Eloheinu, Veilohei
Avoteinu - Our God, and God of our ancestors,
We thank You for the
opportunity to come together this day, from different backgrounds, different
religions, different communities; and to stand here together as one.
We pray to You, O God,
for the understanding and intelligence to learn well the lesson that the unity,
closeness, and resolve that we all feel today must be lived each and every day
of our lives. Help us recognize that all people are members of one human
family. Strengthen our resolve to know – always – that xenophobia,
islamophobia, anti-Semitism, oppression of the LGBTQ community, and all forms
of hatred and the weaponizing of fear will NOT divide us. Our goal for
ourselves, our communities, our country, and our world is for all humans to
lead good lives while dwelling together in peace.
Today, we feel lost.
We look for leadership… and hear silence. Our heads spin and we cannot wake up
from dystopian nightmares. Our souls are burning with anguish. Until When,
O Lord?! Until when, Dear God?!? Until when, leaders of our nation??? How
long must we live in fear? How long must we endure violence and hate?
God, You have given
us the tools of progress, and we wield them to hurt.
Our plowshares have
jagged edges, and Your children are dying.
We ask You, O Lord,
for the courage to face what numbs us, the strength to stand up for the
oppressed even – and perhaps especially – when they don’t look, pray,
love, or speak like us. And grant us the resolve to not let our vulnerability
make us feel powerless.
We are not.
For we, Adonai, we
are your images, and we are being erased.
In our world today,
we are erasing ourselves, and in so doing we are erasing You, O God.
Dear Lord, this hurts
so much. Teach us; guide us; make us save each other. Help us know that we
are not alone, that we are here for one another, and we can unite against what
plagues our lives.
May this world, our
world, know no more hatred and violence. May people some day, please God, live
in peace. If we will it – if we act on it and dedicate ourselves to it, it is
no dream.
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