a prayer in my pocket

I've written about religion and spirituality on my blog a few times, but I often avoid talking about it: it's polarizing and off-putting to some, and it induces eyerolls in others. I tend to be of the mindset that it's best to show, not tell, when it comes to my beliefs. But being a progressive Christian is who I am and it defines my entire worldview, so yesterday I decided I'm tired of not being real. When I was in elementary school, I was the kind of kid who organized a protest and marched to the principal's office demanding that gender discriminatory policies in the lunchroom (yes, really) be changed. I'm just getting back to my loudmouth roots, I guess.

A few weeks ago, one of the ministers at my church used a pastoral prayer that was like a beam of light coming straight for me. I asked her for a copy, and I've been carrying it around with me ever since. It's adapted from several prayers written by the poet, theologian, and social justice crusader Theodore Loder, and it encapsulates everything I love about my church: activism, radical hospitality, unbounded love for God's creation.

So here it is, the prayer in my pocket and in my heart today and all days. Maybe it will stir something in you, too. The word "kindom," by the way, isn't an error - it's a beautiful reworking of the idea of a kingdom to mean a community of brothers and sisters united as one. As my oldest daughter says, "God is in the face of everyone I see, right, Mom?" Yes, God is.