A Prayer for Good Friday

Shock Me with the Terrible Goodness of this Friday

Holy one,

shock and save me with the terrible goodness of this Friday,

and drive me deep into my longing for your kingdom,

until I seek it first —

yet not first for myself,

but for the hungry

and the sick

and the poor of your children,

for prisoners of conscience around the world

for those I have wasted

with my racism

and sexism

and ageism

and nationalism

and religionism,

for those around this mother earth and in this city

who, this Friday, know far more of terror than of goodness;

that, in my seeking first the kingdom,

for them as well as for myself,

all these things may be mine as well:

things like a coat and courage

and something like comfort,

a few lilies in the field,

the sight of birds soaring on the wind,

a song in the night,

and gladness of heart,

the sense of your presence

and the realization of your promise

that nothing in life or death

will be able to separate me or those I love,

from your love

in the crucified one who is our Lord,

and in whose name and Spirit I pray.

— Ted Loder, Guerillas of Grace: Prayers for the Battle