Marriage Equality Week Prayer

The Rev. William G. Sinkford

The Rev. William G. Sinkford

Please turn to that place of deepest honesty and connection which is within you, and join me in a time of prayerful reflection.  During this week, during which some public voices speak of Marriage Equality and others of Marriage Protection, let us recommit our own hearts once again to stand on the side of love.

We offer up our gratitude for all of the love which has sustained us throughout our lives—the love of family and friends, teachers and mentors, the love of this church community.  Those of us who have found one other person to whom we have pledged enduring commitment offer up particular gratitude for that covenant, which has sustained us and challenged us and ultimately reshaped our very being.

No long term relationship is easy, and so we offer prayers of protection and support for every family, knowing that our larger community is blessed and strengthened by steadfast couples.

May every relationship be free from violence, physical, emotional, or spiritual.

May every marriage know the importance of relaxation and the pleasures of unstructured time.

May each of us accept a partner's foibles with grace, knowing that we too, though imperfect, are fully accepted.

May we be free from the culture's rampant greed which would have us ask, "What is in this for me?" rather than “What more can I give you?"

May the stresses and strains of our relationships, no matter how large they loom, never blind us to the one with whom we fell in love.  May we know that we are always accompanied by the love of our community, through loss of jobs or livelihood, health problems, tough times with children or aging parents, natural disasters, and human cruelty or injustice.

May every relationship, whatever the gender of its members, be supported and accepted by the larger community.

May our elected officials turn their attention to policies which strengthen the wellbeing of all of us, rather than tearing us apart by labeling some love as holy and other as profane.

And, someday, may every couple equally know the protection and support not only of a loving faith community, but also of a larger civil society.

May we support and protect one another, even as we continually seek to extend our common understanding of who we mean when we say "we the people.'

And let the people say, Amen.

Freedom to Marry 2006: UUs Focus on Legislative Advocacy While Affirming Marriage Equality

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