Among Your Own People

By Ashley Johnson

Won’t You Raise Us Up?

A Gathering Meditation Based on Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Won’t you raise us up, Lord?

They said that the sun will rise in the morning.

Well, some of us woke up, and it's dark.
Some of us slept, but it wasn't in heavenly peace.
Last night, we cuddled with terror.

Fear.
Our fears kept us warm.

As we drifted off to sleep, we knew for a fact
that time was moving so slowly that it was moving backward.
When we woke up, nothing felt familiar.
We felt afraid.
The sun hasn't risen yet,
but tears have fallen.

And…

Won’t you raise us up, Lord?

Teach Us to Listen

A Prayer Based on Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Lord, teach us to listen.
Unstop our sluggish ears so that we can listen to…
your still small voice and your awe-inspiring voice
smacking us upside the head.

Teach us to listen deeply.
Unblock our ears so that we can listen deeply to…
the voice of our ancestors
and the voice of our young people
who will lead us on to the Promised Land.

Teach us to listen deeply to one another.
Unplug our ears so that we can listen to…

the prophets in our sanctuaries
and the prophets in the streets,
prophets that the Lord is raising up for us among our own people.

Teach us to listen. Teach us to listen deeply. Lord, teach us to listen deeply to one another so that we may hear your voice and dare to respond.

Amen.

Git Out!

A Response to the Word based on Mark 1:21-28

One: Racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism

Many: Git Out!

One: Violence, pain, brokenness

Many: Git Out!

One: Negative energies

All: Git out! Git out! Git out!
We’re putting you on notice.
There is no room for anything that tries to rob us of our sacredness here!

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Ashley Johnson is a proud alumna of Spelman College. She received a Master of Arts in Teaching from Brown University and has enjoyed serving as an elementary school teacher for more than ten years. In 2017, Ashley graduated from BU’s School of Theology with a MTS. She is a provisional deacon in The United Methodist Church, and she currently serves at Union Church, Boston.