Suffrages A.4
V. Lord, keep this nation under your care;
R. And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Our Lenten services open with 1 John 1:8,9: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us; but if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just, will forgive
our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
It is one thing to recognize this as true about ourselves as individuals; it is another thing
altogether to recognize this as true about our nation, our culture, our institutions, and our
history. The history of every nation, like the story of each individual, is complex, and includes
shortcomings along with virtues.
What happens to a person who denies they have any weaknesses or need of grace? What
happens to a nation that forbids the teaching of historical events that undercut its desire to
consider itself without blemish?
It has been decades since I prayed the response to this versicle as written. Instead, I beg God to guide us into ways of justice and truth. The more I learn about American history, the more I
come to recognize that self-deception and greed caused our colonial forebears to stray from
those ways before even setting foot on American soil.
Lent 4’s reading from Ephesians included this invitation: Live as children of light— for the fruit
of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the
Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
