Good Evening Dear Family of Love and God!
The days when we have terrible events in the news make it harder to write. The events in Las Vegas Marseille, and Edmonton had sent shock waves throughout the world and into our very souls. It isn't easy to find words to soothe tragedy after tragedy after tragedy. But I must try, we must try. Our words these days need to be healing and not harmful. Tonight we begin our prayer time and vigil with In Lak'Ech following with the Smudging Prayer and the "Be Stills"
IN LAK’ECH
Tú eres mi otro yo.
You are my other me.
Si te hago daño a ti,
If I do harm to you,
Me hago daño a mi mismo.
I do harm to myself.
Si te amo y respeto,
If I love and respect you,
Me amo y respeto yo.
I love and respect myself.
Luis Valdez
A Smudging Prayer
Creator,
our Father in heaven,
we come to you as your children.
We confess that we are weak and broken images of you.
We pray for the forgiveness and healing you give in Jesus Christ.
May his Spirit clean our spirits, minds, hearts, and bodies.
We pray that your Holy Spirit
will help us to worship in spirit and truth.
We pray in the name of Jesus,
so that his Spirit will carry our prayers to you.
Amen.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Let peace prevail upon earth.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Let there be peace on Earth.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Let us light our single candle in loving memory and in healing for all those who have died and have been injured in the events at Las Vegas, Marseille, and Edmonton.
From Episcopal Peace Foundation:
A Litany for Gun Violence
Leader: We stand before this Wall of Injustice remembering all who have been harmed by gun violence, both intended and accidental. We lament that an American child is 12 times more likely to die by a bullet than are the children living in all twenty-five other industrialized nations combined. We acknowledge the deep pain and grief in our communities and nation. Will you commit to tear down the walls that divide us, and build-up the one human family, grounded in nonviolence, justice and love?
People: We will with God’s help.
Leader: We stand before this Wall of Injustice remembering all perpetrators and the families of those who commit acts of gun violence. We acknowledge that their lives are also devastated and their hopes dashed. For their sake and ours, will you pray for healing of the pain radiating from every act of violence?
People: We will, with God’s help.
Leader: We stand before this Wall of Injustice, united in our grief for the violent deaths of over 30,000 Americans by gunfire each year. Will you commit to prayer, study and action, ever hopeful that repentance and transformation will move us forward toward God’s peaceable kingdom?
People: We will, with God’s help.
Psalm 121 Levavi oculos
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills; *
from whence cometh my help?
My help cometh even from the Lord, *
who hath made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved, *
and he that keepeth thee will not sleep.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel *
shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord himself is thy keeper; *
the Lord is thy defence upon thy right hand;
So that the sun shall not burn thee by day, *
neither the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil; *
yea, it is even he that shall keep thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy going out, and thy coming in, *
from this time forth for evermore.
Isaiah 61:1-3New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Good News of Deliverance
61 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and release to the prisoners;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.
Psalm 23 King James Version
The Lord is my shepherd; *
I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; *
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul; *
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his
Name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; *
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of
mine enemies; *
thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days
of my life, *
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Wisdom 3:1-5 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Destiny of the Righteous
3 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
and no torment will ever touch them.
2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died,
and their departure was thought to be a disaster,
3 and their going from us to be their destruction;
but they are at peace.
4 For though in the sight of others they were punished,
their hope is full of immortality.
5 Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
Psalm 46 Deus noster refugium
God is our hope and strength, *
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be moved,; *
and though the hills be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though the waters thereof rage and swell, *
and though the mountains shake at the tempest of the same.
There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God, *
the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most Highest.
God is in the midst of her,
therefore shall she not be removed; *
God shall help her, and that right early.
Be still then, and know that I am God; *
I will be exalted among the nations,
and I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord of hosts is with us; *
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Revelation 7:9-17New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Multitude from Every Nation
9 After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying,
“Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 singing,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 For this reason they are before the throne of God,
and worship him day and night within his temple,
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
17 for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Psalm 130 De profundis
Out of the deep have I called unto thee, O Lord; *
Lord, hear my voice.
O let thine ears consider well *
the voice of my complaint.
If thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss, *
O Lord, who may abide it?
For there is mercy with thee, *
therefore shalt thou be feared.
I look for the Lord; my soul doth wait for him; *
in his word is my trust.
My soul fleeth unto the Lord before the morning watch; *
I say, before the morning watch.
O Israel, trust in the Lord,
for with the Lord there is mercy, *
and with him is plenteous redemption.
And he shall redeem Israel *
from all his sins.
John 11:21-27New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah,. the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
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.
For the Human Family
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
For Peace
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn
but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the
strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that
all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of
Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and
glory, now and for ever. Amen
God when you created the universe you wove us into being and yet we seem to forget this many times over. May we return to the sense of being truly interconnected and living holy lives.
God when you created the planet we call our Earthly Home we forgot that we are all made in your image and likeness and in love. We pray that we may return and become loving towards one another and see you in all living things and in our family member's eyes.
God we pray for an end to all the droughts remembering our mental, spiritual, physical, and those that affect the land.
God we pray that we may remember to take care of our bodies and give them proper hydration, food, and sustenance . We pray that this may be extended to all living beings and each other.
God we pray for all of our family members who may be experiencing spiritual droughts that their hearts,minds, and spirits may be reawakened.
God we pray for peace in our minds and hearts that we may practice peace not only in our lives but in the world. We pray that we may be peace makers, love givers, joy bringers, and hope bearers!
God we pray and remember our family members who are ill, grieving, and in need of love and prayers.
God Help us to accept these periods of drought as a sign of our dependence and interdependence upon you and each other. Help us to know that it is ok to walk and live through these periods of drought and that every step we make through these drought ridden paths are holy ones too.
Accept these our prayers in the name of Jesus. Amen
or these
God of Peace, we pray this night for an end to violence in its many forms and that peace may prevail upon earth.
God of Peace, we pray for our family members who were injured and lost their lives in the shooting in Oregon and for our family members who are mourning their loss . We pray for the shooter's family that they may be comforted
God of Peace, we pray for inner peace whenever these acts of violence occur. We pray that we may seek to go deeper in relationship with God so that we might be able to be peacemakers.
God of Peace, we pray for courage to speak up and speak out about any violence and hatred. We pray this night that all lawmakers may enact sensible gun safety laws. We pray that we will never give up trying to make our nation a safe and peaceful place in which to live.
God of Peace,we pray especially for ______________________________
God of Peace, we pray for all who are dying and those who have died today that they may have entered eternal life with joy and comfort. We pray especially for all lives lost in the acts of terror and violence.
God of Peace, we give. thanks this day for___________________________ We pray that we may always be thoughtful and thankful and never forget the abundance you provide for us.
God of Peace, help us each and every day to be engaged in spreading the Good News to all of our family members with love, compassion, and grace.
God of Peace, help us we pray to be more loving, more kind, more merciful, more vocal in standing up for the least of these, more, more, more. Amen.
God of Peace, we pray for our family members who were injured and lost their lives in the shooting in Oregon and for our family members who are mourning their loss . We pray for the shooter's family that they may be comforted
God of Peace, we pray for inner peace whenever these acts of violence occur. We pray that we may seek to go deeper in relationship with God so that we might be able to be peacemakers.
God of Peace, we pray for courage to speak up and speak out about any violence and hatred. We pray this night that all lawmakers may enact sensible gun safety laws. We pray that we will never give up trying to make our nation a safe and peaceful place in which to live.
God of Peace,we pray especially for ______________________________
God of Peace, we pray for all who are dying and those who have died today that they may have entered eternal life with joy and comfort. We pray especially for all lives lost in the acts of terror and violence.
God of Peace, we give. thanks this day for___________________________ We pray that we may always be thoughtful and thankful and never forget the abundance you provide for us.
God of Peace, help us each and every day to be engaged in spreading the Good News to all of our family members with love, compassion, and grace.
God of Peace, help us we pray to be more loving, more kind, more merciful, more vocal in standing up for the least of these, more, more, more. Amen.
A bonus Vigil prayer and prayers
Holy God and Creator of us all, we light our candles this night in prayer as we seek to find a way through the wilderness of hate, division, and fear. Give us strength to put on the mantle of Compassion, Acceptance, Love, and Mercy. Give us the courage to speak truth to power when necessary not only with our words but in our deeds of loving kindness and in service to the least of these our family members. Give us new skill sets in order to become your peacemakers so that we may work towards unity and not division. Grant us wisdom to know when we should speak and how to act in the best interest of all. Kindle in our hearts a new spirit of trust, friendship, and family hood. Take away any thing that is causing us to be led to bitterness, fear, and hate. Give us the courage to educate ourselves and others in order to help make this fragile and broken world a place where history won't keep repeating itself. We pray for all who are in danger throughout the world and that we may be the light and love to this world not only to our friends but our enemies. We remember this night the prayer of St. Francis:
The Peace Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I 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.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I 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 God be etched into our hearts and all of our family members as we pray!
God we thank you for etching us in you and you in us.
God etch in us love that will last eternally and love that will uplift and sustain us all our earthly lives long.
God etch in our hearts the willingness to help the least of these our family members.
God etch in our minds the knowledge that we don't have anything to fear but to meet with courage that will make us the resilient children you made us to be.
God etch in those who govern the knowledge that their responsibility is to govern with a holy blindfold on see everyone on an equal and just footing.
God etch in the lives and hearts of our family members in their inner beings that they matter and aren't invisible.
God etch in the lives of our family members who are grieving losses of any kind that they may feel your loving arms and compassionate strength around them and that we may with you become their soft places to fall.
God etch in the world peace that will prevail and that violence and war may be no more.
God we pray these our prayers that and concern that are etched in our hearts in our hearts daily as we lay them at the feet of Jesus to take care of them. May we never be afraid to ask and pray and lay our burdens on God who is loving and compassionate. Amen.
God etch in us love that will last eternally and love that will uplift and sustain us all our earthly lives long.
God etch in our hearts the willingness to help the least of these our family members.
God etch in our minds the knowledge that we don't have anything to fear but to meet with courage that will make us the resilient children you made us to be.
God etch in those who govern the knowledge that their responsibility is to govern with a holy blindfold on see everyone on an equal and just footing.
God etch in the lives and hearts of our family members in their inner beings that they matter and aren't invisible.
God etch in the lives of our family members who are grieving losses of any kind that they may feel your loving arms and compassionate strength around them and that we may with you become their soft places to fall.
God etch in the world peace that will prevail and that violence and war may be no more.
God we pray these our prayers that and concern that are etched in our hearts in our hearts daily as we lay them at the feet of Jesus to take care of them. May we never be afraid to ask and pray and lay our burdens on God who is loving and compassionate. Amen.
“Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through 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 on earth but yours.”
― Teresa of Ávila
“Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.”
― Teresa of Ávila
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.”
― Teresa of Ávila
The Song of Simeon Nunc dimittis
Luke 2:29-32
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, *
according to thy word;
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, *
which thou hast prepared before the face of all people,
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, *
and to be the glory of thy 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.
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)
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)
The Light of Christ in me Recognizes the Light of Christ in you!"
I hold holy space for you during this time of prayer, vigil, and meditaion.
Or this closing adaptation:
The Light of Christ in me Recognizes the Light of Christ in you!"
I hold holy space for you in love and peace this day and always!
I hold holy space for you in love and peace this day and always!
Let us remember the CALM principles:
Let us Sow Seeds of:
C= Compassion
A= Acceptance
L= Love
M = Mercy
A= Acceptance
L= Love
M = Mercy
Let us speak in words that are:
C= Comforting
A= Appreciative
L= Living and Loving
M= Mindful and Matter
A= Appreciative
L= Living and Loving
M= Mindful and Matter
Let our deeds be:
C= Caring and Compassionate
A= Admirable
L= Life giving
M= Mannerly
C= Caring and Compassionate
A= Admirable
L= Life giving
M= Mannerly
For Sleep
O heavenly Father, you give your children sleep for the
refreshing of soul and body: Grant me this gift, I pray; keep
me in that perfect peace which you have promised to those
whose minds are fixed on you; and give me such a sense of
your presence, that in the hours of silence I may enjoy the
blessed assurance of your love; through Jesus Christ our
Savior. Amen.
In the Morning
This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring
forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I
am to stand up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still,
help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it
patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly.
Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit
of Jesus. Amen
Good Night Dearly Loved Family! I love you! Let us spend time together in a healing circle of love and time holding sacred space and sanctuary. I am grateful for you this day and always.
With love and prayers,
Sara
Resources:
Enriching our Worship
Bible Gateway
Episcopal Peace Fellowship- Litany for Gun Violence
Book of Common Prayer
Metis Aboriginal Ministries - Smudging Prayer
YouTube- Psalm 23 Bobby McFerrin
In Lak' Ech - Luis Valdez
Walk With Me On Our Journey
Quote Sites for Prayers.
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