Walk With me on Our Journey: Remembering Eric Liddell and the Least of these. We need strength in times such as these.

Good Evening Dear Family of Love and God!

I hope everyone has had a good day and that the beautiful sunshine of God's love permeated your souls through and through. I hope everyone is remembering that we are the least of these and should never be singled out for discrimination. We need to be kind to all the marginalized and stand up for their rights as God's children and humanity's precious ones. John Pavlovitz posted on FB this:

Attacking...

Women
The sick
Native Americans
Refugees
Public School Kids
Special needs children
Women
Veterans
Immigrants
LGBTQ students
Muslims
The Environment

This Presidency is predatory and It's an embarrassment.

And honestly, if you're okay with this—I'm not okay with you. In fact, I question your sense of decency.

These things do not make America great.

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I know this post is hard to swallow but it needs to be seen and heard. I keep wondering when all of this constant demeaning of God's children is going to stop? The heart hurts more and more and my empathy muscles are getting stronger and more tender as I hope yours are too. As we see the above post, I would like to introduce you to a true hero and missionary to China , Eric Liddell who was central in the movie Chariots of Fire. He was an amazing athlete and missionary and also was held captive in China. Here is his biography: Eric Liddell- Missionary to China 1945. We all need to become strengthened to run races before us no matter where they take us and especially when we are called to serve and speak for the least of these. We the Children of Abraham do not have a choice in this matter. God calls us daily to his service, peacemaking, and in the words of Micah: 'To do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God". Tonight as we make vigil let us remember and pray for the vulnerable and the list above as we celebrate the Feast Day of Eric Liddell. There will be videos and music along with tonight's prayers and meditation. We all need strength in times such as these and prayer and meditation are the tonics for the soul and heart home.

Psalm 141:1-3,8ab Domine, clamavi

O LORD, I call to you; come to me quickly; *
hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, *
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Set a watch before my mouth, O LORD,
and guard the door of my lips; *
let not my heart incline to any evil thing.
My eyes are turned to you, Lord GOD; *
in you I take refuge.

Dear ones I invite your prayers for those in our country and throughout the world whose human rights and dignity are being taken away from them. We pray and remember the list from above with precious ones added:
Women
The sick
Native Americans
Refugees
Public School Kids
Special needs children
Veterans
Immigrants
LGBTQ students
Muslims
The Environment
African Americans
Hispanics and Latinos
The Disabled.
Trans youth.
Children
LGBTQ persons.

God we lift each one up to you and pray for an end to all hatred, division, and mistreatment of your children. Tonight I ask your prayers for peace and and end to all the violence and hatred in our country and throughout the world. I ask your prayers for those who are finding it hard to love the unlovable. We pray for our family members who differ from us and the courage be reunited with each other. We pray for all of our family members who are seeking love and understanding and an end to feeling invisible. We pray for all who are suffering from chronic pain and illness. We pray that we may continue to be CALM(Compassionate, Accepting, Loving, and Merciful)

Eric's Theme Chariot's of Fire

Psalm 18: Part II Et retribuet mihi

21 The Lord rewarded me because of my righteous dealing; *
because my hands were clean he rewarded me;

22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord *
and have not offended against my God;

23 For all his judgments are before my eyes, *
and his decrees I have not put away from me;

24 For I have been blameless with him *
and have kept myself from iniquity;

25 Therefore the Lord rewarded me according to my
righteous dealing, *
because of the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

26 With the faithful you show yourself faithful, O God; *
with the forthright you show yourself forthright.

27 With the pure you show yourself pure, *
but with the crooked you are wily.

28 You will save a lowly people, *
but you will humble the haughty eyes.

29 You, O Lord, are my lamp; *
my God, you make my darkness bright.

30 With you I will break down an enclosure; *
with the help of my God I will scale any wall.

31 As for God, his ways are perfect;
the words of the Lord are tried in the fire; *
he is a shield to all who trust in him.

32 For who is God, but the Lord? *
who is the Rock, except our God?

33 It is God who girds me about with strength *
and makes my way secure.

34 He makes me sure-footed like a deer *
and lets me stand firm on the heights.

35 He trains my hands for battle *
and my arms for bending even a bow of bronze.

36 You have given me your shield of victory; *
your right hand also sustains me;
your loving care makes me great.

37 You lengthen my stride beneath me, *
and my ankles do not give way.

38 I pursue my enemies and overtake them; *
I will not turn back till I have destroyed them.

39 I strike them down, and they cannot rise; *
they fall defeated at my feet.

40 You have girded me with strength for the battle; *
you have cast down my adversaries beneath me;
you have put my enemies to flight.

41 I destroy those who hate me;
they cry out, but there is none to help them; *
they cry to the Lord, but he does not answer.

42 I beat them small like dust before the wind; *
I trample them like mud in the streets.

43 You deliver me from the strife of the peoples; *
you put me at the head of the nations.

44 A people I have not known shall serve me;
no sooner shall they hear than they shall obey me; *
strangers will cringe before me.

45 The foreign peoples will lose heart; *
they shall come trembling out of their strongholds.

46 The Lord lives! Blessed is my Rock! *
Exalted is the God of my salvation!

47 He is the God who gave me victory *
and cast down the peoples beneath me.

48 You rescued me from the fury of my enemies;
you exalted me above those who rose against me; *
you saved me from my deadly foe.

49 Therefore will I extol you among the nations, O Lord, *
and sing praises to your Name.

50 He multiplies the victories of his king; *
he shows loving-kindness to his anointed,
to David and his descendants for ever.

Isaiah 40:27-31

²⁷ Why do you say, O Jacob,
   and speak, O Israel,
‘My way is hidden from the Lord,
   and my right is disregarded by my God’?
²⁸ Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
   the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
   his understanding is unsearchable.
²⁹ He gives power to the faint,
   and strengthens the powerless.
³⁰ Even youths will faint and be weary,
   and the young will fall exhausted;
³¹ but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
   they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
   they shall walk and not faint.

Canticle C

The Song of Hannah

1 Samuel 2:1-8

My heart exults in you, O God; *

my triumph song is lifted in you.

My mouth derides my enemies, *

for I rejoice in your salvation.

There is none holy like you, *

nor any rock to be compared to you, our God.

Do not heap up prideful words or speak in arrogance; *

Only God is knowing and weighs all actions.

The bows of the mighty are broken, *

but the weak are clothed in strength.

Those once full now labor for bread, *

those who hungered now are well fed.

The childless woman has borne sevenfold, *

while the mother of many is forlorn.

God destroys and brings to life, casts down and raises up; *

gives wealth or takes it away, humbles and dignifies.

God raises the poor from the dust; *

and lifts the needy from the ash heap

To make them sit with the rulers *

and inherit a place of honor.

For the pillars of the earth are God’s *

on which the whole earth is founded

2 Peter 1:3-11

3 His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by^* his own glory and goodness. ⁴Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants in the divine nature. ⁵For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, ⁶and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, ⁷and godliness with mutual^*affection, and mutual^* affection with love. ⁸For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹For anyone who lacks these things is short-sighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins. ¹⁰Therefore, brothers and sisters,^* be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble.¹¹For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.

Canticle L

A Song of Christ’s Humility

Philippians 2:6-11

Though in the form of God, *

Christ Jesus did not cling to equality with God,

But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, *

and was born in human likeness.

Being found in human form, he humbled himself *

and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.

Therefore, God has highly exalted him *

and given him the name above every name,

That at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, *

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, *

to the glory of God the Father.

The Song of Simeon Nunc dimittis

Luke 2:29-32

Lord, you now have set your servant free *

to go in peace as you have promised;

For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *

whom you have prepared for all the world to see:

A Light to enlighten the nations, *

and the glory of your people Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Mark 10:35-45

35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’ ³⁶And he said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ ³⁷And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’ ³⁸But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ ³⁹They replied, ‘We are able.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; ⁴⁰but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.’

41 When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John.⁴²So Jesus called them and said to them, ‘You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. ⁴³But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. ⁴⁵For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’

May God the Father, who made us, bless us. May God the Son, who redeemed us, send healing into our midst.

May God the Holy Spirit, who gives us life, move within us.

May God give us eyes to see to God, ears to hear God, and hands to bring God’s work into the world.

May we walk with God and preach the word of God to all.

May the angel of peace watch over us and lead us at last by God's grace to the eternal Kingdom.

- Prayer of St. Dominic

We continue our prayer vigil with this piece of music from John Michael Talbot

Healer of My Soul- John Michael Talbot

God we pray for our tender hearts,bodies, minds, and spirits that are in need of healing this night.

Heal us loving and merciful God and make us whole .

God we pray for the healing of all our family members who are victims of bullying, terror, and abuse.

Heal them loving and merciful God and make them whole.

God we pray for the healing of our land and nation, that our environment may be restored from climate change and misuse.

Heal this your planet O loving and merciful God and make it whole as you created to be.

God we pray for the healing of division that we may be made one and that we may in the words of the the Prophet Micah 'Do Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with you O God.

Heal us from all hatred, bigotry, and discrimination and make us wholly one O God of love and mercy.

God we pray for healing of our jangled nerves as we confront life's struggles daily.

Heal our anxieties and may we always remember to "Not be anxious and to Consider the Lilies!"

God we pray for the healing of these precious ones we name before you now____________

Heal them God and make them whole.

God we pray for the healing of those who are grieving the loss of many dearly loved ones. We remember them now and speak their names tenderly and in their honor____________

Heal the grieving and give them peace and comfort loving and merciful God.

God we pray for the healing of all places where there has been violence and terror recently and today we remember Pakistan.

We pray for healing of all peoples and nations who are divided and at war.

Open our eyes, ears, hearts, and souls O God and seek the cleansing and healing of our nation from all of its division, hatred, and enmity.

Open our eyes, ears, hearts, and souls O God to help us promote healthy bodies, minds, and spirits not only in our lives but as as good citizens.

Open our eyes, ears, hearts, and souls O God to seek peace in everything we do.

Open our eyes, ears, hearts, and souls O God, to love and care for the least of these.

Open our eyes, ears, hearts and souls O God, to strive for justice, peace, and equality throughout all nations of the world and in our own country.

Open our eyes, ears, hearts and souls O God, that we may learn to love and care for the refugee, victim of violence, and human trafficking.

Open our eyes, ears, hearts and souls O God that we may care for all who are in mourning and those who have died.

Open our eyes, ears hearts and souls O God to help us fight injustice and oppression.

Open our eyes, ears, hearts,and souls O God to come to you when we are in need of help and comfort.

Open our eyes, ears,hearts and souls O God to Pray for all those who are ill and in need of your healing. remembering_________________________

Open our eyes, ears, hearts, and souls that we may lift up our prayers and thanksgivings to you O Lord . Amen.

Let us Pray for elections at the national, state, and local level and listen to the voices of the people in the list of precious ones that John Pavlovitz and all of us are standing with during these perilous times.

We remember this day Eric Liddell as we pray.

God whose strength bears us up as on mighty wings: We rejoice in remembering your athlete and missionary, Eric Liddell, to whom you gave courage and resolution in contest and in captivity; and we pray that we also may run with endurance the race set before us and persevere in patient witness, until we wear that crown of victory won for us by Jesus our Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Beatitudes Matthew 5:3–12

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. (5:3)

Blessed are those who mourn: for they will be comforted. (5:4)

Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth. (5:5)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be filled. (5:6)

Blessed are the merciful: for they will be shown mercy. (5:7)

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they will see God. (5:8)

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they will be called children of God. (5:9)

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (5:10

A Prayer attributed to St. Francis

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is

hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where

there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where

there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where

there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to

be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is

in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we

are born to eternal life. Amen.

Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)

Christ Has No Body

Christ has no body but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

Compassion on this world,

Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,

Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.

Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,

Yours are the eyes, you are his body.

Christ has no body now but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

compassion on this world.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

The Wisdom of God

the Love of God

and the Grace of God

strengthen you

to be Christ’s hands and heart in this world,

in the name of the Holy Trinity. Amen.

(source: Celtic)

Live without fear: your Creator has made you holy, has always

protected you, and loves you as a mother. Go in peace to follow

the good road and may God’s blessing be with you always. Amen.

(source: from Saint Clare)

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Good Night Dear Ones! I love you and Give God Thanks for you always! I hope you enjoy the video below it will give you strength and I hope courage to press on.

With love and joy!

Sara