A Prayer for Democracy

Friends, you are no doubt horrified by the events unfolding in Washington, DC. What has happened today can only be described as an attempted coup. Constitutional democracy is under threat. Treasonous white supremacists, fascists, and neo-Confederates are trying to destroy the electoral order of the United States. It is a dangerous moment.

In these dangerous times, I invite you into the spirit that some call prayer and others name meditation.

Pause,
breath in,
breath out,
and reflect
upon what you can do
in these times.

Oh, Spirit of Life,
which some call God,
and which I will name today
as the power that exists
when human hearts
unite with human hands
to build the beloved community,
be with the people of the United States today
as the country faces a grave assault.

Open the hearts
of the traitors who have stormed the capital
so that they might recognize
that they have betrayed the Constitution
and the United States
in their attempt to overturn an election.

Open the hearts
of all of the people who have enabled them
in these last months and years by spreading
lies and fake news
so that they might realize
that their campaigns of disinformation
and disruption are destroying the social fabric,
tearing the country apart,
and threatening the project
of democratic self-rule.

But, oh, Spirit of Life,
rise up most strongly in the hearts
and hands of those who would protect constitutional democracy.
Be with the elected officials from the Houston area who have been brave enough
to speak out against treason and to work to preserve constitutional democracy:
protect John Cornyn, Lizzie Fletcher, Al Green, Shelia Jackson Lee and Sylvia Garcia.
Be with the leaders of Congress who have insisted that the Constitution be followed and a peaceful transition of power be ensured:
Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, and Chuck Schumer.
Be with Vice President of the United States who has decided,
despite enormous pressure, to follow the Constitution, to do his lawful duty, and oversee the certification of the electoral college.

Most importantly,
Spirit of Life,
move in the hands,
beat in the hearts,
of every person who is committed to democracy,
help them to remember that democracy
ultimately means that it is the people
who rule
and that it is the people–
which means you and I–
who have been blessed with the power
to decide who shall and who shall not govern,
help us to remember,
help us to recall,
that the people of the United States
defeated the white supremacist traitors of the Confederacy,
the fascists of Mussolini,
and the Nazis of Hitler.

Help us to remember these lessons
so that today,
in this moment of crisis,
in these times,
we might also find the strength,
the clarity,
the power within ourselves
to name,
to speak out against,
to oppose,
and to ultimately defeat
the fascists,
the white supremacists,
and the neo-Confederates
who are now attempting
to destroy
constitutional democracy of the United States.

They shall not pass.
They shall not pass.
They shall not pass.

Oh, spirit of life,
bless the elected officials
who are committed to constitutional democracy,
bless the peace officers and the soldiers
who are committed to constitutional democracy,
bless the organizers and activists
who have struggled to expand democracy
ever further into our daily lives,
bless the African American community who throughout
history has called the United States
to actually live it out the promise
that all people are created equal,
bless the indigenous nations who have consistently
modelled what true democracy looks like,
and bless everyone
who would see that constitutional democracy endures
so that we might say all together
to the people who have stormed
Congress,
who have spread lies,
who have sought to subvert democracy,
You Shall Not Pass,
the Constitution Shall Endure.

Speaking these words,
in this dangerous hour,
I invite all of people good heart
and good conscience
to say Amen.