Mourning our brother and foot soldier in social justice: Elijah Cummings!

Good Evening Family of Love!


Tonight we begin with a moment of silence in memory of our brother Elijah Cummings! Now that we have done that I ask us all to light a virtual vigil candle in his honor and call the name of Elijah Cummings to life and in our collective memory.

We ponder a few of his words and then we will begin our time of worship together:


"Americans of our own time - minority and majority Americans alike - need the continued guidance that the Voting Rights Act provides. We have come a long way, but more needs to be done." ~ Elijah Cummings

"People want transparency in government." ~ Elijah Cummings


"Many of these Americans who are struggling to survive are Americans of color, .. Their cries for assistance confront America with a test of our moral compass as a nation." ~ Elijah Cummings


"It was to carry the American democratic journey beyond these failings that Black citizens and civil rights workers risked unemployment, violence and death." ~ Elijah Cummings

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"Freedom, by definition, is people realizing that they are their own leaders." ~ Diane Nash

"There is a source of power in each of us that we don't realize until we take responsibility." ~ Diane Nash

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Come let us worship:

What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? - Micah 6:8

Call to remembrance, O Lord, your tender care
and the unfailing love
which you have shown from of old.
  Do not remember the sins and offences of my youth:
but according to your mercy
remember me, Lord, in your goodness.
  You O Lord are upright and good
therefore you show the path to those who go astray.
  You guide the humble to do what is right,
and those who are gentle you teach your way.
  All your ways are loving and sure
to those who keep your covenant

and your commandments. Psalm 25:5-9

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.


THE LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES - Anonymous

Lest we forget the great traditions of freedom and faith which are the heritage of humanity; lest we forget the pioneers, the statesmen, the bridge builders, the artists; and lest we forget You, the God of our fore bears who is our God also:

We light this candle of remembrance.

For the hope of a better world, in which righteousness and peace shall prevail among the people of the earth, and to create which is the task of the generations in which we stand, as well as for the courage and faith we shall need if we are to carry on this unfinished work:

We light this candle of consecration.

May the flame upon the altar of free faith shine in our hearts al ways, reminding us of the dark places to which we may carry light and strengthening us in every moment of doubt and discouragement with unwavering faith in You whom we serve and whose we are.

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 Prayer of Awareness
Hildegard of Bingen

God is the foundation for everything 
This God undertakes, God gives. 
Such that nothing that is necessary for life is lacking. 
Now humankind needs a body that at all times honors and praises God. 
This body is supported in every way through the earth. 
Thus the earth glorifies the power of God.

 Call to Prayer
Hildegard of Bingen

The earth is at the same time mother, 
She is mother of all that is natural, mother of all that is human. 
She is the mother of all, for contained in her are the seeds of all. 
The earth of humankind contains all moistness, all verdancy, all germinating power. 
It is in so many ways fruitful. 
All creation comes from it. Yet it forms not only the basic raw material for humankind, but also the substance of the incarnation of God's son.

Book of Common Prayer: Forgive Us, O God

Forgive, O God, those national sins which so easily beset us: our wanton waste of soil and air and water; our desecration of natural beauty; our heedlessness of those who come after us, if only we be served; our lust for money; our contempt for what is small and worship of what is big. For wrongs done to our land, our people, our heritage, and our future, as well as for things left undone, forgive us, O God.

Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone's face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love?' These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will be many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.

Henri Nouwen

Because in every age you have called brave souls to proclaim righteousness for the transformation of the world, that all may welcome the coming of your holy reign.

Confession of Need (Enriching Our Worship 2)

Let us confess our need for God’s healing grace.

Silence

Minister and People

Compassionate God,

we confess our weaknesses and our need for your

strengthening touch.

We confess that some illnesses stem from our own fault,

while others are beyond our control.

We turn to you, source of life,

and ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ

for the gifts of true healing and life in you. Amen.

Minister

May the God of love visit you/us in y/our times of trial and weakness,

and raise you/us to newness of life, through Jesus Christ, in the

power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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.


"Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human." ~ Henri Nouwen



We must dissent from the indifference. We must dissent from the apathy. We must dissent from the fear, the hatred and the mistrust. We must dissent from a nation that has buried its head in the sand, waiting in vain for the needs of its poor, its elderly, and its sick to disappear and just blow away. We must dissent from a government that has left its young without jobs, education or hope. We must dissent from the poverty of vision and the absence of moral leadership. We must dissent because America can do better, because America has no choice but to do better.
Thurgood Marshall

A prayer from The Arusha Call to Discipleship


Loving God, we thank you for the gift of life in all its diversity and beauty. Lord Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, we praise you that you came to find the lost, to free the oppressed, to heal the sick, and to convert the self-centred. Holy Spirit, we rejoice that you breathe in the life of the world and are poured out into our hearts. As we live in the Spirit, may we also walk in the Spirit. Grant us faith and courage to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus: becoming pilgrims of justice and peace in our time. For the blessing of your people, the sustaining of the earth, and the glory of your name. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Grandfather Great Spirit
All over the world the faces of living ones are alike.
With tenderness they have come up out of the ground
Look upon your children that they may face the winds
And walk the good road to the Day of Quiet.
Grandfather Great Spriit
Fill us with the Light.
Give us the strength to understand, and the eyes to see.
Teach us to walk the soft Earth as relatives to all that live.
 - Sioux Prayer

Lancelot Andrewes: Be All To All

We bring before You, O God:
the cries of the weary,
the pains of the distressed,
the tears of the tragedies of life,
the anxious hours of the insecure,
the restlessness of the refugees,
the hunger of the oppressed.
Dear God, be near to each.
Helper of the helpless,
Hope of the homeless,
The Strength of those tossed with tempests,
The Haven of those who sail:
Be all to all.
Be within us, to strengthen us;
without us, to keep us;
above us, to inspire us;
beneath us, to uphold us;
before us, to direct us;
behind us , to propel us;
around us, to sustain us.
Be all to all in present need.

Everything Has Its Time
3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

Jesus, you are the way through the wilderness: show us your
truth in which we journey, and by the grace of the Holy Spirit be
in us the life that draws us to God. Amen.
(source: F.B. McNutt, The Prayer Manual [London: Mowbray, 1961], p. 29,
adapted)

We have come together

to remember before God the life of Elijah Cummings,

to give thanks for all he has meant to us,

to commend her/him to God her/his creator,

and to affirm our faith in the saving power

of the death and resurrection of our Redeemer Jesus Christ.

Almighty God, whose prophets taught us righteousness in the care of your poor: By the guidance of your Holy Spirit, grant that we may do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly in your sight; through Jesus Christ, our Judge and Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the same Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.




Psalm 126

In convertendo

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, *
then were we like those who dream.
2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, *
and our tongue with shouts of joy.
3 Then they said among the nations, *
"The Lord has done great things for them."
4 The Lord has done great things for us, *
and we are glad indeed.
5 Restore our fortunes, O Lord, *
like the watercourses of the Negev.
6 Those who sowed with tears *
will reap with songs of joy.
7 Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, *
will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.

Isaiah 55:11–56:1

So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

For you shall go out in joy,
and be led back in peace;

the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;

and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Thus says the Lord:
Maintain justice, and do what is right,

for soon my salvation will come,
and my deliverance be revealed.

Wisdom 5:15–20

The righteous live for ever,
and their reward is with the Lord;
the Most High takes care of them.
Therefore they will receive a glorious crown
and a beautiful diadem from the hand of the Lord,
because with his right hand he will cover them,
and with his arm he will shield them.
The Lord will take his zeal as his whole armour,
and will arm all creation to repel his enemies;
he will put on righteousness as a breastplate,
and wear impartial justice as a helmet;
he will take holiness as an invincible shield,
and sharpen stern wrath for a sword,
and creation will join with him to fight against his frenzied foes.

Psalm 72:1–4, 12–14

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.

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.

1 John 4:16b–21

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

Psalm 103:6–14

Benedic, anima mea

6 The Lord executes righteousness *

and judgment for all who are oppressed.

7 He made his ways known to Moses *

and his works to the children of Israel.

8 The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, *

slow to anger and of great kindness.

9 He will not always accuse us, *

nor will he keep his anger for ever.

10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, *

nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, *

so is his mercy great upon those who fear him.

12 As far as the east is from the west, *

so far has he removed our sins from us.

13 As a father cares for his children, *

so does the Lord care for those who fear him.

14 For he himself knows whereof we are made; *

he remembers that we are but dust.

Luke 4:14–21

Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, 

because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives 

and recovery of sight to the blind, 

to let the oppressed go free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Psalm 113

Laudate, pueri

1 Hallelujah!

Give praise, you servants of the Lord; *

praise the Name of the Lord.

2 Let the Name of the Lord be blessed, *

from this time forth for evermore.

3 From the rising of the sun to its going down *

let the Name of the Lord be praised.

4 The Lord is high above all nations, *

and his glory above the heavens.

5 Who is like the Lord our God, who sits enthroned on high *

but stoops to behold the heavens and the earth?

6 He takes up the weak out of the dust *

and lifts up the poor from the ashes.

7 He sets them with the princes, *

with the princes of his people.

8 He makes the woman of a childless house *

to be a joyful mother of children.

From The Resistance Prays:

We pray today for the legacy of Elijah Cummings to ring forth in all of the corners of injustice in our country. May his powerful witness inspire all of us to grab our bullhorns in the face of wrongdoing, to seek truth in the highest sense of the phrase, and to always ask what the dancing angels would demand of us.

We thank you, great God, for his whole life, from the swimming pools of intergration to the confrontation of a President. May his soul rest easy knowing that his life was full of what love looks like in public: justice.


In the name of all that is holy, sacred, and true - Amen.

Hymn.

God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at my end, and at my departing.

Somebody’s Hurting My Brother                                             by Yara Allen

Somebody’s hurting my brother
and it’s gone on far too long
Yes, it’s gone on far too long
It’s gone on far too long
I said, somebody’s hurting my brother
and it’s gone on far too long
And we won’t be silent anymore

Somebody’s hurting my sister…

Somebody wants to build that wall…

Somebody’s hurting poor people…

Somebody’s hurting our children…

Somebody’s poisoning the water

Somebody’s ignoring the homeless…

Somebody’s closing our borders…

Somebody’s hurting our families…

A Prayer for Our Time and for the Earth

Dear God, Creator of the earth, this sacred home we share;
Give us new eyes to see the beauty all around and to protect the wonders of creation.
Give us new arms to embrace the strangers among us and to know them as family.
Give us new ears to hear and understand those who live off the land
and to hear and understand those who extract its resources.
Give us new hearts to recognize the brokenness in our communities
and to heal the wounds we have inflicted.
Give us new hands to serve the earth and its people
and to shape beloved community.
For you are the One who seeks the lost,
binds our wounds and sets us free,
and it is in the name of Jesus the Christ we pray.
Amen.

- The Rt. Reverend Carol Gallagher, Cherokee

“I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.”

- Wesleyan Covenant Prayer, adapted

If you would enter
into the wilderness,
do not begin
without a blessing.
Do not leave
without hearing
who you are:
Beloved,
named by the One
who has traveled this path
before you.
Do not go
without letting it echo
in your ears,
and if you find
it is hard
to let it into your heart,
do not despair.
That is what
this journey is for.
I cannot promise
this blessing will free you
from danger,
from fear,
from hunger
or thirst,
from the scorching
of sun
or the fall
of the night.
But I can tell you
that on this path
there will be help.
I can tell you
that on this way
there will be rest.
I can tell you
that you will know
the strange graces
that come to our aid
only on a road
such as this,
that fly to meet us
bearing comfort
and strength,
that come alongside us
for no other cause
than to lean themselves
toward our ear
and with their
curious insistence
whisper our name:
Beloved.
Beloved.
Beloved.
- Beloved Is Where We Begin by Jan Richardson, Circle of Grace

The Beatitudes

5 When Jesus[a] saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Settings of the Lord's Prayer as found in A New Zealand Prayer Book

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours

now and for ever.    Amen.

or the alternative form.

Eternal Spirit, 

Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, 

Source of all that is and that shall be, 

Father and Mother of us all, 

Loving God, in whom is heaven:

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe! 

The way of your justice be followed by the peoples

of the world! 

Your heavenly will be done by all created beings! 

Your commonwealth of peace and freedom 

sustain our hope and come on earth.

With the bread we need for today, feed us. 

In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us. 

In times of temptation and test, strengthen us. 

From trials too great to endure, spare us. 

From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, 

now and for ever. Amen.

Be still and hear the whisper of God in the Wind, in the waves, and in our hearts

Be still and hear the whisper of God in the Wind,in  the waves.

Be still and hear the whisper of God in the Wind.

Be still and hear the whisper of God.

Be still and hear the whisper.

Be still and hear.

Be still.

Be.

For the Diversity of Races and Cultures

O God, who created all peoples in your image, we thank you

for the wonderful diversity of races and cultures in this world.

Enrich our lives by ever-widening circles of fellowship, and

show us your presence in those who differ most from us, until

our knowledge of your love is made perfect in our love for all

your children; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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.

We close our time together with the words of "Lift Every Voice and Sing"

Lift every voice and sing

Till earth and heaven ring

Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;

let our rejoicing rise,

high as the list'ning skies, let it resound loud as the rolling sea

sing a song full of faith that the dark past has tought us,

sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;

facing the rising sun of our new day begun,

let us march on till victory is won.

Stony the road we trod,

bitter the chast'ning rod,

felt in the day that hope unborn had died;

yet with a steady beat,

have not our weary feet,

come to the place on witch our fathers sighed?

we have come over a way that with tears has been watered,

we have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,

out from the gloomy past, till now we stand at last

where the white gleam of our star is cast.

God of our weary years,

God of our silent tears,

thou who has brought us thus far on the way;

thou who has by thy might,

led us into the light,

keep us forever in the path, we pray

lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee,

least our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee,

shadowed beneath the hand,

may we forever stand,

tru to our God,

Tru to our native land.

Songwriters: Rosamond J. Johnson / James Weldon Johnson

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Good night all! I love you ! Have a blessed night. Let us always remember and love each other and never forget.

Also this action from "The Resistance Prays"

In honor of  Rep. Cummings, who now dances with the angels, let us encourage each other, every day, but especially on this day, to ask “what are we doing to make sure our democracy is intact?”

 

Are we doing justice? Are we loving kindness? Are we walking humbly with our God?

 

Are we demanding of each other that we never, ever, stand silent on the sidelines?

Peace, love, prayers, mercy, and justice.

Sara

"Get up, stand up, Stand up for your rights. Get up, stand up, Don't give up the fight." ~ Bob Marley

"It is better to protest than to accept injustice." ~ Rosa Parks

"When an individual is protesting society's refusal to acknowledge his dignity as a human being, his very act of protest confers dignity on him." ~ Bayard Rustin

"You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

"To protest against injustice is the foundation of all our American democracy." ~ Thurgood Marshall

Resources:

Lectionary Page

A New Zealand Prayer Book

Prayers of Power

Metis Aboriginal  Ministries

Enriching Our Worship

Book of Common Prayer

All other portions are cited above.