Sunday, August 28, 2016

A Season of Prayer for Social Justice : Time to radically rest and renew!






Good Evening Dearly Loved Family!

This is Sunday and our time of Sabbath rest and renewal. This is also a time for us to consider in the next coming weeks a time of being radical and letting ourselves, families, faith communities, and even our world that we take this time of rest seriously. Sundays do not need to be a time when activities need to be layered on top of each other. If rest is good enough for God it is certainly good enough for us. So tonight we enact our own blue hours in honor of the old blue laws, and allow ourselves time away from unnecessary work and a bit of time going off the grid. Tomorrow we will talk about how important the art of protest is and that civil disobedience does play a roll in serving the least of these and bringing loving change to this fragile and broken world. 

So here are tonight's suggested ways to do blue hours:

Radically rest and renew.
Turn off the TV and go Off the Grid.
No online shopping.
No ordering food in.
Limit social media.

Let us engage in the "Be Stills"

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

Let us light our candles and pray in silence. No words for this vigil only your conversation between you and God. 





Life Calls Us On- Jason Shelton


Here are tonight's prayers: We repeat and engage in 'The Be Stills" again.

Practice our Mindfulness exercises and breathing:
It is simply this we start with our breathing exercises using this format:

Inhale the Holy Spirit.
Exhale Love.

Inhale the Holy Spirit
Exhale Love

Inhale the Holy Spirit
Exhale Love

Now repeat the following 3 times;

Be Still and Know That I am God.
Be Still and Know
Be Still 
Be

Now get out some kind of timer, mindfulness app, or music and set them for 5 minutes when you begin. Then close your eyes and be silent. If the music goes long don't worry that will lead you into our time of prayer and thanksgiving.


These prayers come from a blog I wrote during chemo.


For those who never went through my cancer treatment time I divided  my cycles of chemo into the Holy Trinity: God , Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. This was the beginning of the Holy Spirit cycle;

Holy Spirit, enliven us with your spirit so that we may bring love, peace, hope, and joy to this broken world.

Holy Spirit, heal our weary bodies, minds, and spirits that we may be wholly whole and spread the Good News of God in Christ to those who are in need of love, compassion, and acceptance.

Holy Spirit, bring your comforting spirit to all those who mourn and have been affected by tragedies.

Holy Spirit, quicken our minds that we may think aright and that our thoughts, words, and deeds may heal, comfort, and speak truth to power and that justice and peace may prevail upon Earth,

Holy Spirit, may we be soothed by the Waters of Life coursing through our veins and may we never  thirst but thirst after righteousness.


Holy Spirit,empower us to practice random acts of kindness and to what is pleasing in God's Sight.

Holy Spirit, may we respond with a resounding yes to God's Call for our lives.

Holy Spirit, empower us to speak for and serve the powerless.

Holy Spirit, may we feel your energizing presence that we may be guided to do all the things that God is having us do and to be.

God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit may our prayers be acceptable as we lift them to you and lay them gently in your holy and gracious arms. Amen.

++++++++


Good Night Dear Ones! I love you! Take time for self-care if you haven't already. Make every day that you live count and filled with empowering LoveEnergy. I give God thanks for you this night and always.

With Love, 

Sara


What are Blue Laws?
 Please click on the link below for more info!

Blue Laws

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