Good Evening Peacemakers!
Today we pray for peace and learn to be peace makers! We must remember that the peace that Jesus brought to us and that we must bring to the world and each other, is hard work. Tonight we begin with the "Peace be stills". So let us begin!
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
"In a world so torn apart by rivalry, anger, and hatred, we have the privileged vocation to be living signs of a love that can bridge all divisions and heal all wounds." ~ Henri Nouwen
"When we bear witness, when we become the situation - homelessness, poverty, illness, violence, death - the right action arises by itself. We don't have to worry about what to do. We don't have to figure out solutions ahead of time. Peacemaking is the functioning of bearing witness. Once we listen with our entire body and mind, loving action arises." ~ Bernie Glassman
"Peace may sound simple - one beautiful word - but it requires everything we have, every quality, every strength, every dream, every high ideal." ~ Yehudi Menuhin
"It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." ~ Mother Teresa
"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Without being peace, we cannot do anything for peace. If we cannot smile, we cannot help other people to smile. If we are not peaceful, then we cannot contribute to the peace movement." ~ Nhat Hanh
"Anyone can love peace, but Jesus didn't say, "Blessed are the peace-lovers." He says �peacemakers.� He is referring to a life vocation, not a hobby on the sidelines of life." ~ Jim Wallis
"There is no way to peace. Peace is the way." ~ A. J. Muste
"Prayer is the beginning and the end, the source and the fruit, the core and the content, the basis and the goal of all peacemaking." ~ Henri Nouwen
"If you want peace, work for justice." ~ Pope Paul VI
"I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent." ~ Mahatma Gandhi
"If we are not happy, if we are not peaceful, we cannot share peace and happiness with others, even those we love, those who live under the same roof. If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace." ~ Nhat Hanh
"That in itself is an act of peacemaking, because we're seeking to align our wills with God's will, our dreams with God's dream." ~ Brian D. McLaren
Come let us worship.
Call to Worship
Now that we have been justified through faith,
let us continue at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Through Christ we have been allowed to enter
the sphere of God’s grace where now we stand.
In place of the usual opening sentences let us pray this litany.
The Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh: A Litany for Peace
As we are together praying for Peace, let us be truly with each other.
Silence
Let us pay attention to our breathing.
Silence
Let us be relaxed in our bodies and our minds.
Silence
Let us return to ourselves and become wholly ourselves.
Silence
Let us be aware of the Source of Being common to us all and to all that is.
Silence
Evoking the presence of the Great Companion, let us fill our hearts with our own compassion—towards ourselves and toward all living beings.
Silence
Let us pray that all living beings realize that they are all nourished from the same Source of Life.
Silence
Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be the cause of needless suffering.
Silence
Let us pray that we may live in a way which will not needlessly deprive other living beings of air, water, food, shelter, or the chance to live in health.
Silence
With reverence for Life and with awareness of the sufferings that are going on around us, let us pray for the establishment of peace in our hearts and on earth.
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Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who abuse you. Do good and lend, expecting nothing in return; for God is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish.
Be merciful as your father is merciful. Judge not and you will not be judged. Condemn not and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and it will be given to you; for the measure you give will be the measure you receive.From Luke 6:27–38
If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be. Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking, “The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,” and therefore view your needy neighbor with hostility and give nothing; your neighbor might cry to the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt. Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, “Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.” - Deuteronomy 15:7-11
We are not alone,
we live in God’s world.
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others
by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.
We are not alone.
Thanks be to God.
-United Church of Canada Creed
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.
The Buddhist Metta (Lovingkindness) Prayer
The Buddhist Metta (Lovingkindness) Prayer is simple but profound. It starts by blessing oneself and gradually expands outward from there, eventually wishing good intentions for the entire world and all beings, even our enemies. There are many variations and translations of this prayer, but what follows is the essence of it; if we all said this prayer with sincerity at least once per week, the world could be a very different place:
My heart fills with with loving kindness. I love myself. May I be happy. May I be well. May I be peaceful. May I be free.
May all beings in my vicinity be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.
May all beings in my city be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.
May all beings in my state be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.
May all beings in my country be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.
May all beings on my continent be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.
May all beings in my hemisphere be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.
May all beings on planet Earth be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.
May my parents be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.
May all my friends be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.
May all my enemies be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.
May all beings in the Universe be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.
If I have hurt anyone, knowingly or unknowingly in thought, word or deed, I ask for their forgiveness.
If anyone has hurt me, knowingly or unknowingly in thought, word or deed, I extend my forgiveness.
May all beings everywhere, whether near or far, whether known to me or unknown, be happy. May they be well. May they be peaceful. May they be free.
James Martineau: Prayer
A PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
Eternal God, who commits to us the swift and solemn trust of life: since we know not what a day may bring forth, but only that the hour for serving You is always present, may we wake to Your instant claims, not waiting for tomorrow, but yielding today. Lay to rest the resistance of our passion, indolence, or fear. Consecrate the way our feet may go, and the humblest work will shine, and the roughest faces be made plain. Lift us above unrighteous anger and mistrust into faith and hope and charity, through steady reliance on You. So may we be modest in our time of wealth, patient under disappointment, ready for danger, serene in death. In all things, draw us to Yourself that Your lost image may be traced again, and we may be at one with You.
Let us hear the words of the God News as part of today's evening meditation.
Peace be still and renew and revive me by your love O God.
Peace be still and renew and revive me by your love
Peace be still and renew and revive me.
Peace be still and renew and revive
Peace be still and renew
Peace be still
Peace be.
Peace.
Psalm 115:12-18
12 The Lord has been mindful of us, and he will bless us; *
he will bless the house of Israel;
he will bless the house of Aaron;
13 He will bless those who fear the Lord, *
both small and great together.
14 May the Lord increase you more and more, *
you and your children after you.
15 May you be blessed by the Lord, *
the maker of heaven and earth.
16 The heaven of heavens is the Lord's, *
but he entrusted the earth to its peoples.
17 The dead do not praise the Lord, *
nor all those who go down into silence;
18 But we will bless the Lord, *
from this time forth for evermore.
Hallelujah!
1 Samuel 1:10�20
10She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly. 11She made this vow: ‘O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite* until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants,* and no razor shall touch his head.’
12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk. 14So Eli said to her, ‘How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.’ 15But Hannah answered, ‘No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.’ 17Then Eli answered, ‘Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.’ 18And she said, ‘Let your servant find favour in your sight.’ Then the woman went to her quarters,* ate and drank with her husband,* and her countenance was sad no longer.*
19 They rose early in the morning and worshipped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. 20In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, ‘I have asked him of the Lord.’The Song of Hannah
1 Samuel 2:1-8
My heart exults in you, O God; *
my triumph song is lifted in you.
My mouth derides my enemies, *
for I rejoice in your salvation.
There is none holy like you, *
nor any rock to be compared to you, our God.
Do not heap up prideful words or speak in arrogance; *
Only God is knowing and weighs all actions.
The bows of the mighty are broken, *
but the weak are clothed in strength.
Those once full now labor for bread, *
those who hungered now are well fed.
The childless woman has borne sevenfold, *
while the mother of many is forlorn.
God destroys and brings to life, casts down and raises up; *
gives wealth or takes it away, humbles and dignifies.
God raises the poor from the dust; *
and lifts the needy from the ash heap
To make them sit with the rulers *
and inherit a place of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are God’s *
on which the whole earth is founded.
Colossians 1:15-23
The Supremacy of Christ
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16for in* him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 17He himself is before all things, and in* him all things hold together. 18He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
21 And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22he has now reconciled* in his fleshly body* through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him— 23provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel.
A Song of Christ’s Humility
Philippians 2:6-11
Though in the form of God, *
Christ Jesus did not cling to equality with God,
But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, *
and was born in human likeness.
Being found in human form, he humbled himself *
and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.
Therefore, God has highly exalted him *
and given him the name above every name,
That at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, *
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, *
to the glory of God the Father.
Matthew 3:13-17
The Baptism of Jesus
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ 15But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. 16And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved,* with whom I am well pleased.’
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.
Luke 7:11-17
Jesus Raises the Widow’s Son at Nain
11 Soon afterwards* he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. 12As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. 13When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’ 14Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, ‘Young man, I say to you, rise!’ 15The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus* gave him to his mother. 16Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, ‘A great prophet has risen among us!’ and ‘God has looked favourably on his people!’ 17This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.
The Song of Mary Magnificat
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in you, O God my Savior, *
for you have looked with favor on your lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
you, the Almighty, have done great things for me,
and holy is your name.
You have mercy on those who fear you *
from generation to generation.
You have shown strength with your arm *
and scattered the proud in their conceit,
Casting down the mighty from their thrones *
and lifting up the lowly.
You have filled the hungry with good things *
and sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the help of your servant Israel, *
for you have remembered your promise of mercy,
The promise made to our forebears, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.
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
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.
Deepen our devotion, O Lord, and use us in accordance with your will, that inspired by the example of your servant Monica, we may bring others to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, One God, forever and ever. Amen.
O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Living host, call us together,
call us to eat and drink with you.
Grant that by your body and your blood
we may be drawn to each other
and to you.
We make this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
A Prayer for Healing
We join with the earth and with each other
To bring new life to the land
To restore the waters
To refresh the air
We join with the earth and with each other
To renew the forests
To care for the plants
To protect the creatures
We join with the earth and with each other
To celebrate the seas
To rejoice the sunlight
To sing the song of the stars
We join with the earth and with each other
To recreate the human community
To promote justice and peace
To remember our children
We join with the earth and with each other
We join together as many and diverse expressions
Of one loving mystery, for the healing of earth and the renewal of all life
- National Institute of Open Schooling, India 4
Prayers for the Tender Souls
We pray this night for our mental health professionals and all of our mentally ill family members who have fallen through the cracks.
We pray for better early interventions for those with mental illnesses and that everyone will be able to listen for their unspoken cries for help.
We pray for the marginalized who feel outcast. May we lovingly bring them into the circle and show them how You love us.
We pray for all of our Family members who have PTSD that they may receive care and the necessary services that will help them prosper and live productive lives.
We pray for our homeless family members who live outdoors. We pray that there may be adequate shelters and a variety of places to live that will meet their needs. We pray that we may be sensitive to their needs when we see them as we walk, shop, and are in our cars.
We pray for the safety of all the vulnerable members of our society.
We pray for better gun laws that will both protect our family members in our community and the persons who aren't suitable gun owners.
We pray that all churches may be truly sanctuaries for everyone and that there won't be a litmus test required to belong. We pray that all faith leaders will give the least of these the the security and feeling that they are loved, accepted, and that their dignity is respected regardless of who they are. Help everyone know who they are and whose they are!
We pray that there may be social service ministries in our urban centers that are non-threatening and available 24/7/365. May we be guided to think outside the box and minister to our family members who need these services.
We pray for compassionate immigration reform and that families may be kept together.
We pray for all of our medical professionals who work in the ER this night and those who work in the Mortuary and Hospice ministries.
We pray for an end to violence against women and children.
God we pray for Oak Flat and all places where there are protests. We pray for all sacred lands and waters.
God help us to be better at listening, watching, and being family to those who are different that ourselves.
May we see you in their eyes and love them as you love us.
God we lift up these our prayers and the prayers that we have been requested to pray this day to you !
Amen.
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.
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
Luke Nephew
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)
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)
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The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is a movement led by poor and impacted persons and moral leaders in over 37 states working to change the political, moral and economic calculus of our nation.
We believe that no one should live in or die from poverty in the richest nation to ever exist.
We believe that poverty is a policy choice, not a personal choice. The United States has enough money to end poverty many times over– scarcity is a myth!
We are working to fight the interlocking injustices of ecological devastation, racism, systemic poverty, militarism and the false moral narrative of Christian nationalism.
We are coming to Washington DC on June 18th to make our voices heard in the streets; led by impacted testifiers, low wage workers and faith leaders from every state.
Before COVID, there were over 140 million people who were living in poverty or one $600 health emergency away from being in poverty. Since March 2020, while hundreds of thousands of people have died, millions are on the edge of hunger and eviction, and still without health care or living wages, billionaire wealth has grown by over $2 trillion.
June 18th is not just a day, it is a declaration of our on-going commitment to doing MORE– more to fully address the interlocking injustices, more to change the narrative and build the power of those most impacted by these injustices, and more to realize our ambitious Third Reconstruction Agenda.
This season of mobilization will propel us towards the 2022 mid-term elections. We aren’t registering people to vote, we are registering people for a movement that votes!
All along the way, we are committed to doing M.O.R.E.E.-- mobilizing, organizing, registering, education and empowering people for a movement.
We assemble and march because the promise of our democracy requires that we address the interlocking injustices of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism & the war economy, and the false narrative of religious nationalism. The very foundation of the country has been made brittle and broken under the weight of injustice.
It is time to heal the wounds of our society and declare a moral revival across the land.
We assemble and march because our politics are trapped by the lies of scarcity, which are fueled by trickle-down economics and Christian nationalism. These politics turn us against each other and blame the poor for their poverty, even though we live in a time of abundance. We have the resources to meet the needs of everybody! The only thing our politicians lack is the moral conscience and political will to make it so.
We assemble and march because there were 140 million poor and low-wealth people before the pandemic and 250,000 people died every year (or 700 people every day!) because of poverty and inequality. Meanwhile, billionaire wealth is at an all-time high, even during the worst economic and public health crises of a generation.
We assemble and march because the pandemic revealed deep fissures in our society, exposing long-term racial and economic inequalities like a contrast dye in our body politic. Nearly one million people have died from the coronavirus, millions of workers have been called essential while being treated as expendable, and millions more are facing low-wages, unemployment, eviction, hunger, and the denial of health care.
We assemble and march because we are living through an historic crisis of democracy and voting rights are under attack in nearly every state! Voter suppression targets people of color and undermines the right to vote of women, youth, the elderly, and the poor. It also ushers in policies that hurt millions of people through attacks on immigration, living wages, health care, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, public education, social welfare programs, and more.
We assemble and march because the climate crisis is devastating our communities and our planet, with poor and low-wealth people hit first and worst by raging fires, floods, drought, and pollution. While fossil fuel companies are getting tax breaks, the 140 million are facing the highest cancer rates in the country, our water is being shut off, and our homes and holy sites are being mined, poisoned, and destroyed!
We assemble and march because there is nothing just about a nation that has spent $21 trillion on war, policing, surveillance, and prisons over the past twenty years amid widespread poverty and economic insecurity. Instead of fighting poverty, our nation has invested in a long-term war on the poor at home and across the world. As is always the case with war and violence, poor and low-wealth people lose the most. Today, we must come to see that war itself is an enemy of the poor everywhere!
We assemble and march because for far too long poor people, people of color, Indigenous nations, immigrant families, women, children, the disabled, and LGBTQ communities have been under attack, pitted against each other, and blamed for society’s problems. But we are building a moral fusion movement that brings people together across race, gender and sexuality, ability, faith, region, and other lines of division to turn our pain, fear, and anger into a united force to reconstruct the nation from the bottom up.
We assemble and march because poor and low-wealth people make up one third of the electorate but are not centered in our politics or policies. However, poor and low-wealth people are a sleeping giant that, when awakened, will shift not just one election, but all of our national priorities.
We assemble and march to put a face and voice on the shameful conditions confronting this nation. On June 18, we will build a massive stage for the abandoned and dispossessed of America to speak and force the nation to hear the truth. From this stage, we will not simply curse the darkness, but demonstrate our compelling power to right the wrongs of society. Together, we must bring about a Third Reconstruction to realize the nation we have yet to be!
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