Friday, October 6, 2017

Happy Friday and Happy Birthday Fannie Lou Hamer!





Good Evening Brothers and Sisters in the Family of Love!

Happy Friday and Happy Birthday to Fannie Lou Hamer! Fannie Lou Hamer was a civil rights activist who was born this day in 1917. Today if she had lived she would have been 100 years old. We celebrate her life and the witness she bore during the troubled times of the 50's and 60's. She is an example for us all during these chaotic times. We must balance our prayers with action.  Here is one of her famous quotes that address this: You can pray until you faint, but unless you get up and try to do something, God is not going to put it in your lap.
Here is her biography: Fannie Lou Hamer 

Since this is our retreat weekend, we are going to put together our balance plan for the coming week. This balance plan combines social justice action and prayer. If social justice isn't your thing I would like you to consider using our newest CALM Principle: 
 Let us be engaged in our:
Community
Actively
Loving one another
Ministering to everyone's needs

When we are away from your computers this weekend let us meditate upon what we can do for the betterment of society and for each other.

Don't forget if you are following Walk With Me On Our Journey, that on Fridays we do a Worry Free Sabbath Box, Journal, or Jar time. This means we get out our sticky notes and write down all that is worrying us, making us mad, causing us great angst and what ever else is upsetting our bodies, minds, and spirits and lay them down until Monday. We place them in a jar, journal, or box. This helps us to dial in with God and be in God's presence as we take and make our weekend retreat to be in Sabbath Rest and Self-Care mode. If you haven't done it before, I invite you to try.

Let us begin our time tonight engaging in "The Be Stills"

Let us engage in the "Be Stills"

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.

Pause
Inhale Gently.
Exhale Gently.

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.

Pause
Inhale Gently.
Exhale Gently.

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.

Pause
Inhale Gently.
Exhale Gently.

Let us come together in this healing circle of love to pray, meditate, hold sacred space in this cyber sanctuary together.  May we practice the CALM Principles:

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!
Let us remember the CALM principles:
Let us Sow Seeds of:
C= Compassion
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
Let our deeds be:
C= Caring and Compassionate
A= Admirable
L= Life giving
M= Mannerly
Let us be engaged in our:
Community
Actively
Loving one another
Ministering to everyone's needs

Light of the World Phos hilaron

Light of the world, in grace and beauty,
Mirror of God’s eternal face,
Transparent flame of love’s free duty,
You bring salvation to our race.
Now, as we see the lights of evening,
We raise our voice in hymns of praise;
Worthy are you of endless blessing,
Sun of our night, lamp of our days.


Image result for healing candles

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.

Image result for smudging images


Let us join together in our healing circle of prayer of love and make vigil and hold sacred space and sanctuary!

Image result for Light a Candle for Healing Center

Our lessons are from the Common of Saints for Social Justice and we will have Fannie Lou Hamer Quotes interspersed.

God  we light our candles and offer our prayers in the silence of our hearts for all who have become victimized in any way especially by natural disaster,, terror, gun violence,  and hate crime. 

72 Deus, judicium

1 Give the King your justice, O God, *
and your righteousness to the King's Son;

2 That he may rule your people righteously *
and the poor with justice.

3 That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *
and the little hills bring righteousness.

4 He shall defend the needy among the people; *
he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.

5 He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, *
from one generation to another.

6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, *
like showers that water the earth.

7 In his time shall the righteous flourish; *
there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more.

8 He shall rule from sea to sea, *
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 His foes shall bow down before him, *
and his enemies lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute, *
and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts.

11 All kings shall bow down before him, *
and all the nations do him service.

12 For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress, *
and the oppressed who has no helper.

13 He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; *
he shall preserve the lives of the needy.

14 He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, *
and dear shall their blood be in his sight.

15 Long may he live!
and may there be given to him gold from Arabia; *
may prayer be made for him always,
and may they bless him all the day long.

16 May there be abundance of grain on the earth,
growing thick even on the hilltops; *
may its fruit flourish like Lebanon,
and its grain like grass upon the earth.

17 May his Name remain for ever
and be established as long as the sun endures; *
may all the nations bless themselves in him and call him blessed.
18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, *
who alone does wondrous deeds!

19 And blessed be his glorious Name for ever! *
and may all the earth be filled with his glory.
Amen. Amen.



Isaiah 42:1-7

42Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
   my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
   he will bring forth justice to the nations. 
2 He will not cry or lift up his voice,
   or make it heard in the street; 
3 a bruised reed he will not break,
   and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
   he will faithfully bring forth justice. 
4 He will not grow faint or be crushed
   until he has established justice in the earth;
   and the coastlands wait for his teaching. 


5 Thus says God, the Lord,
   who created the heavens and stretched them out,
   who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
   and spirit to those who walk in it: 
6 I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
   I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,*
   a light to the nations, 
7   to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
   from the prison those who sit in darkness.



146 Lauda, anima mea
1 Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord, O my soul! *
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

2 Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, *
for there is no help in them.

3 When they breathe their last, they return to earth, *
and in that day their thoughts perish.

4 Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! *
whose hope is in the Lord their God;

5 Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; *
who keeps his promise for ever;

6 Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *
and food to those who hunger.

7 The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind; *
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;

8 The Lord loves the righteous;
the Lord cares for the stranger; *
he sustains the orphan and widow,
but frustrates the way of the wicked.

9 The Lord shall reign for ever, *
your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
Hallelujah!


James 2:5-9,12-17


5 Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters.* Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonoured the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court?7 Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

8 You do well if you really fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ 9 But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13For judgement will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy;  mercy triumphs over judgement.

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters,* if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

 22:22-27  

22 Praise the Lord, you that fear him; *
stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel;
all you of Jacob's line, give glory.


23 For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty;
neither does he hide his face from them; *
but when they cry to him he hears them.

24 My praise is of him in the great assembly; *
I will perform my vows in the presence of those who
worship him.

25 The poor shall eat and be satisfied,
and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: *
"May your heart live for ever!"

26 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to
the Lord, *
and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.

27 For kingship belongs to the Lord; *
he rules over the nations.



Matthew 10:32-42

32 ‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; 33but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.
34 ‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 
35 For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 
36 and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. 
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
40 ‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; 42 and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’ 


Almighty God, who created us in your own image: Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son came not to be served but to serve: Bless all who, following in his steps, give themselves to the service of others; that with wisdom, patience, and courage, they may minister in his Name to the suffering, the friendless, and the needy for the love of him who laid down his life for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


'The Beatitudes

Matthew 5 The Voice (VOICE) 

People talk about this Jesus, this Preacher and Healer. Word spreads of His charisma and wisdom and power and love. People who are too sick to walk persuade their friends and relatives to carry them to Jesus. These cripples and demonized and ill and paralytics come to Jesus, and He heals them, and they follow Him.
5 Now when He saw the crowds, He went up on a mountain (as Moses had done before Him) and He sat down (as Jewish teachers of His day usually did). His disciples gathered around Him.

There on the mountain Jesus teaches them all. And as He is teaching, crowds gather around and overhear His teachings, listen in, and are captivated. This, the Sermon on the Mount, is the first of the five Mosaic-like sermons in Matthew.

2 And He began to teach them.

3 Jesus: Blessed are the spiritually poor—the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
4     Blessed are those who mourn—they will be comforted.
5     Blessed are the meek and gentle—they will inherit the earth.
6     Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness—they will be filled.
7     Blessed are the merciful—they will be shown mercy.
8     Blessed are those who are pure in heart—they will see God.
9     Blessed are the peacemakers—they will be called children of God.
10     Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness—the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
11 And blessed are you, blessed are all of you, when people persecute you or denigrate you or despise you or tell lies about you on My account. 12 But when this happens, rejoice. Be glad. Remember that God’s prophets have been persecuted in the past. And know that in heaven, you have a great reward.

“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.”

A few prayers for the Vulnerable and Survivor-victims of Violence and abuse:
Dear Lord we pray for the victims and survivors of violence and abuse.

We pray for all those who work in the areas of domestic violence and child abuse prevention.

We pray for CALM, CASA, Child Help, Silent Witness and the many organizations that help and make programs for our family members feel safe, protected, valued, loved, and remembered.

We pray for all those who are trained in SART and those who will be cared for tonight. Wrap your arms around them Lord and make them feel that they are safe.
Remembering those who have lost their lives due to gun violence.

We pray for all women who have been victims of Domestic Violence and those who have lost their lives due to domestic violence and are known only to you.

We pray for safe streets and sidewalks for all of our family members.
Remembering especially the disabled, elderly, women, and children.

We pray that all those who commit these terrible acts may be caught and brought to justice.

We pray for our family members who have been victimized by the Santa Maria Groper and all victimizers that they may repent and change their behaviors.

We pray that all of us may not be afraid to get involved, speak truth to power,  report incidences as both victims/survivors, and witnesses, and wear the mantles you give us when we are called to be your spokespeople and speak up on behalf of others who can't and are afraid to.

Lord God, watch over our cities, family members, and those who haven't any choice but to walk during the evening and night hours. We lift up these prayers to you O Lord. Amen.
 

God we pray for all those who are in the paths of severe weather, civil unrest, violence, and natural disasters. We pray particularly for our family members in Las Vegas, Puerto Rico, The U.S. Virgin Islands,Texas, Florida, Mexico, and all who are in the path of Nate.  We pray for our family members who are in danger and especially those who have lost their lives, property, and livelihoods.

We pray for sound governance throughout the world and that there may be peace on the earth and that all wars, violence, and injustice may cease.

We pray for a climate of mindfulness and that we may not walk in a fog but clear headed and with clear vision to see what is happening in our worldwide neighborhood 
and that we may see God in each other's eyes. We pray that we may not pass people by on the road and may we always recognize Jesus in the least of these.

We pray for those who are struggling to find employment all over the world and that jobs may be well paying and permanent.   

We pray for all those who are in transition at any stage of life. We pray for all of our young people who are being promoted in school, those graduating, those retiring, and those discerning vocations to ministry and new life paths.

We pray for all of us who are learning to deal with a new normals in our health situations. We pray for those who are ill in whatever place the healing process they may find themselves.

We pray  for all those who work to keep us safe from harm. Remembering the people who fix our infrastructures, law enforcement, military, emergency rescue personnel, and all those who are involved in health and safety.

We pray that we may never stop growing into the Family of God you created us to be and that we may be loving, merciful, grateful, and compassionate beings who respect the dignity of all.

We pray this night for all of those who have requested prayer and those of  whom we have been asked to pray for. 

We pray for all of our family members who are finding life a struggle and we remember those with chronic pain and mental illness. We pray that a cure may be found for all memory related illnesses.

We pray that everyone who has challenging work loads this week may find peace and time for rest, relaxation, refreshment, and renewal. We pray that we all may master the art and necessities of rest and sleep.

May we lay down our burdens and worries O God and may we find our bodies, minds, and spirits lightened in order to serve you daily.

We pray for all those who minister to our family members at night especially the Automobile Club/AAA, Emergency Room personnel, Hospice workers, Night Caregivers, and those who work in the Mortuary ministries. 

We pray for caregivers of every kind from the parish priest to the family member who cares for their aging parents and all caregivers in between.

We lift up these prayers and any other prayers of thanksgiving, remembrance, and celebration to you O God who is Creator, Redeemer, and Holy Comforter. Amen.



― Teresa of Ávila

A Prayer Attributed to St. Francis!

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love, Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, 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.
Francis of Assisi

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. 



“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

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 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 meditation. 


A Bonus time of meditation and music: Fannie Lou Hamer Mix

+++++

Have a blessed night dear family! I love you and give thanks to God for you this day and always.

Love and blessings!

Sara


Resources: 
Satucket for lessons
Quote Sites for Fannie Lou Hamer and prayers
Book of Common Prayer
YouTube for Music
In Lak 'Ech -Luis Valdez
Metis Aboriginal Ministries: Smudging Prayer
Enriching our Worship

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