We have refused to listen

• We have refused to listen attentively to our black and brown brothers’ and sisters’ cry for justice. Lord, have mercy.
• We have been deaf to the prophet’s call: “And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.” (Isaiah 5:7b). Lord, have mercy.

• We have been intellectually lazy and morally obtuse. Our minds and hearts listen only to voices that reinforce opinions we already hold. Lord, have mercy.
• We have been blind to our complacency and complicity. Lord, have mercy.
• We have caricatured or ignored books, poems, art, and films that challenge our prejudice and rebuke our ignorance. Lord, have mercy.
• We have been complicit in a culture that delights in falsehood and disregards the truth. Lord, have mercy.
• We have expected applause for our feeble thoughts and tottering steps toward your precious image bearers who daily experience the hatred and violence of racism. Lord, have mercy.
• We have been self-absorbed and self-deceived. Lord, have mercy.
• We have preferred teaching rather than being taught. Lord, have mercy.
• We have manipulated and exploited. Lord, have mercy.
• We have feared losing our “rights,” while withholding rights from the genuinely oppressed and desperate. Lord, have mercy.
• We have lacked steady compassion and sturdy courage. Our response to the evil of racism has been short-lived and shallow. Lord, have mercy.
• We have loved the big deal and shunned hidden service. Lord, have mercy.
• We have hated our enemies and loved those who love us. Lord, have mercy.
• We have equated the United States of America with the kingdom of God. Lord, have mercy.
• We have embraced power and ignored the demands of love. Lord, have mercy.
• We have delighted in cultural conflict and disdained the pursuit of peace and understanding. Lord, have mercy.
• We have walled out the alien and the foreigner. Lord, have mercy.
• We have enacted unjust and oppressive laws. Lord, have mercy.
• We have incarcerated the poor and released the rich and powerful. Lord, have mercy.
• We have gladly travelled the wide and easy road that leads to destruction and avoided the narrow road that leads to life. Lord, have mercy.

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