God,

Help us to live in authenticity.
Too often, we put on a facade,
A mask that covers our true self
Our true feelings
Our true imperfections,
In order to feel worthy
Accepted
Desired.

When we stepped away from
Evangelicalism,
From the church,
It was in part because we saw Past
The false projection of perfection
We saw the pain and hatred
The legalism and condemnation
And we desired something authentic.

Yet as many of us now find this new community,
We find that it is easy to once again
Fall into a performative posture
To reach for likes and follow rather than
Honest, open, reality.

God,
We aren’t here for stardom,
For a following,
For a fan base.
If we are, rebuke our intentions
And draw us back.

Jesus,
We don’t want our voice
To overtake another
To act like a representative
An expert
An authority
Of someone else’s experience,
Someone else’s struggles
Someone else’s pain.
If we do, allow others to call us out
To Hold us accountable
To keep us in check

Spirit,
In this season
Remind us to listen, learn, and lift
Rather than perform, proclaim, and pander.

Amen.