Anti-Racism: Prayer of Penitence

*Picture from Unsplash

Most Merciful God,
made to known to us through our dark-skinned fore-bearers
Hagar the Egyptian, the Ethiopian Eunuch, and Jesus the mideastern Jew,

We confess that we have sinned against your Divine Presence
embodied in every person who has Black and Brown skin,
In thoughts, words, and deeds stemming from racism,
By allowing violence against Black and Brown bodies,
And by leaving the work of racial equality and collective healing unfinished.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
We have not loved our neighbors Michael Brown, George Flyod, Daunte Wright,
and all those who are Black and Brown in this country,
and we have not loved ourselves
through acknowledging that we are all part of One Body.
We are truly sorry and we humbly grieve, turn from the evils of racism, and commit to a change in consciousness and just action.
For the sake of your son Jesus Christ (who showed us the fullness of God in the pigments of Israeli skin),
Have mercy on us and restore us to wholeness;
That we may delight in your vision of humanity,
And carry out this vision in our daily lives,
To the glory of your unifying name that transcends continent, color, and creed.
Amen, and so it is: all of these things are already accomplished in you.