BUSTH Faculty and Staff Offer Prayers During COVID Crisis
The following prayers were written by Boston University School of Theology faculty, staff, and students for the week of November 2-8, 2020 for the “Daily Prayer during the COVID-19 Crisis” newsletter sent out by the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Prayer inspired by Psalm 78:1-7 / Matthew 25:1-13
Gracious God,
On this day, I seek wisdom.
Wherever my strivings and struggles lead me, may I find comfort in the transcendent power of your teachings made known in the sacred text and through the words and deeds of my ancestors. As an heir to the Christian way, a faith that honors submission to your will, I ask that you help me channel your presence at every moment of the day.
It’s true, sometimes I stray from the narrow road. Before I wander too far, O God, send me a sign leading back to the ground you’ve paved for me. Remind me of my essence, that I am your child made in your image, conceived to do good in the world. When I begin to doubt, I ask that you remind me of the qualities that make me special, the things that distinguish me from all of creation. And as I actualize my potential, may I never forget that there is no greater fulfillment than being united with all of creation.
And this is why I seek wisdom on this day—to learn to handle life’s great riddles with heavenly dexterity, to navigate the midnight hour with enough oil to keep the lantern ablaze, to discern where I ought to be at the time of your anticipated yet unexpected arrival.
This, I pray, with the hope and love and endurance of Jesus the Christ, for my weathered soul, the precious souls of the living, and posterity.
And so it is.
Amen.
– Andrew Kimble, Assistant Director of Alumni and Donor Relations, Boston University School of Theology; licensed minister, African Methodist Episcopal Church
Prayer based on Matthew 15:21-28
We thank you, God, for the hope and faith that nurtures us at these complex and uncertain times. As we face two identifiable pandemics in the context of the US, Covid 19 and Racism, we ask that your spirit of courage finds us at the crossroads. As we encounter the dangers of the intersections, we ask for your guidance and wisdom to help us not be afraid and to accompany others in the processes of survival as we all seek new life and new ways of being in your grace and love.
We ask, at these times of ambiguity, that you help us identify the endurance, courage and wisdom of the Canaanite woman who makes herself visible and finds a place and space to be included in the mission and ministry of Jesus and the disciples. She finds the courage to ask more of Jesus and the vision to see the power of life and possibilities of new life for a better future. In her insistence and encounter with the disciples and Jesus at the marketplace/in the public plaza she appropriates life for her daughter and vision of a future for all foreigners and marginalized, for all who are made invisible and are excluded.
We pray today for the understanding that we need to be of great courage, and with great wisdom, to continue claiming and reclaiming our own spaces and ministries in the manner of the Canaanite women in Matthew. We are in need of something that is built on the encounters of great consequence in the marketplace, something that interrupts and makes new spaces and places in public spaces where the excluded and invisible become included and visible and find their place at the table of creation. Help us to accept the challenge to engage in encounters of great consequence today, encounters that bring about justice. Help me, as a person, to know that I am not I, without encountering you, and that I am not I complete, without encountering God.
Help us collectively to know that we are not we, without encountering each other and God.
AMEN.
– Rev. Dr. Cristian De La Rosa, Director of Contextual Theology and Community Partnerships, Assistant Professor of Contextual Theology and Practice, Boston University School of Theology, UMC elder
Prayer and Hymn based on Matthew 25:1-13
Holy One, who never slumbers nor sleeps:
strengthen us to keep our lamps trimmed and burning,
that, with undimmed faith during these dark days,
we may be ever watchful for glimpses of your brightening reign
and ready for its full in-breaking;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
A hymn on the Gospel text
by Frances Jane Crosby Van Alstyne (aka Fanny Crosby), 1820-1915, Methodist, poet, hymn and song writer
- When Jesus comes to reward his servants,
Whether it be noon or night,
Faithful to him will he find us watching,
With our lamps all trimmed and bright?
Refrain:
Oh, can we say we are ready, brother (sister/Christian)?
Ready for the soul’s bright home?
Say, will he find you and me still watching,
Waiting, waiting when the Lord shall come?
- If, at the dawn of the early morning,
He shall call us one by one,
When to the Lord we restore our talents,
Will he answer thee, “Well done”? - Have we been true to the trust he left us?
Do we seek to do our best?
If in our hearts there is naught condemns us,
We shall have a glorious rest. - Blessed are those whom the Lord finds watching,
In his glory they shall share;
If he shall come at the dawn or midnight,
Will he find us watching there?
Note: This hymn text is in the public domain (no copyright permission required). The meter of this hymn is 10.7.10.7 with refrain. Unfortunately, the tune with this meter in the United Methodist Hymnal—I AM THINE #419—does not fit this text. To find an appropriate tune, look up this text at www.hymnary.org.
– Karen Westerfield Tucker, Professor of Worship, Boston University School of Theology; UMC elder
Prayer based on I Thessalonians 4: 13-18
God of resurrection hope, we come to you as people who grieve, as people who lament the pain, oppression, and suffering in the world, but also as people who recognize your power to overcome even that which once seemed final, through the resurrection of Jesus, bringing hope into the midst of our communities and peace to each heart and mind, as we struggle against death, ourselves. Give us courage to comfort those who mourn and to encourage those around us to do your work, attending deeply to the stories of every human being made in your image and every part of creation for which we have been charged to care. Make us into people who take seriously this trust and responsibility in times of joy and in times of lament, that we may remain in your presence now and forever, through the power of your Holy Spirit, living with, in, and through us. Amen.
– Lisa Michaels, PhD Student studying liturgy and sacraments, Boston University School of Theology; licensed pastor, Church of the Nazarene
Prayer inspired by “The Tribes Renew the Covenant”
Joshua 21:1-3a;14-25 (NRSV)
24 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors—Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor—lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac;
14 “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; 17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; 18 and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
19 But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, we will serve the Lord!” 22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 The people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey.” 25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem.
God of all humanity,
If all people and creation on the earth are called “good,”
then help us to live peaceably with one another.
Help those of us who are committed to serving you do so faithfully,
turning away from all other gods before us—
whether they be the promise of power, the fear of scarcity, or the temptation towards evil so that some may benefit.
Help us to rest securely in You and in the promises given to our ancestors,
so that we may not feel threatened by our neighbors and demonize them by comparison,
and so we never use our own power or privilege to harm others. Especially in Your name.
May we honor the land we reside on and honor the Peoples who share it with us,
always mindful of the histories of conquest and suffering that have taken place.
May we be brave enough to remember the full stories,
and may we chart a different way forward.
May we live peaceably with one another,
knowing that all You have created is good.
Amen.
– Jasmin Figueroa, PhD student in practical theology, studying trauma-informed and culturally sensitive pastoral care, Boston University School of Theology
Prayer inspired by Psalm 78:1-7
God of infinite love and care for the whole of your creation,
God of enduring faithfulness and wise guidance in tumultuous times,
We come to you with hearts opened and closed;
We seek to open our lives to the fullness of your love and guiding wisdom
Yet, we close ourselves in waves of fear and anxiety in these distressing days,
even as You promise never to fail us.
The world fails, but You do not.
On this day, we see, hear, taste, and smell your presence
in the brilliance of autumn leaves and the smells of dinner cooking,
in congregations gathered electronically and serving their communities.
You call us to be faithful in this moment –
to follow in your ways
to teach our children and their children
to inspire and support the present generation and all those to come.
You call us to learn from You daily and always,
witnessing that You are faithful
and want us to be faithful.
Help us to open ourselves to your call, to live in your Spirit
even in deeply troubling times,
especially in troubling times;
Give us hope that violence and injustice can be dismantled,
hope to love You and our neighbors with our whole selves,
hope to center our lives on You and your teachings
for our own sakes, for all who are oppressed and violated,
and for all who come after us!
God of infinite love and enduring faithfulness,
We give thanks to you,
And we pray for the light of your wisdom and the strength of your spirit
as we seek to love and follow you
in ways that are ancient
and yet shaped for this moment.
God, in your mercy, hear our prayer!
AMEN.
– Mary Elizabeth Moore, Dean and Professor of Theology and Education, Boston University School of Theology, UMC deacon
Prayer based on Joshua 24:1–3a, 14–25
Let us pray.
God of the Covenant,
from generation to generation you have been our guide,
and only in you do we dwell in safety.
Inspire in us sincere and faithful hearts,
that we might praise you with our lips
and serve you with our lives.
God of our weary years and silent tears,
you brought our ancestors out of Egypt
and delivered your people from oppression.
As you have protected us along our way,
so move us to seek the wellbeing our neighbors —
both friends and strangers.*
Holy God, Holy One,
you alone are worthy of our service and obedience;
your mighty acts are great in our sight.
Teach us to love your law,
so that our lives may witness to your grace
and your people may be renewed in your love.
Amen.
– Kristian C. Kohler, PhD student in liturgical studies; ordained minister in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
*Note: This stanza draws upon: J. Rosamond Johnson and James Weldon Johnson, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” in public domain.