Good Evening!
I'm sorry that I'm writing this so late but I was attending an event called Cruizin' For Life that raises money for Cancer related services in Santa Maria and its environs. We raised a lot of money that stays locally. At any rate, here is my address to you my dear family members who are participating in this online retreat.
I have been straddling both worlds the past few days in writing about many things on both the political and spiritual realms.This has been no mean task. We are called to be people of faith and at the same time practitioners of social justice. God calls us daily to these important works that seem to feel often times like we are trudging around in either quicksand or mud. We never know how to release ourselves from these burdens. That is how we feel when we don't rely upon God and each other. This is where we not me comes in. We are not to do these things alone and neither should we. Yes we are asked repeatedly in our Baptismal covenant from the BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER if you are an Episcopalian the 3 questions towards the end:
Celebrant Will you proclaim by word and example the Good
News of God in Christ?
People I will, with God’s help.
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.
None of these let us off the hook and as you can see we aren't alone! Each day we should be asking this question: How are we doing being social justice people of faith? Last evening we talked and prayed about serving the least of these. The least of these happen to be who we are from time to time and you just never know when that will happen. Watching the candidates and all of our Posts,Tweets, etc I have gotten the sense that we actually do not do our homework as to what we as people of faith are called to do and to be. Sometimes we are drawn in by unscrupulous writers and blogs who seem to do the old Bait and Switch with sensational material. This sensational material if we do indeed share it without fact checking it is akin to bearing false witness and slandering our brothers and sisters. Being good practitioners of social justice requires equal parts thinking, praying, and not rushing head long into things without caution and care. We as people of faith certainly know how to wait upon God, I'm suggesting that we wait before responding to click bait posts. Our job and call are to seek and serve Christ in all persons with love in our hearts and with dignity and respect. We all need to respect everyone even if it is a sibling who rubs you the wrong way. Many people in the media and in our own circles do this. We still need to seek and serve Christ in them no matter what. So my question dear ones is this again, How are we doing being social justice people of faith during this season of rancor and hatred? That is your homework for tomorrow.
Now let us turn our attention to a brief time of prayer!
Let us be at prayer and light our candles in the spirit of unity and social justice. Let take time to sing a few protest songs by Peter, Paul, and Mary to get us ready to join together in unity
If I Had a Hammer- Peter, Paul, and Mary
God we come to this night with our hearts and hands open as we light our candles and pray as we in the words of Psalm 141
"Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
God may we come to you with a vision clear that this isn't a time of gimme, gimme, gimme or instant expectations but, with hearts full of prayers and thanksgivings not just for ourselves but on behalf of others and this world where there is great need. We pray that with our hands ready to serve you and the least of these we may find this a time of bridge building and peacemaking We pray that with our open hands we may seek to use them as offerings of help, love, giving, and solace and our word for soothing of our souls, soulace. We come to you as we lift up our hands in grateful thanksgiving and praise and that they may rise to the heavens in holy and enthusiastic joy and hope. We pray that we may extend our hands in peace to our enemies and those who hate us and offer to them a sign that we are here to build and not destroy. We lift these our prayers and place them in your loving and healing hands O God. We also present the Light of Christ to each other remembering these words as we close our time of prayer "The Light of Christ in Me recognizes the Light of Christ in You!" We pray these prayers with hands and lights uplifted in Jesus most Holy Name. Amen.
God you have called us to march for our family members who have no voice.
Let our pounding footsteps sound speak the words of justice and liberty for all your children.
God you have called us to picket in front of places where our family members are being denied equality, proper wages, healthcare, educational opportunity and any other cause that divides us.
Let our pickets speak the words along with our feet to ensure justice, liberty, and human rights for all of your children.
God you have called us to sit down and sit in so that our bodies may show others that we have the courage and resolve to stay put and do the necessary work that needs to be done for the good and protection of us all.
Let our bodies while we sit down and sit in be made strong so that when we protest we may show the world what true civil disobedience looks like.
God you have called us to write and circulate petitions to affect change. Help our words to be made clear and that change may come through our words and actions.
Let our words ring clear and that our petition may reach the right places where our voices need to be heard and change may happen.
God you have called us to love radically with our actions not just for today but for tomorrow.
Let our love energy be the empowering force for good and to affect great change in this world and with each other.
God you have called us to go hungry and strike when we want to make a visible sign of how the least of these are going with out and that the pangs of hunger aren't just food related but liberty related.
Let us in the words of the Beatitudes to "Hunger and thirst after righteousness".
God you have called us to afflict the comfortable so that the afflicted may receive comfort.
Let us be the agents of CALM (Compassion, acceptance, love, and mercy)
God you have called us to use our gifts of prophesy, peacemaking, writing the wrongs of injustice, and giving of ourselves to be agents of change and your beloved children.
Let us be the lights, voices, hands, and feet in this world and may we never be afraid to practice civil disobedience and be non-violent protesters.
God help us to remember these things. Amen.
God we pray these classic words:
The Beatitudes
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The Magnificat
My soul glorifies the Lord, *
my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.
He looks on his servant in her lowliness; *
henceforth all ages will call me blessed.
The Almighty works marvels for me. *
Holy his name!
His mercy is from age to age, *
on those who fear him.He puts forth his arm in strength *
and scatters the proud-hearted.
He casts the mighty from their thrones *
and raises the lowly.
He fills the starving with good things, *
sends the rich away empty.
He protects Israel, his servant, *
remembering his mercy,
the mercy promised to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his sons for ever.
Isaiah 2:1-4
The Future House of God
The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come
the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
Many peoples shall come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
Micah 6:8 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
+++++++++++++++
A pledge to practice civil disobedience and peaceful non-violent protest when we are called to do so.
God we sit here in the silence listening and waiting to know what you are calling us to do when this world has gone awry and that we no longer know how to be united. We come to you O God and offer our bodies, minds, and spirits in loving and courageous service to be your hands and feet in this world and that when we are called to do so to engage in acts that do not require violence but in prayerful and peaceful non-violent protest. May we courageously petition, sit in and sit down, hunger, march, speak truth to power, picket, and stay the course to affect change in the world without fear and if it should happen to freely give up our lives to the justice system and risk our own lives to spread your God News and Good News to all so that peace may prevail upon earth and that we may finally be united as one people, one family, and one world. We lift up this our pledge to you O God with a conscience and vision clear.
++++++++
Tomorrow we will go live and yes spend time together. I would like you to send any questions you may have for me to answer at walkwithmeonourjourney@gmail.com and if you'd like to enter a conference call together.
Good Night dear Ones. I love you! I give Thanks for you this night and always!
With love, peace, and joy,
Sara
No comments:
Post a Comment