Unclean Prayers
Dear Father in Heaven, God of history:
On this evocative Sunday I pray to you.
I confess I am a sinner, full of transgressions, some I knew and repented of, some I am still struggling with, and some I don’t even know.
I can’t confess on behalf of others, let alone my own city and nation, and certainly not for humanity. I only know confessing for the sins of others is preposterous and evasive of my personal responsibility and status before you.
Unless I usurp the role of Aaron!
Therefore I would not confess for others. I could only pray to you to change things, even people.
Foremost, I pray for Cardinal Chen of Hong Kong. A 90 something year old Catholic clergy, committed to HK, democracy and justice, was recently charged under national security law. His alleged crime? Being one of the trustees of “612 Fund” set up to provide legal support for needy HK people.
LORD, you can cut through all the gobbledegook and see who is right and wrong. Please keep Cardinal Chen healthy, joyful, and steadfast.
I praise you O LORD for placing this ninety year old Catholics in HK at this juncture of history. He walks his talks, and wears his faith with risk. He shows people of faith how faith can strengthen the spinal cord to speak out for justice and mercy.
Dear God, I pray that you also gift us Protestants someone with similar courage and faith. Please look at the poverty amongst us. No pastor of any sizeable church dares even to pray for your rending of heavens to right the wrongs. We have no model amongst major denominations leaders. We find no head of seminaries who is courageous enough to utter a lone syllable to contradict government, to point out the absurdity, to contrast the so-called justice with yours.
None dares to pray for Cardinal Chen.
None dares to hold vigil for 8964.
None dares to argue for a candle.
None, not one, dares even to publicly denounce or name the Russian invasion!
We are naked, poor, and blind in our churches!
Yes God I dare to pray to you now to punish Putin for his blatant invasion, for causing so much loss of properties, and for the senseless loss of lives.
LORD, did you not once go to the Assyrian camp and kill 185,000 of King Sennacherib’s soldiers and then sent him back to Nineveh to be killed by his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer (2 Ki 19:35-37)?
LORD, did you not once remove King Nebuchadnezzar, from human society to live in the fields with the wild animals, and eat grass like a cow? (Dan 4:31-33, NLT)
LORD, did you not once send an angel to strike Herod with a sickness with worms to death? (Acts 12:23, NLT)
Would that you LORD do what you did in ages past to reward those who did injustice and atrocities to people in Ukraine.
And to Hong Kong too.
To the commanders who treat young and old with brutalities.
To those scribes who twisted laws to legalise that which are illegal and nonsensical.
But you O LORD, maybe long suffering and full of mercy and grace, even to those most undeserving. Then O LORD, conquer their hearts with grace so they could turn to you and repent!
But don’t leave them live happily ever after without repentance and a twinge of remorse!
LORD, forgive me for offering this unclean prayer.
For our HK churches have no unclean prayers to offer.
Churches and pastors have self cleaned.
Weeps of widows and outcries of orphans have been suppressed and muted. Accused and imprisoned have no Protestant pastor to advocate for them.
I cry alone.
You have heard.
You will act.
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Sunday June 12, 2022
