This Lent we are asking, “How might our lamenting lead us to the liberative future of shalom God promises us? What wisdom do those on the margins have that can help us envision the hope for liberation, even while we lament the current state of things?”
Today’s post first appeared on the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Blog in 2020. We share it today by generous permission of the author.
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Inspired by the Prophet Habakkuk’s words, Fannie Lou Hamer, Mary Hooks, and other freedom fighters whose wisdom and actions both challenge and inspire me.
O God, who I am in both awe and disgust.
“I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
“WE, are sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
I am tired of injustice.
We are tired of injustice and waiting for justice to be actualized,
while the ability for flourishing is “with the handful, for the handful, and by the handful.”
O God, how long shall we cry for help, and you not listen?
Jesus did not come to bring peace but a sword.
And may peace never come until justice is actualized.
Expose to everyone injustice that is both overt and covert,
Then make it so that inequity may never be hidden again,
But instead, called out from every rooftop, mountain top, valley, and gutter.
Invigorate us with truth, power, mercy, and love.
And the wisdom to know how to allow these tools to inform our actions.
In our struggle against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Remind us that “we have nothing to lose but our chains.”
Make it evident that “no one is free until everyone is free.”
“So, when I liberate myself, I liberate others.”
May my lamenting liberate me.
May our lamenting liberate us.
May our acknowledgment of our internalized oppression, complicity, and direct harm liberate us.
May our unlearning of white-supremacy and its harmful bi-products liberate us.
May our labor liberate us.
May I hold myself accountable.
May we hold each other accountable.
And may we be willing to be transformed in the doing of this work.
Amen.
Kristan Pitts hails from Greenville, SC, and is a 2021 Master of Divinity graduate from Wake Forest School of Divinity. For Kristan, the essence of ministry is encapsulated in the pursuit of ‘collective liberation’ for all individuals, a testament to her deep-rooted belief in inclusivity and social justice. As a non-profit professional, Kristan has honed her skills in fostering community engagement, program development, and advocacy. She works as the Program Coordinator for Bread and Roses, a food and ecological justice ministry of Trinity Episcopal Church located in Charlottesville, VA. Further expanding her expertise, Kristan is on the cusp of completing a Master of Urban and Environmental Planning with a Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation from the University of Virginia. Kristan’s multifaceted career is driven by her unwavering dedication to creating spaces of belonging and resilience, demonstrating her visionary leadership in both religious and civic spheres. You can connect with her on Linkedin at @kristan-pitts.
