Pray for our Country

Good idea, right? Everywhere you turn, religious leaders are asking for prayers, and offering them, on all sides of the political spectrum. Prayer is a good idea–can’t argue with that. But is it more than that?

Let’s not forget that a prayer rally proceeded the violence we witnessed on January 6th, with many of those storming the Capitol first participating in these prayers. White supremists imagining God is on their side–this isn’t the faith we hold, and it reminds us– not all prayers deserve an Amen. Leaders at this event asked God to reverse the election being certified–just the sort of prayers we’ve all offered after a test poorly prepared for, as if we could get God to change our answers. Is this the sort of prayer we offer?

Other prayers seem to enlist God as the final enforcer. I’m sure you’ve been there–at the conclusion of an argument, “I’ll pray for you,” said more as a threat than a blessing. Translation: I might not be able to change your mind, but God will! Obviously there’s no possibility of error.

In these examples, those who pray are asking God to change reality, to make it more comfortable for the pray-ers. Such prayers are grounded more in superstition than faith, no matter how much they might invoke the name of God or verses of scripture. Both superstition and faith are tools for managing the future, but faith invites courage, while superstition aims for control. Can we imagine Jesus offering these prayers? They don’t sound like the Gospel because they are not. Without service, self-sacrifice, or just humility, the spiritual gifts that define the Christian journey are nowhere to be found. While we want to pray for our nation, let’s ground those prayers in the faith we claim.

Just a reminder–we believe in God–Father, Son and Holy Spirit, revealed in Scripture and described in Creeds. Nowhere in that story does God promise to protect his people from reality. Falsehoods and conspiracies have no place in the Christian message. Our story is one of invitation and liberation–our Creator invites us into the community of God’s presence, a community that includes all people. This ever-expanding vision calls us to repent of the intolerance of the past and break down barriers. We are not God’s people to be protected from reality or to be at the comfortable center of reality. We are God’s people invited to become what we all were created to be: whole, revealing God’s image.

If we ground our prayers in the story of our faith, we cannot ignore this vision of community, what we in the Episcopal Church call the Beloved Community. Racism and economic injustice are sins. Lying isn’t leadership, and the ends don’t justify the means. No need to be defensive as we name these realities. Fortunately, as Christians we know what to do. Repentance–turning from one direction and going in another–is always at the heart of the Christian experience. Why would we have a problem with recognizing the errors of the past?

As we pray for our country, let’s put the values of justice and equality front and center. We don’t need to decide whether or not the United States is a “Christian” country to affirm these higher purposes. We don’t look back to a mythical time–we know better than that. We also have no need for so-called unity that ignores injustice and accountability. Our vision is bigger than that. Acknowledging what has been, and envisioning what can be, building the Beloved Community–this is what Christians do. Let’s begin with our prayers.