2022-12-31 A Prayer: The Baptist

O Lord, You are the baptist. Involve us; see growth as of a new friendship, or simple peace in Your presence, and now the punchline: group mind; together thought; where we had chosen peace, now a call to what is “Yes” and what is “No”. See that we choose our battles in light of the experience of no-questions-asked Peace. See how we buzz and hover and work in lockstep with each other, and bless fellowship for the newfound riches it entails. Suddenly we wonder how we ever did it alone. Suddenly we are called to Choose: for a practical next step, or for hatred. We choose to love. We choose to fellowship. We choose so to ingratiate in Your abode as to uncover fresh avenues of love and adventure, of peace and company, of neighborly affection.

You the baptist do attack full-on any and all disparaging differences, opinions, greed, covetousness, withholding; we try to share, at least, to value the person above the possession. We so enter a militant baptism: at war, because it was a conscious decision to march together, to end hatred, to end the strife. And this is the Baptist’s occupation, through sign and wetting to bring all company unto one headship, and one Body, one Spirit, one Self, choosing peace over war.

We pray all this in Your Name, Amen.