Community Unity Day Invocation - Northampton High School

God of Life,

the Scriptures say, "How good and pleasant it is

when brothers and sisters dwell together in unity."

We have been living together too long apart

We have been occupying the same space,

the same land,

the same ground of our ancestors,

we have been breathing the same air,

listening to the same birds,

feeling the same cold and heat as winters and summers pass,

but we have not been sharing the same community.

So we gather together

to share a dream.

And we are bold enough to believe

that it is not just our dream,

not just Dr. King's dream,

not just the patriot's dream we sing of

when we sing 'God Bless America,'

not just the dream and hope of scattered prophets through the years.

We are bold to believe

that it is your dream

that brothers and sisters should dwell together in unity.

So here we are -

men and women,

young and old,

'born here's and 'come here's,

black and white and brown and all shades in between,

bayside and seaside,

up the road and down the county,

here we are

gathered to share a meal and that dream.

Forgive our forgetfulness.

Forgive our ignorance.

Forgive our lack of courage to claim

what is given and right before us.

Give us eyes to see what you see.

We live on a little strip of dry land

between two great waters.

We live on the edge of the world.

But we know what you can do

with a little dry land between two great waters.

You can lead a group of slaves to liberation.

You can take a people who were no people

and make them a people.

We know what you can do with people

who live at the edge of the world

in a place that the world counts as nothing.

You can set forth a light to the nations.

We don't claim to be that yet.

But we know we can be that,

if you will come.

How good and pleasant it is

for brothers and sisters to dwell together

in unity.

And may it start with this hour.

Amen.