SHANNON CRAIGO-SNELL

Creator God, bless the businesses, corporations, sports organizations, and artists who refused to do business in North Carolina after House Bill 2 legalized discrimination against people who are LGBTQ. Continue to call them towards justice. In our complicated world, let them recognize their power and their obligations to the common good. Amen.

Merciful God, forgive me for not praying publicly for U.S. Representative Maxine Waters before now. Thank you for her unparalleled truth-telling skills. Thank you for her unwillingness to entertain foolishness. When the lie that 2+2=5 is repeated so consistently that I start to think I'm crazy, her televised side-eye steadies and assures. Thank you for her keen insight, deep understanding of governance, commitment to justice, and general badassery. I do not count myself wort

God of Mercy, nourish those who preach the gospel. It is vital--especially now--that preachers encourage congregations to live their faith in concrete ways, to motivate them to action. The easiest way to motivate people is to talk about danger and provoke fear. Yet Christian preachers are called to talk about grace and evoke love. In the United States, we are accustomed to a motivational logic that says hard work will merit wealth. Gospel logic says that we are given more t

God, Our Refuge, grant grace and protection to every Sanctuary City in the United States. These communities honor the immigrants and refugees in their midst and refuse to acquiesce to heartless deportation practices. I pray tonight especially for New York City and for City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who promised a legal challenge if the current administration attempts to pull federal funding from Sanctuary Cities. It is not easy to be good neighbors. Pour blessi

Holy God, please bless poets. I have been praying for journalists and scientists and those who accurately report facts. Tonight I pray for everyone who has wrestled with words in an attempt to tell more than facts--to reflect and evoke the complexity of reality without diminishment. From the literary giant to the besotted adolescent, bless them all. The journalist, the scientist, and the poet are equally the enemies of lies. Inspire them. Amen.

God of Grace, thank you for those who teach us that play can be a form of resistance, and joy is revolutionary. Shield them, sustain them, and grant them delight. Amen.

Steadfast God, I give thanks for everyone who communicated to their elected representatives in support of the Affordable Care Act or in opposition to the proposed replacement. Grant us all stamina, watchfulness, and stubborn hope in the days to come. Amen.

Loving God, I am thinking tonight of Margaret, a preschool teacher I knew years ago. Margaret has cognitive differences. While the other teachers engaged the kids in various creative activities, she counted. Primarily, she counted the kids. Are they all present and accounted for? Then she counted other things. Do we have a snack for everybody? Do we have enough craft supplies? Then Margaret would count the kids again, just to make sure everybody was together, safe, and includ

Loving God, for those who proclaim, in both word and deed, the wideness of Your mercy, I give thanks. May even the most faithful find the depth of Your goodness cause for joyful surprise. Amen.

Creator God, I pray tonight for the Boston Public Schools. They've recently switched to Peters projection maps, which provide an accurate rendering of land area. The maps I grew up with pictured North America as larger than Africa. These old-school maps were made for colonial trade routes, so they distort the size of land masses. Bless the educators who value accuracy and appropriate perspective. May their influence increase. God, please help us to make accurate maps (concept