Gracious God,

Open my ears to hear the languages spoken around me and to hear the melodies and beautiful diversity and to never be afraid of Spanish, Kinyarwanda, Swahili, or any other language.

Open my eyes to see my neighbor and to see my neighbor in the orphan, widow, foreigner and whoever is marginalized today.

Guide my feet and the feet of others as we go to the capital in Boise, asking legislators to add the words “sexual orientation and gender identity” to the Idaho Human Rights Act.

Guide my hands as I bravely type out sermon manuscripts, newsletter articles, blog posts, and devotions that cast a creative and compelling vision of our interdependence and beautiful differences.

Guide my voice as I offer invocations at city council meetings and other public forums. Let my preaching and speaking join the songs of Hannah,  Miriam, Deborah, and the Mother of our Lord.

Open my heart again and again so that I never grow complacent and yet maintain the hope you continue to give over and over.

Thank you for parents who wanted me to have a larger understanding of the world, even as they implanted empathy for the Lakota neighbors in our town. Thank you for teachers who fostered my curiosity and the ability to think critically. Thank you for friends and colleagues and journalists who introduce me to new authors and stories. Thank you for a national church that expects me to keep growing and a congregation that includes so many wonderful learning companions.

I pray with a grateful heart. Amen.