Prayer for Asian Americans

Read by Dr. Christin Fort at Fuller Chapel on May 1, 2024

God in whom we see the wonders of diversity,

Today we remember the ways you have empowered and kept faithfulness with the communities of Asian America, and we celebrate. Thank you for the richness and depth, beauty and breadth of Asian America. 

Oh God, particularly during this month of celebration, reflection, lament and hope, show us, their Black, Brown, and white siblings in Christ, how to cry with them, asse laugh, sing, and dance with them and do life in community alongside them for the flourishing of all. 

God, help those of us who have grown apathetic in our friendships, retreating from challenging realities into fantasies of peace. We confess that at times we have not seen the very image of you in our Asian American kin. When news of the hate was constant, we did not know what to do with their lament and pleas for help. We ask for forgiveness for not witnessing to their hurt and fear with compassionate urgency. 

For our Asian American elders and sisters in particular, we grieve that xenophobic hate has cast shadows of fear over their steps. May they find refuge within the nation they helped build. Amen.

To our Asian American friends:

Our histories are distinct, but intertwined. They cannot be told separately, nor are they simple stories of either antagonism or heroic support. We repent from the occasions where we have joined your oppressors and harmed you and your ancestors. In military uniforms, on the street, and in offices we have participated in your suffering. 

We also acknowledge that we have often suffered together in fields, factories, and in prisons and camps. And we express our gratitude for the times you joined us in solidarity at those same sites to resist our distinct but inseparable marginalizations. Our histories of collaboration and mutual support seem to be frequently forgotten, but we have formed communities together since coolies first arrived in the Americas. Across history, we have linked arms in protest. We have formed unions and gone on strike together. And we have challenged the militarisms that harm our communities together. God has made it so that we can only find liberation together in solidarity and mutuality. Bind us together, O God. Amen.

Friends — You are not foreigners, but siblings, sisters, and brothers, whom we love. May we courageously meet again and again in margins that cross many boundaries. 

Know that you are seen and loved by God and your Black siblings. Liberation is your inheritance. Safety is your right. And we, your kin, commit to helping protect you when this safety is threatened. 

Your ancestors live, move, breathe, and have their being in and through you. May you root yourself in the soil of God’s unfailing love. May you take up space and not apologize. May your wounds be healed and produce a harvest of flourishing for you and those around you.  
Almighty and gracious God, teach us how to love, how to weep, how to pray. Teach us your ways. Amen.