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Prayers for Charlottesville and Beyond
Dear Beloved Community,
While there are no torch-bearing white supremacists rallying in Winchester or Boston, the events of this past weekend in Charlottesville, VA are a wake up call that such depraved perspectives are alive and well in our country. Even as we pray with heavy hearts for the loved ones of Heather Heyer, Lt. Cullen, Trooper Bates and others wounded in the events of Saturday, we can take this as an opportunity to pray ardently for our whole country, remembering that those white nationalists are simply the visible tip of the much larger and more latent iceberg of racism that runs cold through the veins of our country. And while at prayer, let’s also remember that we ourselves “are standing in the need of prayer.” Though none of us at First Congregational Church in Winchester would condone the perspectives and actions of white supremacists and neo-nazi’s, most of us benefit from the many privileges that come to us simply because we are white in this country. In the spirit of Jesus’ challenge to remove the log from our own eye (Matthew 7:5) can we allow the chaos and violence of these days to convict our own hearts so that we can better recognize how we sustain an unjust system, how we need to repent of our collusion, and how we might risk enacting greater justice in our own little spheres of influence?
In the meantime, do not underestimate the power of simple loving prayer in a complex and fear-full world. Our Embodied Prayer evening is this Tuesday at 6:30 pm. Christine Tresselt is unable to lead us in the yoga portion of the evening but we will still gather for Centering Prayer/Meditation. You are invited to bring your own fears, concerns, upsets, hopes, confessions, etc… and offer them silently into our circle of prayer, remembering that the God of love is who we find at the center when finally all the noise and chatter have been released into even 20 minutes of communal quietude. Please join us if you can.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Will Burhans
