Worship Resources For a Sacred Conversation on Race

From the East Woodstock Congregational Church UCC
Contributed by the Rev. Susan J. Foster

Litany

Leader: Pharaoh enslaved the Israelites, forcing them to labor without pay or appreciation.

People: Moses stood before Pharaoh and said, “let my people go.”

Leader: The disciples tried to block children and families to prevent them from approaching Jesus.

People: Jesus said, “let the children come unto me, for unto such belong the kingdom of heaven.”

Leader: For decades people in our country were divided by slavery, segregation, and injustice.

People: Martin Luther King said, “ may we rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.”

Prayer of Confession

(inspired by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s "I have a Dream" speech)

God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, we come to you in the fierce urgency of Now. We live in a world and a country that too often is divided by our differences instead of united by our kinship to each other. Forgive us when we do not recognize the boundaries that divide us or when we do nothing to bridge the gap between us. We pray that the riches of freedom and the security of justice may be granted to all of your people. We dream with you, loving God, of the day when all children may be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. We offer ourselves, holy Lord, our hands, our hearts, and our voices that we may help make justice a reality for all of your children. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.