Toward the Promise

The painting “Our Banner in the Sky” (1861) by Frederic Edwin Church. The lower third of the painting is a dark landscape with hills, trees, and a river. The top two-thirds consists of the sky, with streaks of clouds colored red by the light of the setting sun, and a patch of starry night sky visible. A limbless tree trunk rises on the left, and combined with the red and white lines of clouds and the patch of starry sky, gives the impression of the flag of the United States flying on a flagpole.

Holy one of many names and beyond naming…

We know that the fight against tyranny, oppression, facism, hate, and division is not a new fight but a struggle that goes back to the very beginning of this nation. There are those who would use these institutions to keep poor and marginalized folx disempowered, silent, and struggling.

And we know that when we live into our highest ideals, these same institutions can be tools to affirm the inherent worth and dignity of all people. With the grace and strength of Divine Love to carry us forward in the struggle, we who have been pushed to the margins, won’t be silent anymore.

Oh Spirit of Life and Love, fortify us with the wisdom and tenacity of our ancestors to continue to build a new way toward the promise that’s written into the founding documents of our nation:

A nation where all of us are created as equals and are endowed with the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.