Dear Family of of Love and Prayer Pilgrims!
Happy Keeping the Faith Friday Fearlessly Without Fretting! Wow! It's Friday already and that must mean we are in preparation for our weekend retreat of Self-Care and Sabbath Rest. Today we have been seeing a lot about Bruce Springsteen cancelling his concert in Greensboro N.C. due to the Anti-LGBT legislation that recently passed and was signed into law.. For some of us this made us cheer because we are practicing peaceful non-violent protests by boycotting certain states and companies that discriminate. For others this isn't such a happy time and may be causing them pain or in most cases anger and resentment. I have a friend who was confused by the whole thing. Yes, confused.
We all know that as people of faith discrimination is not a good thing and we often find ourselves being coaxed by groups who think that enacting laws that discriminate against a certain groups is acceptable even laudable. We mustn't let ourselves be taken down the path towards discrimination in the name of Religious Liberty. We already have religious liberty given to us by God, the Constitution, and the Founders of this nation. Laws like these only serve to divide and not unite and remember each of our faith communities do have certain rules as to whom may enter into marriage. If your clergy doesn't wish to marry you and your partner (gay or straight) they don't have to. The states aren't forcing the clergy to do this either. It is time to stop discrimination in all its evil forms. We don't need to go back to the days of evil and horrible racial segregation and separate was not equal. We need to be united in equality of all services and respect the dignity of every human person who is a child of God. The best way to protest against these terrible laws are to engage in peaceful non-violent protests and I would suggest that another powerful combination are prayers and protests All or almost all non-violent protesters engage in prayer as they protest and even before. Martin Luther King Jr., Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Joan of Arc, just to name a few even prayed in jail and before their deaths just like Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane. I think, no, I know that it is time for us to be one with each other in prayer and community at this present moment.
Here is tonight's holy time of prayer and meditation :
Let us begin by placing our fears, anxieties, mads, concerns and what ever else is troubling us into the Worry/Sabbath Box. Write them down and pray them away using "The Be Stills"
Write_______________________
Be Still and Know that I am God.
Be Still and Know.
Be Still.
Be.
Release the sticky note into the Worry/Sabbath Jar or box. Do this until you are finished.
Now let us pause and listen to these : Lift Every Voice and Sing and this There's Honey in The Rock
If you want to join in song do it! Remember Augustine of Hippo said "S/He who sings, prays twice!"
Let us light our candles and be at prayer! Let us lay down our worries, burdens, fears, and anxieties as we come to you O God in prayer. Let us pray that we may use our prayers as a linking chain of prayers to help end violence, discrimination terror bullying and abuse. Let us be linked together as one and help build bridges of unity, compassion, acceptance, love and mercy. God help us to use our voices and prayers as a form of peaceful protest and seek from you and each other the ways to create and make peace in this fragile and broken world. Give us courage to use our prayers as a means to prepare and consider how to affect change and that we may be lead by your not so gentle tap on the shoulder and Go and serve and strive for a just and human society. We pray this night for the least of these who are made to feel invisible and unloved. We pray that we may serve all of our family members in need wherever they may be. We pray that we may ready ourselves for our weekend retreat of Self-Care and Sabbath Rest so that we may listen to you God at the heart and soul level. The light of Christ in Me Recognizes the Light of Christ in you! Amen.
Let us pray in the Key of Jesus and Ring the Bells of El Camino Real (The King's Highway ) for those who fought for justice, peace, and equality. We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.
Jesus we pray and give thanks for Mahatma Gandhi who taught us how to protest non-violently Help us to follow Your and His Model and use our words to make peace and cry out for the voiceless.
We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.
Jesus we pray and give thanks for all who gave their lives in the Stonewall riots to help pave the way for LGBTQ rights and the rights of those who are afraid to live authentically. May we see God in each of us who are in the LGBTQ community, who are family, allies, and friends , be enfolded into the mainstream community with out fear and labeling. We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.
Jesus we pray and give thanks for Elizabeth Cady Stanton and all of our sisters who fought for the rights of women so that they would no longer be property but full and perfect members of society and examples of citizenry to their sons and daughters. We pray that all of our sisters may have full protection and rights securely given them. We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.
Jesus we pray and give thanks for all of our family members who were interned in the Japanese internment camps at Manzanar and Santa Anita. We pray for their contributions to our society and ask for their forgiveness for the wrongs we may have done out of fear and mistrust. We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.
Jesus we pray and give thanks for the witness of all our Native and Indigenous Martyrs who were here in their homelands of origin in this country We pray for forgiveness for the wrongs we have done to them and remember the trail of tears that took them away from places they call home and became refugees in strange and distant lands. We remember this night all of our family members who are refugees. We pray that they may one day return home as You , Mary, and Joseph left Egypt for Nazareth. We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.
Jesus we pray and give thanks for Malala and all children who speak truth to power. We pray for all our children that they may be protected from harm. May all of our youth look to Malala for hope and a role model of what one child can do. We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.
Jesus we pray and give thanks for Cesar Chavez and all those who fought for the farm worker and for the rights and protection of those who put food on our tables We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.
Jesus we pray and give thanks for those who have died in the struggle for justice, equality, inclusion, and universal human rights.We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.
Jesus we pray and give thanks for all the many witnesses that we have not named but you know them all may we remember them now_____________________________We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.
Jesus we pray and give thanks for this night especially for ________________________
We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.
Today's wish: My wish for today is that everyone will come together in love, unity, and peace
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Good Night Dear Family of Love! Have a blessed and lovely night. I love you and give thanks to God for you this Night and always.
With love, peace, and hope for a world united in love, justice, and mercy,
Sara
Jester Hairston Mix
Andrae Crouch Mix
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