Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” (Acts 10:34-35)
“We must learn to live together as brothers, or we will perish together as fools.” – The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Speech at St. Louis, March 22, 1964
Dear Friends,
Let us join together with hundreds of millions of others today and in the coming week to give God thanks for the life and ministry of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. May God continue to bless us all as his vision is realized in our nation, and in each of our hearts. This year again, I’ve included (below) one of Dr. King’s prayers.
Blessings to all of you,
Pastor Basile
A Prayer from Dr. King
Thou Eternal God, out of whose absolute power and infinite intelligence the whole universe has come into being, we humbly confess that we have not loved thee with our hearts, souls and minds, and we have not loved our neighbors as Christ loved us. We have all too often lived by our own selfish impulses rather than by the life of sacrificial love as revealed by Christ. We often give in order to receive. We love our friends and hate our enemies. We go the first mile but dare not travel the second. We forgive but dare not forget. And so as we look within ourselves, we are confronted with the appalling fact that the history of our lives is the history of an eternal revolt against you. But thou, O God, have mercy upon us. Forgive us for what we could have been but failed to be. Give us the intelligence to know your will. Give us the courage to do your will. Give us the devotion to love your will. In the name and spirit of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
–The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This is one of several prayers Dr. King prepared for a radio broadcast, in Atlanta Georgia, in 1953. Most of these handwritten prayers would serve the function of confession or repentance in a worship service. (The Martin Luther King Jr. Papers Project. www.okra.stanford.edu.)
“Praying with the Pastor” is a resource highlighting prayer needs in our community, nation, and world. Names of Zion members and friends requesting prayer are listed in the weekly church bulletins, and monthly Messenger Newsletter. May God’s blessings abound as we consistently lift up the world, including our own church family, in prayer!