A Litany on "Be Dissatisfied"

On Tuesday, April 20, 2021, a Multifaith Prayer Vigil gathered at George Floyd Square following the reading of the thrice guilty verdict of Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd.  It ended with a Benediction by the Rev. DeWayne Davis, excerpted here.  

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The whole Benediction is embedded below.  Thank you, Minnesota Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Alliance (MUUSJA), for capturing the whole thing.  

The "Be dissatisfied" line resonated with me so powerfully.  I wrote to my pastor colleague when I got back to my car, pondering aloud how it might show up in worship on Sunday.  He mentioned his sermon or benediction and also encouraged what might show up for me.  The next morning a draft of this poured forth.  

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With the death of beloved children of God,
     Be dissatisfied!
With the inhumane treatment of your siblings,
     Be dissatisfied!
With the diminishing words of one to another,
     Be dissatisfied!
With the acts of punishment that still enslave us all to a death-dealing system,
     Be dissatisfied!
And rise up, to identify the fears that permit no discomfort for white bodies,
     Be dissatisfied, and rise up!
To create spaces for black indigenous people of color to heal, grow, and recognize their very own likeness to God,
     Be dissatisfied, and rise up!
To an embodied radical love that strives to honor and heal pain, without violence or punishment,
     Be dissatisfied, and rise up!
To rest, Beloved, in the Sabbath that is also vital renewal in the face of mountain-climbing work,
     Be dissatisfied, and rise up!

- inspired by Rev. DeWayne Davis' Benediction at the April 20, 2021 Multifaith Prayer Vigil following the thrice guilty verdict of Derek Chauvin in the trial for the murder of George Floyd.  Conie Borchardt & Rev. Oby Ballinger (c) 2021 Edina Morningside UCC (MN) 

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Here is the whole Benediction Rev. DeWayne Davis gave: