Good Evening Dear Ones!
Happy Trinity Sunday! I hope all is well and that you have had a restful Sabbath day. If you haven't there is still time. I have opted not to talk about Trinity Sunday but to use the lessons from Enmegabowh and begin our time of remembrance of the Orlando 49. If you haven't taken time to become active in some kind of social justice activity and become vocal against hate there is no time like the present and become loud, resistant, and persistent in their honor and memory. We keep speaking out but then fading away. This isn't the way to do it. We must keep the pressure on and raise our voices, use our feet, knock on doors and you know the rest. We must be proactive to prevent violence and hatred wherever we live, move, and just be. So let us set time to make vigil and pray this night as we we pray and remember.
"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.
Almighty God, you led your pilgrim people of old with fire and cloud: Grant that the ministers of your Church, following the example of blessed Enmegahbowh, may stand before your holy people, leading them with fiery zeal and gentle humility. This we ask through Jesus, the Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen.
Psalm 129
Saepe expugnaverunt
1 "Greatly have they oppressed me since my youth," *
let Israel now say;
2 "Greatly have they oppressed me since my youth, *
but they have not prevailed against me."
3 The plowmen plowed upon my back *
and made their furrows long.
4 The Lord, the Righteous One, *
has cut the cords of the wicked.
5 Let them be put to shame and thrown back, *
all those who are enemies of Zion.
6 Let them be like grass upon the housetops, *
which withers before it can be plucked;
7 Which does not fill the hand of the reaper, *
nor the bosom of him who binds the sheaves;
8 So that those who go by say not so much as,
"The Lord prosper you. *
We wish you well in the Name of the Lord."
Isaiah 52:7–10
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’
Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,
together they sing for joy;
for in plain sight they see
the return of the Lord to Zion.
Break forth together into singing,
you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the Lord has comforted his people,
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.
1 Peter 5:1–4
Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it—not for sordid gain but eagerly. Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away.
Luke 6:17–23
Jesus came down with the twelve and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
These were the prayers from Last Year's blog on the occasion of the Orlando Massacre. You may add the new cities and our family members that have been added to the victims of terror and violence.
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.
( You may add additional cities and family members who were and are affected each day by acts of violence and terror)
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.
( You may add additional cities and family members who were and are affected each day by acts of violence and terror)
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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