We are called Repairers of the Breach

Good Evening Dear Family!

I hope everyone had a blessed Monday! Mondays are special days and need to be seen as a time to begin again. So that is what we do.I keep thinking about the lessons from yesterday and especially the last portion of the reading from the prophet Isaiah. Let's refresh our memory Tonight we will use The Message,


Isaiah 58:9-12 The Message (MSG)

6-9 “This is the kind of fast day I’m after:
    to break the chains of injustice,
    get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
    free the oppressed,
    cancel debts.
What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
    sharing your food with the hungry,
    inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
    putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
    being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
    and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
    The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
    You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’

A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places

9-12 “If you get rid of unfair practices,
    quit blaming victims,
    quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
    and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
    your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
    I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
    firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
    a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
    rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
    restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
    make the community livable again.




++++++
This is what hope looks like!

Here are the questions I posed on FB earlier today. Here is our private meditation  pondering.

To you my FB peeps! What does it mean to you to be Called the Repairer of the Breach? Have you answered God's Call to be a repairer of the breach? Some things to ponder on #MoralMonday and being a family member in #SacredResistance.

For reference let's look at the above with the NRSV

⁶ Is not this the fast that I choose:
   to loose the bonds of injustice,
   to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
   and to break every yoke? 
⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
   and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
   and not to hide yourself from your own kin? 
⁸ Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
   and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator^* shall go before you,
   the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard. 
⁹ Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
   you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. 

If you remove the yoke from among you,
   the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, 
¹⁰ if you offer your food to the hungry
   and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
   and your gloom be like the noonday. 
¹¹ The Lord will guide you continually,
   and satisfy your needs in parched places,
   and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
   like a spring of water,
   whose waters never fail. 
¹² Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
   you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
   the restorer of streets to live in. 

This passage reminds us that we always have had to be God's feet on the ground helping God and our family members not just when convenient but at all times. These verses give us hope and that is what being a repairer of the breach means. Remember the blogs we meditated upon during Building Bridges Week. That is what being a repairer of the breach means as human family members. It takes a lot of compassion, acceptance, love, and mercy. It takes a mindset where we reduce the sand papery feeling we get when communicating with our family members who don't agree with us. Tonight let us take time to look back at building bridges and take that first virtual walk across the bridge and meet each other half way.  Remember these tools we used. Let's look at them again.




In order to build bridges we also need to have these tools at the ready:

Kindness
Gratitude for the gifts our family members bring to the table
Common ground
A willingness to not travel down a negative pathway.
A willingness to change our attitudes that keep us from being united.
A heart home that is ever expanding and going deeper.
A pair of well tuned listening ears and a mouth that is able to be silent and not talk over people.
Arms that are ready to embrace and welcome.
Feet that are ready to run and help when our family members are in crisis.
Hands that are willing to soothe, comfort, serve, and grasp our brother's and sister's hands.
Eyes that are able to see and reflect God.
A voice that is comforting and reassuring.
A smile to radiate God's Light and Love to the world.
Courage  and faith  to meet our family members half way.
Courage to lay aside our preconceived thoughts about our family members.
The ability to respect the dignity of every human and living being.
Strength to be able to go against society's norms when necessary.
To boldly Go where Jesus is sending us! 
To join in the Jesus Movement or if you aren't Christian, The  Movement of Love and Justice and CALM(Compassion, Acceptance, Love, and Mercy). 
The courage to tear down walls that divide us.


Now remember this!

Now let us pray for our journey, even if it is a short one! You may make one up yourself or use the following.

Anglican Prayers for Safety

For Travelers
O God, our heavenly Father, whose glory fills the whole
creation, and whose presence we find wherever we go: Preserve
those who travel [in particular __________]; surround
them with your loving care; protect them from every danger;
and bring them in safety to their journey's end; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Protection 
Assist us mercifully, O Lord, in these our supplications and
prayers, and dispose the way of thy servants towards the
attainment of everlasting salvation; that, among all the
changes and chances of this mortal life, they may ever be
defended by thy gracious and ready help; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Source: 1979 Book of Common Prayer, Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA)

Make sure your shoelaces are tied and that you are ready to walk this holy path.  Imagine who you would like to meet halfway. Who is/are the person(s) that you are having trouble with? What is/are the issue(s) that keep you from being united?  Now it is time to walk the holy pathway:

You may look around where you are walking or keep your eyes on the person(s) you will be meeting.  Remember to breathe, remember to smile, remember to foster forgiveness in your mind and heart. How are you feeling at this very moment? Any desires to turn back ? Are you afraid? Do you feel God's presence abiding in you and surrounding your every step?  Now we are just about halfway to our destination this is the time to let go of anything that you need to before you meet your family member who is a Child of God. Time for a mental Worry/Sabbath Box! Yes, friends we get to do that not just on Fridays!
 Let us now decide how we are going to greet the person. How would you like to be greeted? Like the Prodigal Son? Mary Magdalene at the Tomb when she met Jesus after His resurrection? Cautiously like Thomas? Quizzically, like Moses when he encountered God speaking from the Burning Bush? or are you going to greet by a simple handshake, gentle embrace, pat on the arm or shoulder. Maybe you aren't ready and all you can do is muster a smile and a gentle tone of voice.  That is okay too!

 The moment has arrived, you are now in the presence of the person in the middle of the bridge. Start by a simple 'Hello!" and smile, engage in small talk for awhile. No need to solve all of your problems and differences today. This is the first meeting! 
This is when you get to see God in the person's face. 

This is when you begin putting into practice the Love of God, Neighbor( Family member, least of these, enemy, hater) an
d yourself. What is your body, mind, or spirit feeling like? Are you ready to return  ? Did I forget that you needed to pack a pair of candles and a lighter? (This is a virtual walk so we don't have to fear a wildfire during a drought condition) 

By the magic of this blog you now have candles and a lighter! This is what you will conclude your meeting with "The light of Christ/God in Me recognizes the Light of Christ/God in you! You light the candle and pass it to the person (s) they repeat the phrase back to you. Now you may pass the peace or some fond farewell greeting: The Peace of the Lord be always with you R: And also with you!

You may embrace, handshake, or do a gentle pat on the arm. Smile and wave as you leave. Walk at a slow pace, breathe, and enjoy God's Cathedral of life. How are you feeling? What are you thinking? Are you ready to do it again? In your time of small talk and before you left to return on your way did you make an effort to do another time of halfway meeting on the bridge?

It is now time for us to settle in and join together in our Virtual Candlelight Prayer Vigil. Tonight we pray for all of our family members who are homeless, hungry, and lacking proper clothing and shelter on this rainy night. We pray for all who work and minister to our most vulnerable family members who are staying in warming centers and shelters this night. We pray for our family members who are having to flee their homes and find their way into refugee camps and seek asylum. We pray for all who are in danger and need protection. We pray this night for the many aid agencies that come to the aid of our family members. We pray that we may be willing to minister to all people and say yes to God even if it means that we are challenged to be a voice for those who differ from us and those who haven't any voice. May we pray and consider wisely the words of the Prophet Isaiah- 

And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war. 5Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Prayer of  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.


Let us listen to the same prayer as sung by John Michael Talbot  Lord Make Me an Instrument- John Michael Talbot 

Lord Jesus, as we approach the up coming week may we pray for peace in the world. 

Jesus, give us the courage to become instruments of your peace and be "Lights of the World" and "The Salt of the Earth"

Jesus, grant us the wisdom to find out for ourselves the truth behind all the stories we read and see in social media and in the newscasts.

Jesus, we pray for the forgotten people in all the war torn areas of the world that our eyes may be opened and that we may have loving hearts to welcome them.

Jesus, give us we pray the energy to do the tasks no matter how large or how small  you give us in service to you and in your Kingdom.

Jesus, we remember those who are on our hearts this night especially______________________

Jesus, protect all our family members around the world this night and 'Hide them under the shadow of your wings"

Jesus, keep reminding us that we are to be your hands, your feet, your voice, in the world. Give us by your example to never treat anyone as invisible.

Jesus, help us to be living  and  breathing Bibles by our love, compassion, mercy,  words, deeds and remember the words of  St. Francis of Assisi  "Preach the Gospel always, if necessary use words!"

Jesus, we remember all of our vulnerable family members who are lonely, lost, refugees, homeless, hungry, and all the least of these. Help us to remember that by caring and serving them we are serving you.

Jesus, heal all those who are mentally ill, PTSD,  Memory problems, and all those who struggle with daily living. We remember all of our family members who are disabled.

Jesus, help us to know that we are one with you and God and that we may never be afraid to come to you and knock at the door. Help us always to be listening and seeking you in those moments of stillness and calm.



Come Lord Jesus and be among us this night and always. Amen.



Peace Prayer - Talbot


                                          God is Love and Love is God
                                                      Prayers
             In the Spirit of Loving Our Neighbors and Family Members



God is Love and Love is God, may we love you with a gentle and  childlike spirit.

God is Love and Love is God, may we love our family members with a loving heart and a welcoming heart home.

God is Love and Love is God, may we learn to love ourselves and treat ourselves with gentleness and without shame.

God is Love and Love is God, we pray for all who are ill and in any distress of body, mind, and spirit.

God is Love and Love is God, we pray for peace in this fragile and broken world. 

God is Love and Love is God, we pray for all refugees, captives, victims of terror,violence, abuse, and human trafficking.

God is Love and Love is God, we pray for all who are being persecuted by virtue of their sexuality and gender. May they be afforded all human rights and acceptance.

God is Love and Love is God, we pray for all who are mourning and who are pre-grieving. 

God is Love and Love is God, we pray for all who are dying and who have died may they enjoy with joy their new mansion fit for them and in the Thin Places.

God is Love and Love is God, we pray for__________________________

God is Love and Love is God , we give thanks for_______________________

God is Love and Love is God, we lift up these our prayers in the Name of Jesus who is Love incarnate. Amen.

Canticle 15

The Song of Mary Magnificat

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in you, O God my Savior, *

for you have looked with favor on your lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed: *

you, the Almighty, have done great things for me,

and holy is your name.

You have mercy on those who fear you *

from generation to generation.

You have shown strength with your arm *

and scattered the proud in their conceit,

Casting down the mighty from their thrones *

and lifting up the lowly.

You have filled the hungry with good things *

and sent the rich away empty.

You have come to the help of your servant Israel, *

for you have remembered your promise of mercy,

The promise made to our forebears, *

to Abraham and his children for ever

Mark 9:30-41

30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; ³¹for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, ‘The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’ ³²But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

33 Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ ³⁴But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. ³⁵He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ ³⁶Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’

38 John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone^* casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’³⁹But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. ⁴⁰Whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

. 

Canticle A
A Song of Wisdom Sapientia liberavit
Wisdom 10:15-19,20b-21
Wisdom freed from a nation of oppressors *
a holy people and a blameless race.
She entered the soul of a servant of the Lord, *
withstood dread rulers with wonders and signs.
To the saints she gave the reward of their labors, *
and led them by a marvelous way;
She was their shelter by day *
and a blaze of stars by night.
She brought them across the Red Sea, *
she led them through mighty waters;
But their enemies she swallowed in the waves *
and spewed them out from the depths of the abyss.
And then, Lord, the righteous sang hymns to your Name, *
and praised with one voice your protecting hand;
For Wisdom opened the mouths of the mute, *
and gave speech to the tongues of a new-born people


In closing just a reminder how it all began! What did God Call everything?



Genesis 1:1-19

1In the beginning when God created* the heavens and the earth, 2the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God* swept over the face of the waters. 3Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

6 And God said, ‘Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ 7So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. 8God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

9 And God said, ‘Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. 10God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.’ And it was so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

14 And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, 15and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so. 16God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, 18to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

To be continued......


Canticle N
A Song of God’s Love
1 John 4:7-11
Beloved, let us love one another, *
for love is of God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, *
for God is Love.
In this the love of God was revealed among us, *
that God sent his only Son into the world,
so that we might live through Jesus Christ.
In this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us *
and sent his Son that sins might be forgiven.
Beloved, since God loved us so much, *
we ought also to love one another.
For if we love one another, God abides in us, *
and God’s love will be perfected in us.


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.

Matthew 5 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes

5 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the [a]mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
3 “[b]Blessed are the [c]poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the [d]gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Good Night Dear Ones! I love you! May you have a blessed and restful night! I give God thanks for you this night and always!


May we all become repairers of the breach! 

Sara