Our God,
Send us out this day
To hear your cries among us.
May we not look away
When we see you standing on the corner, hungry.
May we not turn aside
When your heat gets shut off,
Or when you receive your first eviction notice,
Or when your husband abandons you,
Or when your body has been violated.
Let us see you
In the sacred faces and bodies
Of the bridge-dwellers,
The street-walkers,
Those seeking refuge and safety,
Those seeking justice and forgiveness,
Those seeking rest and comfort.
Open our eyes to notice you among us
Where we don’t think you’ll be
Or where we don’t want you to be.
We search and search for you,
And you are quietly suffering one cubicle over.
You are counting pennies at the drugstore
To afford what your sick child needs.
You are sitting in the courtroom
Wondering how it got this far.
We ask you to meet us,
But you already do.
May we not cross over on the other side
And may serve you in our midst.

Amen.