This prayer was offered by the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area in the hours following the second death in the protests. The congregation of WPC prayed it this past Sunday in solidarity with our siblings in Christ in the Minnesota. Several people asked for copies, so we’ve included it here in the newsletter.
Prayer of Defiant Love and Justice from the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area after the murder of Alex Pretti:
[Please respond with the words “And YES to Love” when they are in stars *___*.]
God of Justice, we have learned from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that “Peace is not the absence of tension but the presence of justice.” And right now in our communities, we have an abundance of tension… and also an absence of justice.
Two weeks ago our neighbor, Renée Good, was killed by those who claim to be enforcers of the law and ‘keepers of the peace’. Now another neighbor, Alex Pretti, was shot and killed by the same paramilitary force.
In times of more ease, words of prayer may seek tranquility.
But today, may our words be a fire in each of our hearts
A rekindling, not a resigning,
A rebuilding, not a declining —
As we lean more deeply into the promises of our faith,
Which are not about ease, but about true peace
Not about calmness or an absence of rage, but about grounding all that we feel and all that we are in you, the true Source of Life.
And so we plant ourselves in these words that Jesus spoke on the night before his own state-sponsored murder: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)
So with the courageous and transformative peace of Christ in our hearts…
We say No to violence with iniquity, terrorizing neighbors
*And YES to Love*
We say No to those who would lead with fear and intolerance
*And YES to Love*
We say No to apathy, to indifference, to dehumanization,
And YES to Love
We say No to the forces that would divide us, that would teach us to see enemies everywhere
*And YES to Love*
We say No to cheap grace that seeks a return to ease without truth, justice, or safety for all
*And YES to Love*
We say no to letting go of hope because it is easier to give in than to struggle on,
*And YES to Love.*
Because your peace is always a YES to Love,
YES to Solidarity,
YES to Justice
YES to self-sacrificing Care.
And so we stand in this breach
In this grief-laden moment
and these open wounds of our beloved communities and cities
Where tens of thousands of people from all walks of life have risked their safety
—and Renee and Alex sacrificed their lives—
And instead of shrinking back,
we still and forever say:
NO to this violence and injustice
Because as Christians and people of faith we are always saying:
*YES to Love.*
May it be for us all and always, AMEN.
