Lives Don't Matter Even when our murders are broadcast on air
Evidence before the judge and no convictions to be seen
Yellow tapes, chalk stains on the crime scenes
Blood stains cry out from these Trumpanian streets
Profit over people We don't care if they die Fuck COVID-19 Let the fittest survive Translate that to mean wealthy and the 1%
They say they cut us them checks Black and Brown folks still can't pay rent In the Food Bank line trying to make ends meet
Trying to make it to work but the curfew ends at nine
Can't catch the bus because Lori shut down the lines
Martin says a riot is the language of the unheard
This Pentecost Holy Ghost fire came down and cities burned
Maybe this is the new birth of the Church we wish to see
To get us out of them pews and into the streets
A nightmare of hashtags trending haunting me
Kendrick Lamar won't you sing for me Hear that base drop and I start to believe We gonna be alright even if we must die Claude McKay said let it be nobly done Fighting back For the generations to come
Lamentations Lift every voice to a rising sun
James Weldon Johnson declared victory is won
Cut off my lungs 10 minutes with his knees Crying out for momma I can't breathe...
Credit: Rev. Dr. Waltrina N. Middleton
Audio: Click here to listen to Rev. Dr. Middleton's reading of Pentecost: Prayers and Protest.