A Prayer for Trayvon Martin

The message below went out on Friday, March 23, 2012 to Standing on the Side of Love supporters. You can sign-up for these emails here.

Trayvon Martin’s death and the subsequent challenges to have a transparent process for justice and to bring hope and healing to Sanford, Florida—and everywhere that suspicion of our neighbors and strangers permits racism, inequity and violence—is a call to us as people of faith. Out of the brokenness of these events, out of the brokenness of losing another young person of great promise, out of the brokenness we live with every day we are called with love’s transforming power to faith and faithful action.

I wrote the prayer below in hopes that this weekend, those of us who find ourselves in congregation of any form—be it a rally, vigil, or worship service—might read these words, or be inspired to write your own heartfelt words to honor Trayvon and the power of this moment, which calls for dialogue on the many manifestations of racism in our country, and the need for education on the societal institutions in place that feed this racism.

A Prayer for Trayvon Martin

Most Merciful and Most Compassionate we are called to live boldly in compassion, to love our neighbors as ourselves, to not fear but to welcome the stranger. Yet we have failed and are struggling again, losing another child to violence and fear, losing ground living with love. For love flourishes in the safety of accountability, in the safety of each of us bearing responsibility, in the safety of mercy and restraint.

Out of grief we raise our hearts and our voices, out of grief for our children, our friends, our loved ones, our neighbors. Out of grief for Trayvon Martin we raise our hearts and our voices.

Out of fear we raise our hearts and our voices, out of fear for our children, our friends, our loved ones, our neighbors. Out of fear we raise our hearts and our voices, that hate and fear continue to roam our hearts and the land, spurring more violence.

Out of love we turn again with you and with each other seeking to not let fear and violence have the last word, seeking to remember the ones we have lost, seeking a restoration of accountability and responsibility for loving more boldly than we fear, more living more mercifully than we hate.

Comfort those of us who mourn and are afraid and especially bring us to comfort the grieving family and friends of Trayvon Martin. Strengthen us in bearing witness to the power of love to triumph over the power of fear, to lay down unjust laws. Guide our hearts, our words, and our deeds in creating true safe communities, where all are cherished, where strangers are made kin, where violence is put to rest by our becoming people of peace, people of the way of love.

You have given us the power to be the ones who end this violence, who answer our sorrow and our fear, who respond to the loss of another child by creating another way where love rules, where all of us are responsible to and for one another, where we are bold in turning away the demons of fear and welcoming the holy presence of mercy, peace, and steadfast love.

Amen.

Tags: City of Refuge Ministries, race, racial justice, Rev. Naomi King, Trayvon Martin, Unitarian Universalist