Prayer & Praise

We pray, as often as we meet, that we might “worthily magnify thy holy Name.”

Except that before your holy name, we mumble in awe and timidity and cowardice.

Your holy name we can hardly utter: the father of all orphans, the son who is crucified and risen, the spirit who blows where it will, creator, maker of all that is, redeemer, who frees us from the power of death, sanctifier who blesses us with betterness.

Your holy name that causes powers to tremble and angels to yield.

Your holy name that causes chaos to settle, and death to depart, and feverish anxiety to grow quiet.

Your name we dare entertain in our dry mouths, on our thin tongues, between our quivering lips.

No, we are not worthy to utter your name, we are so anxious and devious, we are so preoccupied and distracted, we who cannot stay awake to watch with you one hour, we who have our own ways in the world that are not your ways.

Except you have entrusted your holy name to us; you have called us as your witnesses; you have empowered us to be your good news messengers.

So we pray in this awesome moment in your presence, match up your holy name with our poor testimony, that we may make your name and your power and your purpose very large and awesome and compelling, large before the rulers of this age, awesome amid the violence of our world and our government, compelling amid our mad pursuit of oil and commodities and safety.

We pray for freedom and courage to praise you, that by our praise, the angels in heaven may he invited to awe, the folk among us may he summoned to notice, the children in our midst may he moved to trust you.

You, you the lamb that is slain, are worthy to be praised.

Take our unworthy selves and by your good power let our praise toward you be done worthily.

That you, your kingdom and your power and your glory may he made large in our times and in our places, here and now-made very large.

Walter Brueggemann. Prayers for a Privileged People (pp. 13-14). Kindle Edition.