This document contains a prayer calling people to wake up and seek justice and righteousness. It references biblical passages from Isaiah and Amos condemning empty religious rituals and calling people to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. The summary is that God calls us to wake up from superficial faith and instead live faithfully through seeking justice, defending the oppressed, and pursuing Godly righteousness in our lives and in the world.

1. A Prayer for the People of God
God of justice,
your word is light and truth.
Let your face shine on us to restore us,
that we may walk in your way,
seeking justice and doing good.
Amen.

2. The Church Calendar
August 7

6. Isaiah 1; Amos 5
WAKE UP

7. And we will all go together when we go
Oh, what a comforting fact
that is to know
Universal bereavement,
an inspiring achievement
Yes, we all will go together when we go
We will all go together when we go
All suffuse with an incandescent glow
No one will have the endurance
to collect on his insurance
Lloyd's of London will be
loaded when they go

8. Left or right, Black orWhite
They tell lies in the books
That you're readin'
It's knowledge of yourself
That you're needin'
LikeVescey or Prosser
We have a reason why
To debate the hate
That's why we're born to die
Mandela, cell dweller,Thatcher
You can tell her, "Clear the way
for the Prophets of Rage"

10. I'm inferior?Who's inferior?
Yeah, we need to check the interior
Of the system that cares about
only one culture
And that is why
We gotta take the power back

11. The lie is my expense
The scope of my desire
The Party blessed me with its future
And I protect it with fire
I am the Nina/Pinta/Santa Maria
The noose and the rapist
And the fields overseer
The agents of orange
The priests of Hiroshima
The cost of my desire
Sleep now in the fire

12. Yes, I know my enemies
They're the teachers who
taught me to fight me
Compromise
Conformity
Assimilation
Submission
Hypocrisy
Brutality
The elite
All of which are American dreams

13. Networks at work,
keeping people calm
You know they went after King
When he spoke out onVietnam
He turned the power
to the have-nots
And then came the shot
…
WAKE UP
WAKE UP
WAKE UP

16. - The “this is the front desk”
- The “it’s time for school”
- The “voice goes up an octave”
- The “early flight whisper”
- The “gently rocking the shoulder”*
- The “full guttural scream”*
“WAKE UP” GENRES

18. Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom!
Listen to the teaching of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
ISAIAH 1:10-11 (NRSV)

19. This was the guilt of your sister Sodom:
she and her daughters had pride,
excess of food, and prosperous ease,
but did not aid the poor and needy.
They were haughty, and did abominable
things before me…
EZEKIEL 16:49-50a (NRSV)

20. Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom!
Listen to the teaching of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
What to me is the multitude
of your sacrifices? says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt-offerings
of rams and the fat of fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats.
ISAIAH 1:10-11 (NRSV)

21. When you come to appear before me,
who asked this from your hand? Trample
my courts no more; bringing offerings is
futile;
incense is an abomination to me. New
moon and sabbath and calling of
convocation—
I cannot endure solemn assemblies with
iniquity. Your new moons and your
appointed festivals my soul hates; they
ISAIAH 1:12-14 (NRSV)

22. When you stretch out your hands, I will
hide my eyes from you; even though you
make many prayers, I will not listen; your
hands
are full of blood. Wash yourselves;
make yourselves clean; remove the evil
of your doings from before my eyes;
cease to do evil, learn to do good;
seek justice, rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
ISAIAH 1:15-17 (NRSV)

23. Come now, let us argue it out,
says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be like snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
ISAIAH 1:18 (NRSV)

24. I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take
no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt-
offerings and grain-offerings, I will not
accept them; and the offerings of well-
being of your fatted animals I will not look
upon.
Take away from me the noise of your
songs;
I will not listen to the melody of your
AMOS 5:21-24 (NRSV)

25. 1. So we don’t miss out
2. So we see what we’re missing
3. So we remember who/se we are
4. So we can get up and start again
WHY WE WAKE UP

26. God is not interested in our empty,
surface-level religious observance
which ultimately serves nothing
but our own ego. If we are to be
Christians, let it be with heart-felt
substance, soul-deep focus,
mentally-engaged thought,
and physical intentionality,
in the pursuit of Godly justice.
OUR WAKE UP CALL TODAY

27. Prayer
God of judgment and grace,
you ask not for sacrifices
but lives of trusting faith
that acknowledge your power and mercy.
Give us a faith deep and strong,
that we may follow you through all our days,
and seek your peace with justice and love.
Through Jesus we pray,
Amen.