Tax Day Prayers

Spirit of Life and Death,
Source of Change and Unceasing Love,
we are grateful for this day;
we are grateful for a system of government that allows us to elect our political leaders;
we are grateful for the human beings who accept those roles;
we desire wisdom, and courage and empathy, in those leaders
as they make budgets and allocate resources,
balancing the needs of the citizens they serve—
for safety and defense, jobs, sustainable growth
and compassionate care for all those less fortunate;
we are grateful for the right of free speech in our nation;
we are grateful for vigorous *and* respectful nonviolent debate
about taxes and their proper use;
we desire safety for our elected leaders
and strength and kindness in their hearts
as they determine how to best allocate our tax dollars;
we desire blessings on their work
and we desire blessings on our own work
as we all labor to create a just and equitable society, together.
So may we be.

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Standing together, with hearts and minds open to the many blessings of Nature around us, we feel our human needs for food and shelter, physical safety, and companionship through life. We witness the same needs in others, and we accept the responsibility to care for each other by allocating our many resources according to principles of justice and compassion. We work for these things ourselves; and we elect representatives to govern and serve in our names. As such, we pledge to support those leaders as they work on our behalf. We wish for them the courage of their convictions and the guidance of their conscience. With grateful hearts and steadfast commitment, we promise to serve the common good as best we know how or learn in the days to come. We promise.

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South African martyr, Steven Biko, wrote, “We regard our living together not as an unfortunate mishap, warranting endless competition among us, but as a deliberate act of God to make us a community of brothers and sisters, jointly involved in the quest of a composite answer to the varied problems of life.” We believe this to be true, and so we ask you, O God, to endow us and our leaders with the wisdom and courage necessary on that quest. Guide us as we seek to create the Beloved Community for which you created us. Thank you, and amen.

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Anybody near Traverse City, come add your prayer or thoughts (or silent reflection) at the Tax Day Interfaith and No Faith Prayer Breakfast, Thursday April 15, from 7-8am; at the Warehouse Lounge on Garland Street. The event is sponsored by ACORD (the Area Council On Religious Diversity).