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New every morning is your love, great God of light, and all day long you are working for good in the world. Stir up in us desire to serve you, to live peacefully with our neighbors and all your creation, and to devote each day to your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

"A Liturgy for Morning Prayer," Upper Room Worshipbook

Used by permission from the Book of Common Worship, © 2018 Westminster John Knox Press. All rights reserved. This prayer appears in “A Liturgy for Morning Prayer” in Upper Room Worshipbook.

 

Today’s Reflection

Note: This week’s New Every Morning reflections are structured differently to follow the format of our featured title, Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice, which addresses issues of social justice through reflection and over 50 call-and-response prayers known as litanies.

Jesus’ words began to echo in my heart: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:44). How do I pray for those who seek to harm others? I wondered. But I knew what I had to do. The following is the prayer that worked on my heart, allowing it to break open as I listened to the Spirit’s words. How will we stop the cycle of violence if we can’t learn to offer prayers for those who perpetrate it? This prayer is my attempt at learning to pray for those for whom I do not want to pray.

—Michelle Thorne Mejia with Britney Winn Lee, Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice (Fresh Air Books, 2020)

Today’s Question

What spiritual practice enables you to pray for those for whom you do not want to pray? Join the conversation.

Today’s Scripture

“You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you.”
—Matthew 5:43-44 (CEB)

Today’s Litany

ONE: So Jesus lived and died, staying true to what he asks of others.
ALL: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
ONE: For those who harm others and who seek to do harm in this world, we
pray, O God.
We remember them and all who love them.
We remember that their lives too are devastated and their hopes dashed.
We know that the pain from each act of violence, like the ripples of a stone
cast in a pond, travel in many different directions.
Those who perpetrate violence become casualties of their own anger, their
own hatred, their own bitterness, their own deep woundedness.
They too are in need of your grace, your love, and your healing light.
ALL: They know not what they do.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.

Something More

The final litany from Rally was written by Britney Winn Lee in the beginning days of the global pandemic. This prayer reminds us that hope endures; goodness prevails; people surprise us; and love cannot, has not, will not fail. Watch and listen.

Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.

4 Comments

  • Jill Posted August 12, 2020 5:29 am

    I need such a practice, for quite honestly, I don’t think about praying for those whom I don’t want to pray. And, if such a thought did occur, I would unlikely be able to maintain a fervent prayer. O God, in Your great mercy, do a mighty work in this dark area of my heart.
    Dinner with my a friend last evening, prior to my tennis match. Then, I stopped by my other friend’s house to drop off her birthday card. She and her family were at the beach last week (during the hurricane) on her birthday. Her daughter, my god-daughter, begins her senior year of high school today. I can hardly believe it. For now, they are in person, five days a week. I don’t know how long it will last. My god-daughter is very social, and really struggled with being away from friends when school went remote in the Spring.
    Dad and I will golf this morning. It has been a week since we last played. We have this week and next week and then will have to play on weekends as school gets back in swing. Also meeting a friend to walk this afternoon and then dinner with a former student of mine. We usually get together once in the summer and once over winter break. A very good day, indeed. Wishing the same for all who visit here.

  • Julie Posted August 12, 2020 8:32 am

    I, too, pray for Jesus to show me the way to do this truly from the heart. I cannot pray for h and the thought causes me to realize how far I still have to walk the baby steps of learning true Christlike behavior and attitudes.
    Prayers for Jill and her busy and rewarding day, may she and all she interacts with stay safe.
    Prayers for Ally as she quietly seeks God’s will for her life in choosing her next job. Prayers for David as he continues to struggle with fatigue and other effects from the coronavirus.
    Prayers for Robert and his continued church involvement via Zoom in order to stay safe.
    Prayers, thank you and stay well dear UR

  • Ally Posted August 12, 2020 10:11 am

    Praying for those who have wronged us is difficult. There is a practice in 12 step philosophy of praying a resentment prayer. Praying this prayer helps me to pray for those who have wronged me. It is not a “set prayer” like the Serenity Prayer. I simply pray for the person to have the same good things I wish for myself. It is not easy to do, as I sometimes have to pray for the willingness to pray for the person. Praying this way changes me so that I can forgive. It is not easy and can be a long process, but it can bring blessings.
    Thanks for continued prayers for David and me. We are trying to be faithful. The UR devotional for today addresses waiting. That has been my word for the year: waiting. I pray Isaiah 40:31. God is faithful. This I know. But the waiting is hard.
    Jill, I pray you have a great day with your dad. As I read about you having dinner with your former student, it occurred to me that if your students care about staying connected with you, then you had an positive impact on their lives. I thank God for what you do with your students. Julie, it is so hard to pray for someone who has wronged you as H has. Baby steps are ok. I lift up our UR family and pray that all who visit here stay safe and find ways to connect with God in these difficult times. Love you all.

  • robert moeller Posted August 12, 2020 3:19 pm

    Yes, praying for those who have hurt us is VERY TOUGH, but following Jesus’ example, He prayed for those who crucified Him, saying, “Father.forgive them for they know not what they do” we must do the same. Simple prayers, just talking to God, works for me. I once felt that I was blamed for my wife’s passing. The words I heard, “Why did you let her die?” still ring out. I now know that this was a sign of grief from the person who said it. It was my first Korean funeral, I had no previous experience and tough lessons were learned that day. I have forgiven the person who said those words.

    I like this prayer.
    ONE: So Jesus lived and died, staying true to what he asks of others.
    ALL: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
    ONE: For those who harm others and who seek to do harm in this world, we
    pray, O God.
    We remember them and all who love them.
    We remember that their lives too are devastated and their hopes dashed.
    We know that the pain from each act of violence, like the ripples of a stone
    cast in a pond, travel in many different directions.
    Those who perpetrate violence become casualties of their own anger, their
    own hatred, their own bitterness, their own deep woundedness.
    They too are in need of your grace, your love, and your healing light.
    ALL: They know not what they do.

    Blessings to Jill and her dad, her friends, spiritual advisor, god-daughter, and former students; to Julie, her mother, Megan, her Dad, and to h, and also to Ally and David. Each one of us has our own faith journey offered to us. Whether we take it or not, God leaves that up to us. And, each journey is entirely different, just as we all are different. Hopefully we all hear the call of our Creator and as God hopes, we all make it home. By the love, grace, mercy of God and Jesus’ redemption, that is possible. Thank You, Lord.

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