Monday, January 27, 2020

A Call To Remembrance! #InternationalHolocaustRemembranceDay #NeverForget













Good Evening Dear Family!

Happy Moral Monday! I hope everyone is well. Today is International Holocaust Remembrance day, before we begin our time together let us take time to light either a candle or turn on a porch light and enter into a time of reflection and silence.



also let us remember this:



Let us begin our time of silence and reflection.

Today Let us ponder these two pieces from The Resistance Prays.


“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” - Deuteronomy 6: 4-8

The Nazis also killed German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer who stood for his Jewish compatriots because he loved God. He wrote the following hymn shortly before he was murdered:

By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered,
and confidently waiting come what may,
we know that God is with us night and morning,
and never fails to greet us each new day.
Yet is this heart by its old foe tormented,
still evil days bring burdens hard to bear;
Oh, give our frightened souls the sure salvation
for which, O Lord, You taught us to prepare.
And when this cup You give is filled to brimming
with bitter suffering, hard to understand,
we take it thankfully and without trembling,
out of so good and so beloved a hand.
Yet when again in this same world You give us
the joy we had, the brightness of Your Sun,
we shall remember all the days we lived through,
and our whole life shall then be Yours alone. 

**
Let us close this time of remembrance by praying these psalms.

Psalm 23

1 The LORD is my shepherd;*
I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures*
and leads me beside still waters.
3 He revives my soul*
and guides me along right pathways for his Name’s sake.
4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil;*
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who
trouble me;*
you have anointed my head with oil,
and my cup is running over.
6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days
of my life,*
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Psalm 130

1 Out of the depths have I called to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice;*
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
2 If you, LORD, were to note what is done amiss,*
O Lord, who could stand?
3 For there is forgiveness with you;*
therefore you shall be feared.
4 I wait for the LORD; my soul waits for him;*
in his word is my hope.
5 My soul waits for the LORD,
more than watchmen for the morning,*
more than watchmen for the morning.
6 O Israel, wait for the LORD,*
for with the LORD there is mercy;
7 With him there is plenteous redemption,*
and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.



Psalm 139:1-17

1 LORD, you have searched me out and known me; *
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
2 You trace my journeys and my resting-places *
and are acquainted with all my ways.
3 Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *
but you, O LORD, know it altogether.
4 You press upon me behind and before *
and lay your hand upon me.
5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *
it is so high that I cannot attain to it.
6 Where can I go then from your Spirit? *
where can I flee from your presence?
7 If I climb up to heaven, you are there; *
if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
8 If I take the wings of the morning *
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
9 Even there your hand will lead me *
and your right hand hold me fast.
10 If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, *
and the light around me turn to night,”
11 Darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day; *
darkness and light to you are both alike.
12 For you yourself created my inmost parts; *
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
13 I will thank you because I am marvelously made; *
your works are wonderful, and I know it well.
14 My body was not hidden from you, *
while I was being made in secret
and woven in the depths of the earth.
15 Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb;
all of them were written in your book; *
they were fashioned day by day,
when as yet there was none of them.
16 How deep I find your thoughts, O God! *
how great is the sum of them!
17 If I were to count them, they would be more in number
than the sand; *
to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours


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Today our lessons point to God's need for us to many things and that we are all equally important. As the title of tonight's blog says "It takes every body to do the work God has and is giving us to do. We are to celebrate being one body. As in the opening acclamation in the rite of Holy Baptism says:

There is one Body and one Spirit;
People There is one hope in God's call to us;
Celebrant One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism;
People One God and Father of all.


So dear ones this week and going forward let us strive to be one body and use the gifts that God has given us for the good of all. Let us be compassionate, accepting, loving, and merciful.

Let us ponder these quotes on unity:


"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." ~ Mother Teresa

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." ~ Margaret Mead

"Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all." ~ George Washington

"We are members one of another; so that you cannot injure or help your neighbor without injuring or helping yourself." ~ George Bernard Shaw

"There is only one man in the world and his name is All Men. There is only one woman in the world and her name is All Women. There is only one child in the world and the child's name is All Children." ~ Carl Sandburg

"The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion." ~ Thomas Paine


"Our true nationality is mankind." ~ H. G. Wells

"We are made for goodness. We are made for love. We are made for friendliness. We are made for togetherness. We are made for all of the beautiful things that you and I know. We are made to tell the world that there are no outsiders. All are welcome: black, white, red, yellow, rich, poor, educated, not educated, male, female, gay, straight, all, all, all. We all belong to this family, this human family, God's family." ~ Desmond Tutu

"There is not a liberal America and a conservative America - there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and latino America and asian America - there's the United States of America." ~ Barack Obama

"We are not our brother’s keeper we are our brother and we are our sister. We must look past complexion and see community." ~ Maya Angelou

"Peace requires everyone to be in the circle - wholeness, inclusion." ~ Isabel Allende


Come let us worship.

With awesome deeds you answer our prayers for deliverance, O God our Savior; you that are the hope of all the ends of the earth, and of the far off seas. Psalm 65:5,6

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

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

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
Image result for in lak'ech

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 metis aboriginal ministries, smudging prayer



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

134 Ecce nunc

1 Behold now, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, *
you that stand by night in the house of the Lord.

2 Lift up your hands in the holy place and bless the Lord; *
the Lord who made heaven and earth bless you out of Zion.

Let us ponder these quotes on Holocaust Memoria some are hard to take!:


"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." ~ Elie Wiesel


"Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim." ~ Elie Wiesel


"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation." ~ Elie Wiesel


"Holocaust Memorial Day is intended as an inclusive commemoration of all the individuals and communities who suffered as a result of the Holocaust - not only Jews, but also Gypsies, Slavs, homosexuals, political prisoners and dozens of ethnic and other minorities." ~ Jack Straw

"On my recent trip to Israel, I had the opportunity to visit Yad Vashem, Israel's national Holocaust memorial, and reaffirm our collective responsibility to confront anti-Semitism, prejudice, and intolerance across the world. On this Yom Hashoah, we must accept the full responsibility of remembrance, as nations and as individuals-not simply to pledge "never again," but to commit ourselves to the understanding, empathy and compassion that is the foundation of peace and human dignity." ~ Barack Obama


"For me the Holocaust was not only a Jewish tragedy, but also a human tragedy. After the war, when I saw that the Jews were talking only about the tragedy of six million Jews, I sent letters to Jewish organizations asking them to talk also about the millions of others who were persecuted with us together - many of them only because they helped Jews." ~ Simon Wiesenthal


"Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart." ~ Anne Frank

"For the dead and the living, we must bear witness." ~ Elie Wiesel

"Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a socialist." ~ Martin Niemoller

"Some people don't believe in climate warning - like those who don't believe there was a Holocaust." ~ Paul McCartney

"The Holocaust survivors are among the most inspiring people I have had the privilege to meet." ~ Jonathan Sacks

"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." ~ Elie Wiesel

"The sincere Christian knows that what died in Auschwitz was not the Jewish people but Christianity." ~ Elie Wiesel


"American slavery was not a Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It was a holocaust. My ancestors are slaves. Stolen from Africa. I will honor them." ~ Spike Lee

"My number is 174517; we have been baptized, we will carry the tattoo on our left arm until we die." ~ Primo Levi

"I had to help them. There was no choice." ~ Oskar Schindler

"Who has inflicted this upon us? Who has made us Jews different from all other people? Who has allowed us to suffer so terribly uptill now? It is God that has made us as we are, but it will be God, too, who will raise us up again. If we bear all this suffering and if there are still Jews left, when it is over, then Jews, instead of being doomed, will be held up as an example." ~ Anne Frank

"The Scriptures have been misused to defend bloody crusades and inquisitions; to support slavery, apartheid, and segregation; to sanction the physical and emotional abuse of women and children; to persecute Jews and other non-Christian people of faith; to support the holocaust of Hitler's Third Reich; to oppose medical science; to condemn inter-racial marriage; to execute women as witches; to excuse the violent racism of the Ku Klux Klan; to mobilize militias, white supremacy and neo-nazi movements; and to condone intolerance and discrimination against sexual minorities." ~ Mel White

"Now that they talk about Islam as being a violent faith, when you look at the history of Christendom, the Crusades and the many wars of religion that were fought, the cruelty of Christians in burning what they believed to be witches and burning heretics, and then very recently they were responsible for the Holocaust... it was Christians." ~ Desmond Tutu

"It was Christians, you know, not Pagans, who were responsible for the Holocaust. It was Christians, not Pagans, who lynched people here in the South, who burned people at the stake, frequently in the name of this Jesus Christ." ~ Desmond Tutu

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Else Niemoeller: For the World’s Children

Lover of humanity, who cares for even one sparrow’s fall, we thank You that Your infinite eye is upon all the children of the world. Whatever the circumstances, we pray that we may help to release them from the forces that scar: hunger, homelessness, hatred, and lies. Give to each of us some sense of responsibility that all children everywhere may come into their full human heritage.

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.


103 Benedic, anima mea

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, *
and all that is within me, bless his holy Name.

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, *
and forget not all his benefits.

3 He forgives all your sins *


and heals all your infirmities;

4 He redeems your life from the grave *
and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness;

5 He satisfies you with good things, *
and your youth is renewed like an eagle's.

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.

15 Our days are like the grass; *
we flourish like a flower of the field;

16 When the wind goes over it, it is gone, *
and its place shall know it no more.

17 But the merciful goodness of the Lord endures for ever
on those who fear him, *
and his righteousness on children's children;

18 On those who keep his covenant *
and remember his commandments and do them.

19 The Lord has set his throne in heaven, *
and his kingship has dominion over all.

20 Bless the Lord, you angels of his,
you mighty ones who do his bidding, *
and hearken to the voice of his word.

21 Bless the Lord, all you his hosts, *
you ministers of his who do his will.

22 Bless the Lord, all you works of his,
in all places of his dominion; *
bless the Lord, O my soul.


Hebrews 10:19-31

A Call to Persevere

19 Therefore, my friends,* since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

26 For if we wilfully persist in sin after having received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27but a fearful prospect of judgement, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28Anyone who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy ‘on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 29How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by those who have spurned the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant by which they were sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace? 30For we know the one who said, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ 31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.


John 5:2-18

2 Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew* Beth-zatha,* which has five porticoes. 3In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralysed.* 5One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ 7The sick man answered him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.’ 8Jesus said to him, ‘Stand up, take your mat and walk.’ 9At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.

Now that day was a sabbath. 10So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, ‘It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.’ 11But he answered them, ‘The man who made me well said to me, “Take up your mat and walk.” ’ 12They asked him, ‘Who is the man who said to you, “Take it up and walk”?’ 13Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in* the crowd that was there. 14Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, ‘See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.’ 15The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath. 17But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father is still working, and I also am working.’ 18For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God.


19 Cœli enarrant

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, *
and the firmament shows his handiwork.

2 One day tells its tale to another, *
and one night imparts knowledge to another.

3 Although they have no words or language, *
and their voices are not heard,

4 Their sound has gone out into all lands, *
and their message to the ends of the world.

5 In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun; *
it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
it rejoices like a champion to run its course.

6 It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens
and runs about to the end of it again; *
nothing is hidden from its burning heat.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and revives the soul; *
the testimony of the Lord is sure
and gives wisdom to the innocent.

8 The statutes of the Lord are just
and rejoice the heart; *
the commandment of the Lord is clear
and gives light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is clean
and endures for ever; *
the judgments of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold,
more than much fine gold, *
sweeter far than honey,
than honey in the comb.

11 By them also is your servant enlightened, *
and in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can tell how often he offends? *
cleanse me from my secret faults.

13 Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;
let them not get dominion over me; *
then shall I be whole and sound,
and innocent of a great offense.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, *
O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.


1 Corinthians 12:12-31

One Body with Many Members

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15If the foot were to say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16And if the ear were to say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 21The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’, nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ 22On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; 24whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, 25that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 26If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

Luke 4:14-21

The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry

14 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth

16 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, 17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18 ‘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,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’
20And 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. 21Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.'

We continue our time of remembrance:


 The Mourner's Kaddish In English


Glorified and sanctified be God’s great name throughout the world
which He has created according to His will.
May He establish His kingdom in your lifetime and during your days,
and within the life of the entire House of Israel, speedily and soon;
and say, Amen.
May His great name be blessed forever and to all eternity.
Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted, extolled and honored,
adored and lauded be the name of the Holy One, blessed be He,
beyond all the blessings and hymns, praises and consolations that
are ever spoken in the world; and say, Amen.
May there be abundant peace from heaven, and life, for us
and for all Israel; and say, Amen.
He who creates peace in His celestial heights,
may He create peace for us and for all Israel;
and say, Amen




We light our candles and take time for silent reflection. We pray in the name of God who is called by many names and lift up our prayers in to God's merciful and loving arms. Amen. 


Holy God, G_D, Allah, Creator of the world and God of Many names  who made us in you image and likeness we pray this night and light our candles in memory and witness to all who have died in any genocide our world has ever known. We light our candles and remember the Women's holocaust in the Middle Ages, The Native Americans who walked the Trail of Tears and were killed by viruses brought to the New World, We pray for the Armenians who perished and The Great Holocaust that took the lives of 6,000,000 million Jews and others. We pray for the victims of modern day genocides in this era of terrorism and ethnic cleansing. We pray that we may look upon these our brothers and sisters who perished as a reminder of how easy it is to go down the slippery slope of hate, terror, fear, vengeance, and bigotry. We pray for peace in this fragile and broken world that we may be peace makers and truth tellers to our family members who do not know the history of these atrocities. We pray this night that we may stop the hate and new apartheid systems that infect the world. We pray that we may be compassionate, accepting, loving, and merciful. Let us always remember and never forget:

Let us pray the words of the Morning Prayer by Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

MORNING PRAYER
O God, early in the morning I cry to you.
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you:
I cannot do this alone.
In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;
I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me…
Restore me to liberty,
And enable me to live now
That I may answer before you and before me.
Lord, whatever this day may bring,
Your name be praised.
and ponder this:
"I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me.” 


Jesus (God, G_d)help us to remember who our neighbor is by praying for our family members below.
Those who died in any genocide. 
Women
Men
Children
Enemies
Refugees, immigrants of any kind
Caregivers
Those who don't share your political or religious beliefs
LGBTQ family members 
Elderly
Family members with whom we are estranged
Everyone
The sick and the suffering
The mentally ill and memory challenged
Those living with H.I. V./ A.I.D.S
Everyone
Those who have caused you harm or abused you
Those who hate you or you hate ( Not acceptable)
Those who have forgiven you and those whom you have forgiven
Everyone
Those who do not share the same ethnicity or race as you
Political prisoners
Prisoners of war
Those who cause terror, violence, bullying, and do unspeakable things. 
Everyone
Jews
Christians
Muslims
Buddhists
Hindus
All faith communities 
Everyone
Indigenous peoples
Victims of Human Trafficking
Everyone
Cancer patients, 
Chronically ill
The disabled 
The poor
The homeless
The hungry
 The lonely,
The lost,
The unemployed
The farm worker
Everyone
The misunderstood
The learning disabled
The marginalized
The invisible ones
The least of these
Everyone
The family of nations and all the peoples God's world

Jesus  (God, G_d) we pray for all of our family members nearby,stranger, and enemy and in particular those mentioned about that we may love one another as you have loved us . May we strive to be better at loving, accepting, and including everyone. We know that in  Your world all means all and not some. May we continue to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you to the end of our days and beyond. Amen.

We pray for peace within ourselves, our nation, the troubled places of the world especially in  Bangladesh, Turkey, Nigeria, the Middle East (Israel, The Palestinian Authority-Gaza, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan), African countries (Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, Darfur, South Sudan, The Sudan), Burundi, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, The United States,  Afghanistan, Pakistan, The Ukraine, Central America, South America, and all other places in the world where there is violence, inequality, injustice, tribal discord, and sectarian violence.

Meditation

First they came for the Communists and I did not speak out - because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the Socialists and I did not speak out - because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Pastor Niemoeller, in prison and concentration camp for eight and a half years



Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our
Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News
of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive
the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

3 collects from A New Zealand Prayer Book

God of all mercy,
your Son brought good news to the despairing,
freedom to the oppressed
and joy to the sad;
fill us with your Spirit,
that the people of our day may see in us his likeness
and glorify your name.

Jesus, our Redeemer,
give us your power to reveal and proclaim the good news,
so that wherever we may go
the sick may be healed, lepers embraced,
and the dead and dying given new life.

Almighty God,
your Son revealed in signs and wonders
the greatness of your saving love;
renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your mighty power;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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.

From 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.


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.

Lord, 
it is night.
The night is for stillness. 
Let us be still in the presence of God.
It is night after a long day. 
What has been done has been done; 
what has not been done has not been done; 
let it be.
The night is dark. 
Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives 
rest in you. 
The night is quiet. 
Let the quietness of your peace enfold us, 
all dear to us, 
and all who have no peace.
The night heralds the dawn. 
Let us look expectantly to a new day, 
new joys, 
new possibilities.
In your name we pray.
Amen. (ANZPB)


Reconciliation and Forgiveness

 God of compassion, you have reconciled us in Jesus Christ who is our peace: Enable us to live as Jesus lived, breaking down walls of hostility and healing enmity. Give us grace to make peace with those from whom we are divided, that, forgiven and forgiving, we may ever be one in Christ; who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns for ever, one holy and undivided Trinity. 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

Prayer to end Genocide
By: Education for Justice
O Lord, we cry to you, with deep pain in our hearts and souls.
Our hearts ache, because of genocide caused by
the lust for power,
cruel hatred for others,
because of their race, religion or physical differences.
God of all, the heavens weep, the winds whisper
through this great world you have created.
We hear and feel the weeping in our own souls.
Open our eyes and cleanse our souls
that we may always remember the awful injustices.
How long, O God, will we look with empty souls and eyes, how long?
The answer, "Until you feel my pain for all my children."
We cry in shame. Forgive us Lord.
Amen.

Matthew 5:1-12

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

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

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

I believe in the sun
though it is late in rising.
I believe in love,
though it is absent
I believe in God
though he is silent...

(Translated from the French by Hilda Schiff. Text from an unsigned inscription found on the wall
of a cave in Cologne where Jews had been hiding, p.184)

Riddle

From Belsen a crate of gold teeth,
from Dachau a mountain of shoes,
from Auschwitz a skin lampshade,
Who killed the Jews?

Not I, cries the typist,
Not I, cries the engineer,
Note I cries Adolf Eichmann,
Not I, cries Albert Speer.

My friend Fritz Nova lost his father –
a petty official had to choose.
My friend Lou Abrahms was beaten and starved.

Some men signed their papers,
and some stood guard,
and some herded them in,
and some dropped the pellets,
and some spread the ashes,
and some hosed the walls,
and some planted the wheat,
and some poured the steel,
and some cleared the rails,
and some raised the cattle.
Some smelled the smoke,
Some just heard the news.

Were they Germans? Were they Nazis?
Were they human? Who killed the Jews?
The stars will remember the gold,
The sun will remember the shoes,
The moon will remember the skin.
But who killed the Jews? William Heyen pp. 174-5


Almighty God, our Refuge and our Rock, your loving care knows no bounds and embraces all the peoples of the earth: Defend and protect those who fall victim to the forces of evil, and as we remember this day those who endured depredation and death because of who they were, not because of what they had done or failed to do, give us the courage to stand against hatred and oppression, and to seek the dignity and well-being of all for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, in whom you have reconciled the world to yourself; and who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.




A Modern Litany of Saints





God of love we pray and remember and speak these names and any of those we would like to add in the course of this time of remembrance.

We pray for :

 Festo Kivengere
May there be peace in Africa and Uganda

 Nelson Mandela
May there continue to be an end to apartheid in places where there is ethnic division and hatred.

Anne Frank
We pray and remember those who have died in the Holocaust and pray that these actions may never happen again.

Raoul Wallenberg
We remember and pray for all who are rescuers from oppression and danger of any kind and especially those who saved our brothers and sisters during the Holocaust.

 Frederick Douglas, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, William Wilberforce, John Newton, Alex Haley, ROOTS
We  pray and remember all those who were slaves, abolitionists, those who established the Underground Railroad, and those who told the stories of slavery.

Oskar Schindler
We continue to pray for risk takers to save people from genocide, and those who seek to remind us of ethnic cleansing  and religious imprisonment and the need to always remember.

Elie Wiesel,The Albanian Muslims who Saved the Jews in World War II
May we always remember and never forget.

Johnathan Myrick Daniels
We lift up all those who fought for the civil and voting rights for African Americans and especially those who lost their lives in seeking liberty, and justice for all.

 Florence Li Tim Oi
We pray and give thanks for all women who answered the call to ministry in their churches and may we remember and support those who continue to struggle with God's call in oppressive religious bodies.

Harvey Milk
We pray for all who in the LGBT community who have lost their lives not only in the struggle for human rights but in service to the larger community.

 Mahatma Gandhi
We pray and gift thanks for all who have practiced and modeled peaceful non violent protest and civil disobedience.

Oscar Romero
We pray for all who fought for the rights of people in Latin American Countries and who modeled the  preferential option for the poor and liberation theology.

Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin
We give thanks and pray for all members of the Abrahamic household that we may continue to seek to be united in the bonds of peace and mercy.

Those who walked Trail of Tears, Black Elk, Chief Seattle, The Dakota 38
We pray and remember all Native Americans who were taken from their lands, denied the provisions of the treaties, and who continue to struggle at Standing Rock.

Madame C.J. Walker
We pray and give thanks for bold African American women who were trailblazers in business, religion, politics, and everywhere.

Margaret Sanger
We pray and give thanks for women and men who helped to give women access to health care and reproductive freedom.

 The Orlando 49
We pray and remember all who perished in Pulse and speak their names*

Stonewall
We pray and remember those who were early fighters seeking LGBT rights and the courage to live authentically.

 Ryan White
We pray and remember all who have died from A.I.D.S. and those who continue to struggle.

Matthew Shepard
We pray and remember all LGBTQ youth who have died at the hands of bullies and who have been victims of hate crimes.

 Malcolm X,  Mohammed Ali, Humayun Khan
We pray and remember all Muslims in this country  who exemplified what it means to follow their faith and blaze trails for people to follow in the ways of justice, liberty, and peace. We pray that we may learn tolerance and respect for one another.

 Cesar Chavez
We pray and give thanks for all who have helped to keep our farm workers safe and make our food safe from pesticides.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Katherine Lee Bates, Marie Curie,  Seneca Falls Conference.
We pray and give thanks for all who were trail blazers for women's rights and sought the right to vote and have full participation in their lives with men.

Christine Jorgenson, Billy Tipton, Renee Richards
We pray and remember our Trans brothers and sisters who valiantly lived out their truth. May we continue to educate all people about gender identity and support our trans community who need us.

Dorothy Day and Jane Addams
We pray for all who have made a difference in the lives of the poor, marginalized, women, children and all who are needy.

 Your heroes of social justice.
May we name them before you now.


*We speak  the names of those who have died by any kind of violence as we remember and pray these our family members in our hearts:
We light out candles in loving memory of all your children who have lost their lives to any kind of violence remembering especially:
New York City
Las Vegas
Charlottesville
Orlando
San Bernardino
Isla Vista
Columbine
Sandy Hook
Paducah
Our towns and cities
The many places around the world. 

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.



Now I say to you in conclusion,
life is hard,
at times as hard as crucible steel. (Mmm)
It has its bleak and difficult moments.
Like the ever-flowing waters of the river,
life has its moments of drought and its moments of flood. (Yeah)
Like the ever-changing cycle of the seasons,
life has the soothing warmth of its summers
and the piercing chill of its winters. (Yeah)
But if one will hold on,
he will discover that God walks with him, (Yeah. Well)
and that God is able (Yeah) to lift you from the fatigue of despair
to the buoyancy of hope
and transform dark and desolate valleys
into sunlit paths of inner peace. (Mmm)

eulogy for the martyred children - Martin Luther King jr. - 1963

Father, Mother, God,
Thank you for your presence
during the hard and mean days.
For then we have you to lean upon.
Thank you for your presence
during the bright and sunny days,
for then we can share that which we have
with those who have less.
And thank you for your presence
during the Holy Days, for then we are able
to celebrate you and our families
and our friends.
For those who have no voice,
we ask you to speak.
For those who feel unworthy,
we ask you to pour your love out
in waterfalls of tenderness.
For those who live in pain,
we ask you to bathe them
in the river of your healing.
For those who are lonely, we ask
you to keep them company.
For those who are depressed,
we ask you to shower upon them
the light of hope.
Dear Creator, You, the borderless
sea of substance, we ask you to give to all the
world that which we need most—Peace.

prayer - Maya Angelou

We light yet another candle and pray the Woke Prayers of St. Francis -

Help us O God to be woke!
Woke as your peacemakers, change makers, heart changers, and love energy bringers!
Woke to the hatred so that we may sow seeds of love.
Woke to the injury so that we may heal the hurt and cease the harm.
Woke to the divisiveness that we may be eager to heal and unite as one neighborhood and family.
Woke to uncertainty that will lead us to be renewed in faith.
Woke to the despair of all our neighbors so that we may sow seeds of radical hope, love, hospitality, and inclusion.
Woke to the knowledge that we are God's beloved children. Help us to be woke to sing the words of  "Light One Candle"
LIGHT ONE CANDLE
Peter Yarrow
Light one candle for the Maccabee children
With thanks that their light didn't die
Light one candle for the pain they endured
When their right to exist was denied
Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice
Justice and freedom demand
But light one candle for the wisdom to know
When the peacemaker's time is at hand

chorus:
Don't let the light go out!
It's lasted for so many years!
Don't let the light go out!
Let it shine through our love and our tears.

Light one candle for the strength that we need
To never become our own foe
And light one candle for those who are suffering
Pain we learned so long ago
Light one candle for all we believe in
That anger not tear us apart
And light one candle to bind us together
With peace as the song in our hearts

(chorus)

What is the memory that's valued so highly
That we keep it alive in that flame?
What's the commitment to those who have died
That we cry out they've not died in vain?
We have come this far always believing
That justice would somehow prevail
This is the burden, this is the promise
This is why we will not fail!

(chorus)

Don't let the light go out!
Don't let the light go out!
Don't let the light go out!

Help us to be woke enough not to think of ourselves being the comforted, help us be the comforters and wounded healers.

Help not to be know it alls and be woke to understand what is plaguing our inner beings, neighbors, neighborhoods, the least of these, our family members.

God wake us up to be Woke to your agape love so that we may love everything that you have made. Wake us to be Woke to Radical Love, Hospitality, and inclusion.

Help us to know that being truly woke means being open to radical and random acts of kindness and giving. Where the giver is given and receives much by acts of giving.

Help us to be woke enough to forgive and then find ourselves being actually forgiven 
God Wake us Up to Be Woke to know that death isn't the end but only the beginning of a new birth in your heavenly Kindom. Amen and let it be so


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.



Lord, take me where You want me to go;
Let me meet who You want me to meet;
Tell me what You want me to say; and
Keep me out of your way.

Father Mychal Judge - FDNY - died 9/11/01

St. Teresa's Bookmark

Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything. Whoever has God lacks nothing. God alone suffices.
++
Let us see one another through eyes
enlightened by understanding and compassion.

Release us from judgment so we can receive the stories
of our sisters and brothers with respect and attention.

Open our hearts to the cries of a suffering world
and the healing melodies of peace and justice for all creation. 

Empower us to be instruments of justice
and equality everywhere.

prayer for everyday for all creation
Collectively authored by the Millionth Circle Initiative,
5th World Conference on Women & Circle Connections.



Christ has no body- St. Teresa of Avila

Christ has no body now on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out on the world. Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which He is to bless His people.


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.

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine: Glory to God from generation to
generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever.
Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21

May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be well.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be happy.

ancient - tibetan buddhist - meditation

God’s Blessing be with you,
Christ’s peace be with you,
the Spirit’s outpouring be with you,
now and always. Amen.
(source: Celtic)

Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the infinite peace to you.

gaelic blessing

O God of love and mercy,
grant us, with all your people, rest and peace.


+++++

Good Night Beloved Ones. Let us remember this song by Luke Nephew " A New Unsettling Force":

We’re a new unsettling force
And we are powerful a new
unsettling force
And we’re here, we’re a new
unsettling force
For liberation and we’ve got nothing
to lose but our chains
And we’ve got nothing
to lose but our chains

May God Bless You this night and may you feel the love of many here at Walk With Me On Our Journey. I love you.
With love and peace,

Sara

Resources Commonly Used:


A to Z Quotes
Prayers of Power
Book of Occasional Services 

Northumbria Community

Satucket Lectionary Page (NRSV)
Book of Common Prayer
Enriching our Worship 1 and 2
A New Zealand Prayer Book
Walk With Me On Our Journey
Metis Aboriginal Ministries


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