Dear Family of Love,
Happy Take Care Tuesday one and all! Today I spent my second day down at church handing out sack lunches to our homeless population. As I listened to our family members I learned their stories and struggles from those living in encampments near the riverbed and as our brother said today " It's like being in the Flintstones". Joseph told me about being cited for illegal camping and the infraction is about $200.00 dollars. I ask you, what homeless person has 200.00? Bobby had the same thing happen to him. Housing and food are problems among many others. There is a shortage of compassionate people who are willing to listen without judgement. We find ourselves spending misguided energy in criticizing people who sit down and protest when we should be looking inwardly and helping find necessary solutions to today's problems. Tonight we are going to pray as if we are the marginalized and protesters who are now modern day hippies. This won't be easy but I think it will help us in the words of two of the questions in the Episcopal baptismal covenant as found in the BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER
Celebrant Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving
your neighbor as yourself?
People I will, with God’s help.
Celebrant Will you strive for justice and peace among all
people, and respect the dignity of every human
being?
People I will, with God’s help.
++++
Now let us begin our virtual transformation into the least of these:
Let us imagine that we are wearing raggedy clothing and cannot look at another person in the eye.
Let us imagine that we are having to find places where food is distributed.
Let us imagine having to live as a transient and be cited for illegal camping.
Let us imagine being denied help just because we have a visible drug addiction and mental illness and that the church you have selected to go to has a nervous volunteer who shoos you away.
Let us imagine that we are outcasts and that the government you rely on for help is distant and thinks that we are lazy.
Let us imagine that we are homeless LGBTQ youth and persons who haven't a place to go because family members have disowned you.
Let us imagine that we have come to this country illegally in order to find a better life and that all our money goes to pay off the coyote who brought you here is in reality a brutal human trafficker.
Let us imagine that we are invisible and cower in the dark corners of buildings who are afraid to seek help and dig in dumpsters for food and that because we have a mental illness cannot go to shelters.
Let us imagine that we haven't anywhere to lay our heads and we are experiencing severe weather.
Let us imagine being discriminated against because of our lack of knowing how to speak and read English.
Let us imagine that we do not have sufficient medical, dental, vision, and mental health care and have to resort to using ERs.
Let us imagine being urban refugees with families seeking food, clothing, and shelter.
Let us imagine if only .....
Let us pray our responses to the above.
God we pray for all who are seeking warm clothing and the courage to look family members in the eye.
God we pray that we may have courage to share from our abundance food and clothing. We give thanks for Food banks and clothing distribution centers.
God we pray for shelters to meet the needs of all people and that housing may be built for our homeless and housing insufficient family members.
God we pray for all who are mentally ill and in need of assistance from our government and social service agencies.
God we pray that our churches may be responsive and educate our personnel how to treat and care for homeless and indigent people. May our churches be a place of sanctuary.
God we pray for safety for our LGBTQ youth and especially the many cultures where being LGBTQ isn't safe and we are shunned by living authentically.
God we pray for all who come to this country illegally and that we may welcome the strangers and help them out of dangerous situations. May we have courage to love our neighbors and the strangers in our midst.
God we pray this night for all the invisible ones who are living like true outcasts and on the the extreme margins of society.
God we pray for all who are lacking sufficient shelter due to severe weather and natural disaster.
God we pray for our family members who are urban refugees who live in cars and on the streets we remember our poor families who do not have access to food, clothing, and shelter.
God we pray that we may imagine, pray, and then act by showing each of us compassion, acceptance, love, and mercy.
God we pray for good medical care for our family members who lack insurance and are financially unable to pay for good care. We give thanks for Medicaid and social programs designed to help them.
God give us the courage to stand up and fight against injustice, bigotry, hatred, terror, racism, inequality and all things that seek to divide your family.
God we lift up our own prayers _____________________
God we give thanks and lift up these our prayers and petitions in the name of Jesus who taught us to love, wander like a homeless hippie, and care for the least of these. Amen.
Tonight we light our single candle in loving memory and in conscious knowledge of all the marginalized. We pray for the living and the departed ones whose names we do not know but you know O, God Amen.
Good Night Dear Ones! Let us imagine this world where we all know what it mean to take care on Take care Tuesday and at all times! I love you! I give thanks to God for you this night and always!
Love to all!
Sara
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