Dear Family of Love!
It is Sabbath Rest Sunday and also the 15th commemoration of 9/11! I know many of us are still remembering and feeling the rawness of the events of that day. Some years are harder than others. As we continue to let this day soak in we must try to begin anew not only in our words but in our deeds.
This is the day that God has called us to stop the hate and all the negativity and reunite with each other as family members and yes that includes our enemies. Everyone is a beloved child of God.
How do we do this and what are the rules of the road?
As Maria says in "The Sound of Music" "Let's start from the very beginning!"
We must seek common ground and question our words, deeds, and thoughts towards each other . This is called self-examination!
We must recognize the holy in all people, places, places of worship, and in God's Cathedral of life.
We must walk like Jesus walked, Talk like Jesus talked, Love like Jesus loved. Forgive like Jesus Forgave.
We need to get a mirror and look at ourselves and see who God sees and who God made.
We need to look at ourselves and tell ourselves this "I love you!'
We need to begin to reacquaint ourselves with our family members and seek to not be estranged.
We need to show love for one another with generosity and care.
We need to begin to stop the hate and violence towards all our family members who differ from us.
We need to be practitioners of social justice, civil disobedience, and peaceful non-violent protest without fear and whenever necessary.
We need to model ourselves after God and Jesus and engage in radical love and hospitality towards everyone.
We need to choose our words and actions rightly.
We need to stop politicizing events such as 9/11 and come together as one.
We must sow seeds of Compassion, Acceptance, Love, and Mercy.
We must strive to respect the dignity of every human being.
We must strive to make peace and show those who do not know how to make peace the right way with love, justice, mercy, and humility.
We must learn to be one with one another without spite and without malice.
We must love!
Let us light our candles this night and remember 9/11 in prayerful silence!
Help us as we remember and pray that these are necessary concepts as we go forward from this commemoration.
#WordsMatter
#WeMustStriveToBeEmpathetic
#WalkTheWalkThatJesusWalked
#CallEachOthersBadBehaviorOut
Tonight we are going to do a virtual meditation with the ripples in the pond as we pray. We will start off with 9 ripples tonight!
As you use your mouse we will go from the center out and then from the out to the center with prayers.
Gracious God You are the center of our hearts, lives, and being, help us to center ourselves in this meditation and prayer time.
Let us place our mouse on the droplet and pray that we may be centered in God.
The First ripple we pray for our relationships with God and Our Family Members
The Second ripple we pray for our neighbors and all those who are in need of neighborly attention.
The Third ripple we pray for ourselves and that we may learn and grow stronger in loving God, our neighbors, enemies, and ourselves.
The Fourth ripple we hover our mouse and pray for do this we must think of ourselves engaging in Ripple Effect or Pebbles in the pond of God's Cathedral of life and that we may be good stewards of the earth.
The Fifth ripple we pray for peace in the world and that we may be peace makers.
The Sixth ripple we hover our mouse and remember all those who have died and those who are mourning.
The Seventh ripple we remember and pray that we may acknowledge the sacredness of life and that each day is holy.
Coming back in we pray for children that they may be protected from harm.
We pray for strong bonds of love and friendship among all faith communities.
We pray for peace in our hearts, minds, and spirits as we prepare for the week ahead.
We pray for all those who are ill and those who are in need of healing.
We pray for all the least of these and that we may lovingly respond to their needs.
As we close this meditation we hover our mouse on the last few ripples being still before God and returning to the center we acknowledge our need an dependence upon God and each other.
As we close this meditation we hover our mouse on the last few ripples being still before God and returning to the center we acknowledge our need an dependence upon God and each other.
Now if you have time, try these and make up your own prayers!
This is our listening music for this evening:John Rutter -Gloria
Now take time to engage in the Be Stills ;
Now if you have time, try these and make up your own prayers!
This is our listening music for this evening:John Rutter -Gloria
Now take time to engage in the Be Stills ;
That is our meditation time for tonight! Tomorrow I will write more starting with the 10th ripple in the pond.
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Good Night Dear Family of Love! I love you ! I hope everyone has a blessed night and rest. Tomorrow is You Matter Monday! You matter to God and to me!
Love and blessings!
Sara
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Good Night Dear Family of Love! I love you ! I hope everyone has a blessed night and rest. Tomorrow is You Matter Monday! You matter to God and to me!
Love and blessings!
Sara
For those of you who missed last evening's prayer vigil for 9/11 the link is below:
An additional prayer from the Rev. Mark Sandlin from sojo.net is here and is used by permission:
By 09-11-2012
A Prayer for the Anniversary of 9/11
By 09-11-2012
Good and gracious God,
Today we come before you with heavy hearts
as we remember the events of 9/11.
For some of us today is a mixed bag of emotions.
We hurt deeply for those who lost their lives
and those who lost their loved ones.
We mourn the nearly 3,000 who died that day.
We are humbled by the bravery of the first responders.
We continue to grieve with our neighbors
in the loss of our national innocence —
our false sense of constant safety.
As we think of the way
New York and D.C. responded,
as churches, synagogues, and temples
opened their doors to ALL people,
as strangers carried each other out of buildings,
as those who had shared with those who had lost —
as we remember the bravery of the passengers and crew
of United Airlines Flight 93
our pride wells up in us.
Yet, we struggle today,
not wanting to get caught up in the macabre celebration,
this sometimes too-prideful remembrance of loss.
We still remember how the world responded,
supporting us and even declaring us one people.
“Today We Are ALL Americans,”
the headlines read.
And we remember the immediate call to war.
And the more than 100,000 deaths from it.
Today we come before you with heavy hearts
as we remember the events of 9/11.
For some of us today is a mixed bag of emotions.
We hurt deeply for those who lost their lives
and those who lost their loved ones.
We mourn the nearly 3,000 who died that day.
We are humbled by the bravery of the first responders.
We continue to grieve with our neighbors
in the loss of our national innocence —
our false sense of constant safety.
As we think of the way
New York and D.C. responded,
as churches, synagogues, and temples
opened their doors to ALL people,
as strangers carried each other out of buildings,
as those who had shared with those who had lost —
as we remember the bravery of the passengers and crew
of United Airlines Flight 93
our pride wells up in us.
Yet, we struggle today,
not wanting to get caught up in the macabre celebration,
this sometimes too-prideful remembrance of loss.
We still remember how the world responded,
supporting us and even declaring us one people.
“Today We Are ALL Americans,”
the headlines read.
And we remember the immediate call to war.
And the more than 100,000 deaths from it.
God of all people,
teach us to be patriotic, but humbly so.
Teach us to see the frailty, beauty, and value of life
in light of this tragedy
rather than using it to elevate
trivial difference to the heights of
divisive reasons for hatred.
teach us to be patriotic, but humbly so.
Teach us to see the frailty, beauty, and value of life
in light of this tragedy
rather than using it to elevate
trivial difference to the heights of
divisive reasons for hatred.
Remind us of the response of the American people
and not the response of the government
and its war machine.
Remind us of
the way the true heart of this nation's people was revealed
in open doors, open arms, and open hearts.
May we never forget that on that day
we did not focus on nationality, wealth, education, sex, or sexuality.
We focused on need.
On humanity.
On love.
Call us back to that place in our hearts.
Instill in us the deepest sense of call
to be that people once again.
and not the response of the government
and its war machine.
Remind us of
the way the true heart of this nation's people was revealed
in open doors, open arms, and open hearts.
May we never forget that on that day
we did not focus on nationality, wealth, education, sex, or sexuality.
We focused on need.
On humanity.
On love.
Call us back to that place in our hearts.
Instill in us the deepest sense of call
to be that people once again.
We lift up to you all those who, even today,
[14] years later, suffer from the loss.
From N.Y.C. to Iraq, the tragedy
has deeply and profoundly affected millions.
May we continue to heal
and help each other
just as we did
that
day.
Amen.
[14] years later, suffer from the loss.
From N.Y.C. to Iraq, the tragedy
has deeply and profoundly affected millions.
May we continue to heal
and help each other
just as we did
that
day.
Amen.
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