We are living through trying times as a nation when many are longing for justice. Sometimes it seems, in the words of poet James Russell Lowell, we are watching “Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne.” But hope comes every day from the groundswell of people still refusing to accept the forces of hatred, division, greed, and corruption and instead standing up to say we are better than this. The arc of the moral universe is long but it still bends towards justice.

The Passover and Easter holidays are times of joyous sacred celebration in their faith traditions, with family and community rituals centered on the promises of exodus, deliverance, new hope, and rebirth. In this season of celebration and renewal I offer prayers for new hope and strength as we keep working to redeem our nation’s soul and save all our children.

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God, guide our faith that by it we might make our children and nation whole again.

God, help us to believe with every ounce of our being that we, with Your help, can save our children and make them well, as You did the woman who said, “If I can only touch his cloak!”

God, renew our spirits—Your spirit within us—and make us worthy carriers of Your message of love and hope and life in all we say and do this day and forever more.

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Lord, let us exile defeat
            wrestle despair to the floor
            throw apathy to the winds
            and feed depression to the hogs.

 Lord, help us to stand up and fight for our children.

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God, protect us and keep us from being
            Hypocrites
            Experts
            Attention hoggers
            Blamers and complainers
            Snake oil salespeople
            Takers and just talkers
            Lone Rangers
            Excuse makers
            Fair weather workers
            Braggers
            Magic bullet seekers and sellers and
            Quitters.

God, send us and help us to be
            Righteous warriors
            Moral guerrillas
            Scut workers
            Nitty-gritty doers
            Detail tenders
            Long-distance runners
            Energetic tryers
            Risk takers
            Sharers
            Team players
            Organizers and mobilizers and
            Servant leaders,
to save our children.

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God, please send the right partners for children and the right coworkers for the poor to balance those who speak for powerful adults and their special interest groups.

God, please send new voices for goodness and tolerance to challenge those who teach our children to hate and who prey on our racial, gender and class fears.

God, please bring justice for all of our children who are equally sacred in Your sight.