Quiet Time: A Better Political Imagination

Dear God of all nations and neighborhoods,

When Peter wrote to scattered churches under Roman imperial pressure, he did not tell them to seize power. He told their leaders: do not lord it over those entrusted to you, but be examples to the flock. In a world that measured greatness by the size of one's army, Peter offered a different political imagination entirely — one shaped not by domination but by the shepherd's patient, self-giving love.

Lord, I confess how easily I reduce my neighbors to their voting records. I confess the satisfaction I take in outrage, the way a sharp headline can feel more nourishing than the Eucharist. Forgive me. Teach me the Anglican habit of common prayer — the radical discipline of kneeling beside someone I disagree with and sharing one bread, one cup, one Lord.

Give me the imagination to see my city council meeting the way You see it: a room full of image-bearers stumbling toward the common good. Give me the courage to show up not with a clenched fist but with an open hand, ready to listen before I speak, ready to serve before I lead.