Living with the Unimaginable: A Thanksgiving Prayer During a
Difficult American Moment
© Rabbi Menachem Creditor
Dear God,
words feel so small
for these feelings
prayer in response can feel
right or inadequate
timely or timeless
this time it feels different
like we’ve traveled through time
to yesterday’s darker threat
we thought contained in history
suddenly lists reemerge
lists of Your Divine Images
othered for the sin of knowing You differently
Comforter,
suddenly what we realize
we know so much less than we had thought
Eternal One,
is there time for comfort
or does that come later?
(will it come?)
Precious Lord,
We kneel.
We pause to kneel.
We must pause if we are
to regain the semblance of balance
and fulfill our good work in the world.
Your world.
On this complicated sacred day
where whiteness has been whitewashed
many times over
abuse masked as beneficence
power over disguised as national narrative
we pause.
Dear God,
We ask:
Please
be with us as we
confront
resist
self-reflect
absorb
absorb
the unimaginable.
May we find the gratitude
for being charged with good work
for having the strength to pray
for having the wisdom to act
for having each other’s concern in our hearts
for Your vision of a Beloved community in our eyes.
Loving God,
we give thanks for
the true privilege
of humility
of listening
of sharing
of pausing
of loving each other
in Your Name.
For all this, God,
we thank You.
Dear God,
we thank You for blessing
each of us with each other.
Amen.
