#MeToo Prayer

God Beyond all Face and Form,

You gift us with stories, ferrous and faithful, stories that shine a light on the depth of human suffering and inhumanity. The stories of bodies broken, battered used and owned, grabbed without consent, traded, bartered and bought as objects, betrayal by family, stranger and friend. 

These stories terrify us, we hate to read them, especially in church. 

But they are there. Brave ones shouting, whispering just between the printed lines, 

      witnessing, raging “ME Too.”

      Tamar and Hagar

      David’s Daughter and Israel’s son, both had tunics, fit for a princess, torn

the concubines, the slaves, 

      the prisoners and captives

      and the daughters all of them unnamed.

They are there, witnessing to humanities great sin, dismissed quietly 

     Powerful women, simplified by history, brought down in size,

         Mary the quiet, downward glancing saint and 

             Eve the wild haired sinner hardly covering her breasts, 

sculpted and re-sculpted  in word and stone 

             over 2000 years of the patriarchy’s fearful gaze, 

proclaiming just how good girls ought to look and behave.

But Mary…You give us Mary and she sings anyway, 

      sings of God lifting up the lowly and throwing the mighty from their throne. 

“Times Up” she cries in an ancient song, “my soul magnifies the Lord.”

              Vashti, Queen of self possession roars, “no,” 

                  times up on kings controlling, demanding, deciding what my body is for.

The Woman at the well preaches times up on the old ways, we are filled with the water of life

       Times up on crumbs from the master's table and slurs dismissing our humanity

Times up on sacrificing bodies with Jephthah’s Daughter we dance in defiance.

Times up on God only looking like “He.”

We remember the pain of me too, past and present.

But the future must look differently, times up for the epidemic of inhumanity. 

Our hands are made for helping, 

our hearts are made for loving, 

           our bodies are sacred and our dreams are worthy of living, 

               we gather witness to our resurrection faith, Love making all things new.

God’s love creates us brave, Jesus teaches to turn the tables for change 

              and the Spirit calls us to rise for we are fearfully and wonderfully made. 

God you give us stories, 

        people of faith to guide our path as we write our own verse in creation's eternal song.

Times up on false humility and quiet little women in church, 

      Deborah and Lydia lead with wisdom and courage and grace.

Times up on ‘cat fights’ and old narratives; girls support girls, we celebrate our strengths, 

      Mary and Martha both have our back.

Times up on the vulnerable going it alone, Ruth taught us to stand side by side,

      no matter how challenging the road. 

Times up on the glass ceiling, Mary Magdalene calls us into the mix, finding the funding, proclaiming the truth and crushing the patriarchy, 

      so all, all people

          he, she and they, can be free.  

Let’s do this. And all God’s people said, Amen