Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human, by Cole Arthur Riley

'Cole Arthur Riley’s writing offers up a voice from the margins which speaks into our wrestling with embodiment, with the wonder of being human, and the aches of trauma - a gift to anybody, and especially any worship leader'


 

Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human
By Cole Arthur Riley
Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 978 1 399 81500 0
Reviewed by Amanda Higgin

Black Liturgies was first published in January 2024, and now a paperback version has followed so that every writer or lover of prayer and liturgy can put it on their bookshelf. This is a beautiful book that gives form to some of the inarticulate moments of our vulnerable, human experiences, inviting us to offer them to the Divine and to wrap our hurts in the redemption of the God who sees, knows, and love all.

Arthur Riley is a poet, indeed a musician in the melody and rhythm of the words she curates. Her liturgy handles delicate subjects with a reassuringly decisive tenderness, which makes her work a gift for anyone looking for the words to express their faith in their hurt. Drawing from her experience as a disabled woman, Arthur Riley offers prayers and contemplations which rest us in our bodies, especially the breath prayers which feature in almost every chapter.

The book is organised into two sections. ‘Part 1: By Story’ offers collections of prayers on 21 different themes, including Body, Doubt, Belonging, Rage, Dreaming, Repair, Rest, and Mortality.

‘Part 2: By Time’ focusses on occasions: Dawn, Day, and Dusk, and then 19 times in the liturgical year. In addition to the expected milestones around Christmas and Easter, Arthur Riley offers prayers and liturgies for Kwanzaa, Juneteenth, and New Year’s.

Each of these sections is thoughtfully constructed. They are introduced by quotations from primarily Black Christians, then include a mixture of Arthur Riley’s own reflections, prayers for specific situations, poetry, breath prayers, confession, forgiveness, benediction, and contemplation.

Her prayers address unique situations most liturgical resources overlook: for walking home at night, for stargazing, for therapy, for Black Twitter, for healthy vulnerability, for a world where children have to practise hiding under their desks, to name just a few. These prayers model how to pray into every wonderful, vulnerable moment of our lives.

All of these resources are gathered in their thematic or occasional sections, but also listed in an index which makes the book perfect for those using it to prepare for gathered worship.

This book is called Black Liturgies and does speak insightfully to the unique experience of life and faith belonging to Black Christians, as well as those of women and disabled people. Those of us from different backgrounds have the privilege of hearing and learning from these prayers, while enjoying the material that resonates with our own experiences.

Regardless of our personal experience, Cole Arthur Riley’s writing offers up a voice from the margins which speaks into our wrestling with embodiment, with the wonder of being human, and the aches of trauma. It is a gift to anybody, and especially any worship leader, who has the chance to read it.
 

Amanda Higgin is minister-in-training at Oasis Church Bath, in her final year of training at Regent's Park college. She recently completed a Master's degree in New Testament Theology