Dear Family of Love and Children of God,
As I sit here beginning to pen this blog early so that we can have family time together, I am raw with sorrow with the events in Orlando. This isn't just any heartache it's a soul and grief ache that makes me feel tender with yes, quite a bit of anger. Waking up to another massacre of innocent lives isn't what we should be doing in fact it is quite unsettling as we prepare for worship and time with our parish families on a Sunday Morning. This unspeakable event was even more bittersweet because it happened in a nightclub frequented by the LGBTQ community. This night club was supposed to be a safe place where one can fit in and not feel marginalized and where we can meet friends and have a good time without looking different and be bullied just because we love and are attracted to some one of the same sex or if you are like me , a lesbian leaning bisexual. That being said we come together tonight in sorrow, anger, heartbreak, and even a little bit confused as to how all this daily violence by unstable and angry people have gotten so out of hand. I for one have come to realize that this country has an anger management problem and that we have lost the gift of being articulate and not know when it's not acceptable to act out and use violence upon God's precious children. What's the solution?
Here is my list and usually I'm not political but I do believe that unless we take a stand we will keep having these catastrophic events occur daily.
Pray
Begin a dialogue and education with our children at an early age about respecting everyone and not use your anger or confusion out against some one who differs from you with a gun or words.
Advocate a ban on assault weapons.
Recall and un-elect our elected officials who have chosen not to act in the best interest of their citizenry. Remember they work for us. Pray and discern which candidates have level heads and aren't into sound bytes. Don't elect candidates who incite violence and are verbal terrorists.
Pray and advocate for the good of all God's Children.
Those are a few ideas but for today let us hold each other close and remember to tell everyone that you love them. I love you. I hope you never forget that. Remember it is okay to be angry and want to go to the batting cages or driving range, it isn't okay to seek revenge by taking other people's lives.
Our mission if we accept it this day is to pray and as in the words of a piece of music I heard today at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Los Olivos by a choral group called Quire of Voyces :
"Even when He is Silent (Arnesen)
I believe in the sun even when it's not shining. I believe in love even when I feel it not. I believe in God even when He is silent"
-Anonymous Jewish prisoner, Nazi concentration camp, (Cologne World War II)
Here is the piece
Even When He is Silent (Arnesen)
Here is another piece to listen to.
Hymn to the Eternal Flame (Paulus)
Let us take time for silence and then enter into our prayer vigil and prayer time.
Be Still and Know That I am God.
Be Still and Know That I am.
Be Still and Know.
Be Still.
Be.
Inhale deeply with your eyes closed.
Exhale slowly with your eyes closed.
Pause.
Repeat until you feel less anxious and rattled. This may not be easy!
God we come to you in silence to pray and light candles and set a time of prayer and vigil for those who lost their lives in Orlando.We pray for all our brothers and sisters in the LGBTQ community, their friends and allies who are grieving.We pray for the wounded, the families and friends who grieve their loss. We pray and give thanks for the law enforcement, emergency rescue personnel, the medical teams, those who are providing pastoral care and support services. We pray this night for all who work in the mortuary ministries that they practice necessary self-care. Help us we pray to begin to take action to stop these acts of senseless violence. Help us we pray to become sources of comfort and willingly and lovingly respond to the needs of those who feel upset and confused. Help us we pray to continue to love our neighbors, enemies, and those who hate us. This night we pray and remember especially those who died during the Stonewall Riots. We pray and remember the loss of the lives of Matthew Shepherd, Harvey Milk, and all those whom we remember now before you_______________ We remember and name before you the names of the places where gun violence and terror have occurred________________. Give us we pray the courage to speak truth to power and help us to stand together as the family of God who are God's precious children.
We offer this prayer from the BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER before we take our rest.
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or
weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who
sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless
the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the
joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen.
Tonight I Ask special prayers for Orlando and a time for us to become the truly loving family of God we are meant to be.
Prayers and a rant in heartache. From the blog A voice was heard,,,,,,,,
How long must we be faced with the deaths of our innocents? How long must our family members endure torture at the hands of governments, tyrants, and extremists ? How long must we see and hear these stories of murder, abuse, terror, hate and injustice on a daily basis? How long will it take for so-called Christian people to wake up and see what they are saying and preaching is against the Lord and Savior they are supposedly following? How long O, God ? How Long? How long O, Jesus? How long O, Holy Spirit? How Long?
Let us with God's help:
Stand with the people of Orlando, San Bernardino, Paris, Lebanon, Beirut, Baghdad Ferguson, Staten Island, Sandy Hook, Sydney, Peshwar and all places where violence is occurring on a daily basis.
Not be complacent but actively engaged in fighting injustice everywhere.
Stand up for what is right, just, and merciful.
Stand up against violence, terror, torture, and abuse of any kind.
Stand up and practice peace and be God's peace makers.
Stand with refugees, captives, victims of violence and abuse, victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, our undocumented immigrants, LGBTQ sisters and brothers. We all our family !
Love God, Family members, and ourselves.
Stand up and be light bearers to your fragile and broken world.
Stand up for universal human rights for all God's Children.
Stand with each other and not against each other.
Stand up against extremism in all its forms.
Stand with the least of these
Stand with the voiceless ones and those who are crying out and seeking to be heard.
Stand with the vulnerable.
Stand with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as bringers of love, peace, joy, and hope.
The light of Christ in me recognizes the light of Christ in you!
The God in me Loves me Loves the God in you!
The Holy Spirit who comforts me Comforts you this day when things we can't explain and gives us heavy heart.
Will you Stand with me? Will you love one another? Will you love your enemies and do good to those who hate you? Will you continue to walk with me on our journey?
+++++
Here are additional prayers based on the above.
Let us with God's help stand together in prayer responding Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Lord God may we, Not be complacent but actively engaged in fighting injustice everywhere.
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Lord God may we,Stand up against violence, terror, torture, and abuse of any kind.
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Lord God may we,Stand with each other and not against each other.
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Lord God may we, Stand up against extremism in all its forms
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Stand with the least of these
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Stand with the least of these
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Lord God may we, Stand with the voiceless ones and those who are crying out and seeking to be heard.
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Lord God may we, Stand with the vulnerable.
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Lord God may we,Stand with you, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as bringers of love, peace, joy, and hope.
The light of Christ in me recognizes the light of Christ in you!
The God in me Loves me Loves the God in you!
The Holy Spirit who comforts me Comforts you this day when things we can't explain and gives us heavy heart.
Lord God we add our own prayers and those of our family members who have requested our prayers especially_____________
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
To You, O Lord, our God.
Will we Stand together ? Will we continue to love one another? Will we continue to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us? Will we continue to serve and support all of us who are brothers and sisters in the Family of Love who are friends, allies, of those who are in the LGBTQ community and those who practice Islam?
Will we stand together as children of God and as peace makers and those who speak truth to power? Ponder these things.
Good Night Dear Ones! We will continue to pray, weep, and worship together. I love you . I give thanks for you this night. May God bless you always.
With love and prayers,
Sara
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