SHANNON CRAIGO-SNELL

God of Heaven and Earth, thank you for this day. Experiencing wonder is fundamentally humanizing. Sharing awe with strangers is profoundly life-affirming. Thank you for the intricate, bodacious beauty of the universe. Bless the scientists who help us know when, where, and how to see the glory of creation. Amen.

Steadfast God, I pray for those who work for and support the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has been fighting hate for decades. Overwhelm them with success. Amen.

God bless Boston. And Pikeville, Kentucky. And every city and town across the country where white nationalists showed up to scare people and found themselves outnumbered. Amen.

Creator God, bless the former members of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. They resigned today with purpose and panache, and called on the Occupant to resign also. From their mouths to Your ear, oh God. Amen.

God of Hope, bless the many activists who attempted to surrender for toppling a Confederate statue earlier this week. Photographs of the long line of people outside the courthouse in Durham County give me hope. Let Your Spirit breathe through and among us, dear God, conspiring for a better world. Amen.

God of Multitudes, there are many people resisting the Occupant's false equivalences that serve to encourage and condone white nationalism. I give thanks for each and every one. Every tiny bit counts. In particular, tonight I lift up the city of Baltimore. The city council voted to remove Confederate statues. They were taken down in the night. Done. The work is not over in Baltimore, by any means, but I am encouraged by this efficiency. Please God, may our nation as a whole r

Dear God, please help us. Pour out on us a Spirit of logic, reason, coherence, and honesty. Strengthen all who resist double talk, self-deception, and the demonic power of white nationalism. Amen.

Holy God, bless the people of Durham, NC who pulled down a Confederate statue today. Amen.

Mighty God, I lift up every person who went to a march, vigil, rally, or other type of gathering to stand against white nationalism. There are more Nazis in the US than I realized. But there are also more people of good will who will not go quietly. Grant us strength, courage, stubbornness, and loud voices. Amen.

Holy God, I stand in awe of the mighty faithfulness of the counter protestors in Charlottesville today. Please pour out blessing on each and every one. Grant healing, rest, and kindness. May their witness reverberate, growing in power. And help the rest of us further their efforts to confront and reject white nationalism. Amen.