Prayer Offered for December 2, 2024

In 1954, Lillian Smith posed the following questions in her book, In 1954, Lillian Smith posed the following questions in her book, The Journey:

A century from now

What shall be said of our journey in these times?

And who shall the shapers have been?

[Shall they be]

The hopeful dreamers

Who were strong enough to suffer for the dream,

Or the fearful pessimists

Who were convinced that dreaming and hope

Are for sleepers only,

Not for those awake to the age?

A century from now

Shall hope have been strong enough

To enable living with unanswerable questions?

Or shall the pain

That a transitional age necessarily brings

Have caused a retreat to old answers

That no longer acknowledge new questions?

Gracious God of creativity and newness, as we begin this session, open our eyes to the immensity of our call to be shapers of our future. Let us be hopeful dreamers dedicating our strength to make the dreams of our people a reality. Help us to live into the unanswerable questions with courage and trust, acknowledging new questions as potential for the discovery of greater truth and freedom. May we listen attentively and respond generously to the needs of all our people so that a century from now all will know that our journey was not in vain. We ask this in Your name.—AMEN.