I believe God gave me this, as a prayer for me, I am sharing it with you, if
you can pray it and mean it, then maybe we can take one step toward the
ending of the hatred that is searing our land. This prayer is part of a
novel I am writing, but it will appear here because I believe the time is now
for it to appear. I have extracted with the prayer the preceding and
following paragraphs to provide the reader with some semblance of continuity.
If you recognize anyone in the story, you are seeing something that is not
intended. The people are all fictional, but all have been created from
people I know.
Jason began, "In case you didn't recognize the fourth person who came in that is my wife." She looked over and she waved. "I'm quite awed here today. I've made decisions in the last several days that are awesome, they frighten me, but I had one for today that would have been easy in other settings, who to ask to bless the meal and these proceedings. But with the number of clergy here, I thought had of ways to pick one of them without offending others. I rejected all of the old ways, the oldest, the biggest church, and took the one who came the greatest distance. Pastor H. Peter Fritz is here from California and unless I made a mistake that is the greatest distance. Pastor, would you come up here?" Fritz was so stunned that he nearly upset his chair, then made his way to the podium. "I'm told he preaches for nearly an hour, I'm going to give him liberty to speak and pray for five minutes, Pastor, I hate to limit you but to keep the kitchen help happy I need to keep you to seven minutes maximum." He stepped to the side as Pastor Fritz stepped to the microphone. He unfolded a piece of paper, pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and looked up.
"I intend to stay within that time, I woke at four this morning, God gave me something to say, I told him they would never call on a short, black guy to speak here, but that tells you where I am. Now I have to begin what he told me by saying to each of you, I misjudged you, and I ask your forgiveness. The only way hate is going to end is by humility, repentance, restitution, forgiveness, and healing. And it has to begin with me. I'm going to have to go back to my congregation and repent publicly. And I already know what restitution I have to make, I have it written here." He pointed to the paper. "God told me I can't reveal that to you till after noon. But let's join together, I'm going to read some scripture and pray and if at any point you agree or feel a need to repent, you do what's right, since I already know where I have come short, if you like I will lead you in repentance on every point." He began:
"From Paul's first letter to the Church at Corinth, the Thirteenth chapter I will read and comment:"
"(1) If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."
"Lord there are many here to whom you have given the voice to speak with the tongues of men and angels. But we recognize that there were times that we have spoken without having love, and we became a ridiculous noise, of no value to anyone. For this I personally repent and turn from that ungodly act."
From the men and women gathered he heard others saying, "I repent". And so it was to be after each item.
"(2) If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."
"Oh Lord, no matter how smart I am, or how popular I am, or how much I know, I am nothing and of no value to anyone if I do not have love. My Lord there are times I have acted on my own, relied on my self, and forgot your love, for this I repent."
"(3) If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."
"I can give every minute of my time, every material possession I have or even my own body but it is of no value if I do not love. Lord I repent of not loving, of trying to replace love by other things to soothe my conscience."
"(4) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud."
"Lord, I have been impatient, I have envied others who have had success, I have boasted in my own achievements, I have been haughty and have harbored pride, while deceitfully feigning humility. For that I repent. "
"(5) It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."
"Lord I have been offensive at times, sought my own way, not yours, have become angry without cause, and have kept a tab on my brothers and sisters. For this I repent." He did not look up but had he done so he would have seen two men reach across the table, shake hands and begin crying. Both were pastors.
"(6) Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth."
"Lord there are times I have been happy to see someone get what they deserved, when I should have been helping them. And Lord one of the reasons I am here is because I have not supported our president as I should. I should have had his best interest at heart. For that I repent." Had anyone been looking at the president or his wife they would have seen her take his hand and both begin to cry.
"(7) It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
"Lord, I have run from situations when I should have stayed, I have at times lost or given up hope, I have at times lost trust in people and I have at times just plain given up on someone because I didn't feel they were worth my time. For this I repent."
"(8) Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away."
Lord, I have put my confidence in many things, all of them are good but none of them will stand, I repent and will from this day, put my trust in You and the love You place in me. And I will stand firm with my brothers and sisters, and I will fight against all evil."
"(9) For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
(10) but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
(11) When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
(12) Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
(13) And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
"Father, there are many things I do not know, many I do not understand, I want everything perfect, but as I grow older I must put away old ideas and immature acts and learn what you would have me to do. Father, forgive me, help me to grow and help me to love."
He raised his eyes to the group, "God gave me a scripture to finish with, it is 2 Chronicles Chapter seven Verse 14 and 15. As I stand here now I believe it is His response to the repentance that is here and is a confirmation that God is pleased with our coming today. I pray that he will also be pleased with what we do with the rest of our time in this place and on this earth."
(14) if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
(15) Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.
"I will finish with this, Lord, we ask you to bless our time together, our words, this food, and those who are here. We pray that today will become a time of forgiveness and healing of us, our fellow man and our land will begin. We thank you for everything you have blessed us with today."
Jaci leaned over to her mother when he finished, "I want to some day hear him preach, he's good."
Mitsi smiled, "Your dad doesn't like him, I don't know why he is here, but I believe he just set the tone for the day and it is good."
Dave touched her arm, "I'll have to apologize to him for my attitude toward him."
She smiled. If God could get to Dave Donaldson he might have a chance with the rest here.
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Revised 6/16/1998 DRAAW is not a misspelling, it is an acronym for Dee, Ralph, Angela, Annette and William.
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