Equality and Joy: revising yesterday's prayer just a bit
I heard the news yesterday that the SCOTUS had, in a 5-4 decision, approved same-sex marriage nationwide.
And I heard it early enough that I got to tell a few people about it first. That was pretty awesome.
I was down at ComFest, which meant limited access to keyboards and internet, but I managed to get this prayer up onto Tumblr:
Kindreds, Spirits all:
We have persevered.
In joy, we sing out for love!
May all our voices be bright together
As we sing praises to Justice,
To Joy, and to Liberty!
I wanted to write more, and I thought my words completely failed when I wrote it, but looking back, it is not really half-bad as a prayer. Still, I wanted to give it another shot, today. So:
I sing praise first to Love,
You, who is greater than Heaven and Earth,
You have brightened our lives this day.
You, who is greater than all that lives,
And who was here before all else.
We are one people before your might,
Raised up, healed, and overflowing with you!
I sing praise next to Joy,
Whose voice has filled my heart,
Singing out from my lips!
The folk join together, hand in hand,
Brightened by the rising star of Love.
May we never forget you, Joy,
Especially as we share you with others!
I sing praise next to Liberty,
You, who have fought so hard to be heard.
We see you persevere through bigotry,
Your march steady, conquering,
And full of faith to the last.
May we never forget this day
Where your shining light touched us all!
I sing praise finally to Justice,
You have been well served today.
We have seen what your hand can do,
Righting the scales of those crushed
Beneath the heel of fundamentalism.
Know we heed your call this day,
And your triumph here brings new challenges.
That's about what the prayer would have looked like with a full keyboard and a decent internet connection. It's what I thought as I stood there in our tent, stunned with joy and love.
Love has won, but there is still work to do on this front. Let us not forget that discrimination is still allowed in this country based on sexual orientation.
This fight is not just about love; it is also about human dignity.
We keep fighting.