The justice-minded musings of a minister
Living Water
A prayer for Flint, Michigan
by T. Denise Anderson
Living Water,
Who forever quenches the thirst of those who drink,
Who denies no one access to life-giving nourishment,
Who pours out until the vessel is empty
So that we may be covered,
So that we might have life,
Attend to those who thirst.
Attend to those who were promised and owed safety
But were instead poisoned,
Who do not have the luxury of pulling up stakes
And digging new wells in other lands.
Attend to those whose fervent cries have been ignored,
Even mocked,
And who have yet to discover the lasting impact
Of the negligence of the powerful.
Attend to those who, for the sake of the bottom line,
Were deemed expendable.
Living Water,
Carry restoration to their shores,
And justice to their coasts.
Living Water,
Run over your banks and bring fertility to the land
So that all may have their fill.
Living Water,
Break the dams that would harness your power for the few
While retaining your benefit from the many.
Living Water,
Recede the waters of destruction and broken trust.
Replace them with transparency and promise.
We pray this in your name.
Amen.
Asé.
T. Denise Anderson is a PC(USA) teaching elder and the pastor of Unity Presbyterian Church in Temple Hills, Maryland, where she was ordained. Before serving there, she led the English Ministry at Taiwanese Presbyterian Church of Wilmington, a faith community of mostly second-generation Taiwanese Americans. She lives in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, with her husband and daughter and is a proud graduate of Howard University School of Divinity. She likes to sew, take in concerts, and hop on a bus to New York City for no reason at all. She blogs at Soula Scriptura.