We are descendants of serfs and peasants
who came to these shores with golden dreams for the future.
The Lady’s lamp beckoned them to freedom.
We are descendants of villagers and chieftains
brought in chains and despair.
Their Middle Passage foreshadowed
lives of hardship and pain.
We are descendants of those from many lands
who saw across the border fence
a southwest desert path
to a better life for their children.
We are descendants of ancient peoples,
who revered the Creator and Creation,
whose histories were erased
as they were driven from their lands.
Eternal One, God of all people and all places,
help us honor the grand diversity of our history
and celebrate the kaleidoscope of our present.
Give each of us the strength to help our country
fulfill its promise of freedom and opportunity –
to strike down barriers that still obstruct,
to open doors still closed.
Fill the hearts of our leaders
with Your love of justice and compassion.
Give them strength to seek peace and pursue it,
to resist false gods of politics and power.
Be with us as we strive for a more hopeful future
for all, in our own time.
