Dear Friends,
The Presbyterian Outlook editor, Rose Schrott Taylor, shared this week a Presidential Debate prayer. In case you’ve been hiding under your bed from wayward news reports, there is such a debate next week. Schrott Taylor taps into a universal reality we’re all sharing—anxiety for the future that is rapidly rising, and which was already sky-high. If ever we needed prayer, it is now. She writes:
"Our country is divided. There is a lot of fear, which quickly slides into anger and hatred. And, as is natural, both sides claim to be in line with God's desires. When I think about American politics, I am frequently reminded of the Anne Lamont quote: 'You can safely assume you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.'"
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Of course, the election seems ages away, and whoever wins, half the country will be devastated. Both the fear and the need to keep working for change will continue at a wild and galloping pace. The prayer is one to keep in our pocket through and beyond next November. We only have two tools to manage anxiety and frustration for how things are: prayer, and continued work. Schrott Taylor says, “Let us pray for unity, for kindness, for peace — in our own hearts, in our own churches, in our own neighborhoods, as much as in the ‘other camp.’ We can pray all these things knowing that, no matter the outcome, God is with us and we are not powerless to create change.” Keep the faith!
Love and light,
Martin
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