Prophetic prayer in the time of COVID-19

I was invited by Rev. Del Phillips to offer a prayer today as one of 13 clergy from Denver, Colorado, to launch Pray Act Trust—30 days of noontime prayer and action in response to COVID-19. The goal of this effort is to “provide spiritual shelter under God's covering as we all shelter in place, and offer 30 days of action to build up our communities.” One of the people who offered a public prayer on the call today specifically named homosexuality and abortion as sins for which we need forgiveness.These words and this theology are violent, and they do not reflect a loving God who made us in God’s own image. There is no place for such hate and violence in our shared prayer life.Before the prayer call I sent an invitation out to join the call to the Juniper Formation community, my fellow clergy in the Rocky Mountain Conference United Church of Christ, and my local church community at Sixth Avenue United Church of Christ.This wide community lovingly includes Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) individuals and families, and women who have had abortions. For each of you I am so grateful. You are God’s beloved. I know that many of you have had painful experiences of judgement, hate, exclusion, and violence from the wider Church. I am sorry for the harm these words caused today.My prayer came later in the lineup and I was able to update my prayer to speak directly and publicly to God’s inclusive love and the sacredness of the diversity of our sexualities, gender identities, ethnicities, countries of origin, languages, and differing abilities. You may read the prayer below.After the prayer call I reached out to Rev. Del Phillips to share my anger, hurt, and concern. He asked if he could contribute to this message. Here are his words in response, which he will also share with his community:

“The purpose for the Pray Act Trust citywide prayer call was to find a moment in this crisis where we could all recognize we are one large, diverse, human family.  In a crisis like this pandemic we cannot continue to separate people within our faith to be in need of repentance without admitting we all need to repent and need the same measure of forgiveness regardless of race, gender, or sexual preference.  I want to clearly acknowledge my disagreement to call out any group of people to repent but specifically I am disheartened men or women with varying sexual orientation were intentionally spotlighted. I am grateful for Rev. Dr. Jenny providing the invitation for them and others to join the call to prayer and they are welcome to continue to pray with us.”  - Pastor Del Phillips

Prayer: "Prophetic Spirit Awaken Us"

By Rev. Dr. Jenny Whitcher

Creator God,I call upon your Holy Spirit.May the power of Your Holy Spirit emanate from our innermost being,At a time when many of us feel powerless.May the strength of Your Holy Spirit invigorate our breath,As we breathe together: [breathe in, breathe out],At a time when our breath is shallow for fear of transmitting and receiving this virus into our lungs.May the healing of Your Holy Spirit abide within us,At a time when we struggle to breathe,Struggle to offer medical care when we are ill equipped for the magnitude of suffering,And as we race to find a vaccine and treatment to save lives across the globe.May your Holy Spirit embrace us,At a time when we must abstain from being physically close to one another for the health of our families, communities, and self;At a time when we feel great sorrow at the loss of what is familiar, and face the unknown;At a time that we grieve the loss of loved ones, and fear how many may become seriously ill or die.We beg your forgiveness for forsaking the most vulnerable:Those without a home to find shelter,Those who are incarcerated and detained,Those in refugee camps and at the border,Those whose homes are not safe from violence and abuse, andThose who do not have the medical resources needed to save lives.Embrace us,At a time when we are in deep need of your love, comfort, and protection.May God bless us with sacrifice,Sacrifice of the world as we know it,So that we might become awakened to the true nature of Your Creation,So that we might heal our relationships to ourselves, to others, and to this earth.And in so doing, draw closer to You.May your Prophetic Spirit awaken us,To the opportunity to be transformed and be transforming.May we seize this moment to prophetically reimagine the Church and world together.May we become more loving and grace-filled;More welcoming of the stranger; andFully inclusive and celebratory of the vast diversity of Your beloved Creation.Remind us that we are all made in your image,And that the diversity of our sexualities, gender identities, ethnicities, countries of origin, languages, and differing abilities is holy and sacred.May we be less judgmental, hurtful, and violent; andMore just, liberated from oppression, and peace-filled.May we rise up with the power of love to implement justice and to transform everyone and everything that stands against love.May we be healers,Repairers of the breach,The restorers of the streets we live in.Amen.