Pondering many things while celebrating Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler

Good Evening Dear Ones!

Happy Being Thoughtful and Thankful Thursday! I hope everyone is well. We continue to have Wintry weather in Santa Maria. This phrase got me to thinking of the Easter hymn Now the Green Blade Riseth by John Macleod Campbell Crum. Here are the lyrics. Pay close attention to verse 4.

1 Now the green blade riseth, from the buried grain,
Wheat that in dark earth many days has lain;
Love lives again, that with the dead has been:
Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.

2 In the grave they laid Him, Love who had been slain,
Thinking that He never would awake again,
Laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen: 
Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.

3 Forth He came at Easter, like the risen grain,
Jesus who for three days in the grave had lain;
Quick from the dead the risen One is seen:
Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.

4 When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
Jesus' touch can call us back to life again,
Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been: 
Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.

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Let us remember acts of love are key to being renewed. Remember that being CALM
(Compassionate, Accepting, Loving, and Merciful) are the acts that build bridges and tear down walls. So tonight we meditate on the words inclusion and diversity as our ponder pieces. So let us begin.

"We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race." ~ Kofi Annan

"No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

"Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common... Celebrate it every day." ~ Winston Churchill

"We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color." ~ Maya Angelou

"If we wish to ensure everyone’s peace and happiness we need to cultivate a healthy respect for the diversity of our peoples and cultures, founded on an understanding of this fundamental sameness of all human beings" ~ Dalai Lama

"Each human being, however small or weak, has something to bring to humanity. As we start to really get to know others, as we begin to listen to each other's stories, things begin to change. We begin the movement from exclusion to inclusion, from fear to trust, from closedness to openness, from judgment and prejudice to forgiveness and understanding. It is a movement of the heart." ~ Jean Vanier

"Diversity: the art of thinking independently together." ~ Malcolm Forbes

"We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion." ~ Max De Pree

"My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together." ~ Desmond Tutu

"Exclusion is always dangerous. Inclusion is the only safety if we are to have a peaceful world." ~ Pearl S. Buck

"If man is to survive, he will have learned to take a delight in the essential differences between men and between cultures. He will learn that differences in ideas and attitudes are a delight, part of life's exciting variety, not something to fear." ~ Gene Roddenberry

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

"The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion." ~ Thomas Paine
"Jesus is all about inclusion not exclusion." ~ Robert Hood

"Share our similarities, celebrate our differences." ~ M. Scott Peck

"If the cause of poverty is marginalization, the cure is inclusion." ~ Richard John Neuhaus

"We are now at the point where we must decide whether we are to honour the concept of a plural society which gains strength through diversity, or whether we are to have bitter fragmentation that will result in perpetual tension and strife." ~ Earl Warren

"I want to take the word Christianity back to Christ himself, back to that mighty heart whose pulse seems to throb through the world today, that endless fountain of charity out of which I believe has come all true progress and all civilization that deserves the name. I go back to that great Spirit which contemplated a sacrifice for the whole of humanity. That sacrifice is not one of exclusion, but of an infinite and endless and joyous inclusion. And I thank God for it." ~ Julia Ward Howe

"The diversity of the phenomena of nature is so great, and the treasures hidden in the heavens so rich, precisely in order that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment." ~ Johannes Kepler

"For too long we have tried to consume our 
 way to prosperity. Look at the cost: polluted 
 lands and oceans, climate change, growing 
 scarcity of resources from food to land to fresh 
 water, rampant inequality. We need to invent a 
 new model; a model that offers growth and social inclusion... that is more respectful of the 
 planet's finite resources. Nature has been kind 
 to human beings, but we have not been kind to 
 nature." ~ Ban Ki-moon

"The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it." ~ Chief Joseph

We open our worship tonight with the words of our featured saints of the day Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler.

"To know the mighty works of God, to comprehend His wisdom and majesty and power; to appreciate, in degree, the wonderful workings of His laws, surely all this must be a pleasing and acceptable mode of worship to the Most High, to whom ignorance cannot be more grateful than knowledge." ~ Nicolaus Copernicus

"The wisdom of the Lord is infinite as are also His glory and His power. Ye heavens, sing His praises; sun, moon, and planets, glorify Him in your ineffable language! Praise Him, celestial harmonies, and all ye who can comprehend them! And thou, my soul, praise thy Creator! It is by Him and in Him that all exist." ~ Johannes Kepler

"The Universe, wrought for us by a supremely good and orderly Creator." ~ Nicolaus Copernicus

"I had the intention of becoming a theologian...but now I see how God is, by my endeavors, also glorified in astronomy, for 'the heavens declare the glory of God.'" ~ Johannes Kepler

"Finally we shall place the Sun himself at the center of the Universe." ~ Nicolaus Copernicus

"My greatest desire is that I may perceive the God whom I find everywhere in the external world, in like manner also within and inside myself." ~ Johannes Kepler


"Great is God our Lord, great is His power and there is no end to His wisdom. Praise Him you heavens, glorify Him, sun and moon and you planets. For out of Him and through Him, and in Him are all things..... We know, oh, so little. To Him be the praise, the honor and the glory from eternity to eternity." ~ Johannes Kepler

"I believe only and alone in the service of Jesus Christ. In him is all refuge and solace." ~ Johannes Kepler

"[God] is the kind Creator who brought forth nature out of nothing." ~ Johannes Kepler

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Johannes Kepler: An Astronomer’s Prayer

I thank You, my Creator, that You have given me joys in Your creation and ecstasy over the work of Your hands.

I have known the glory of Your works as far as my finite spirit was able to comprehend Your infinity.

If have said anything wholly unworthy of You, or have aspired after my own glory, graciously forgive me.

Ursula M. Niebuhr: For the Day of Light

O God, who has placed us in a world You and we constantly create, we give thanks as we work and as we pray. We praise You for the day of light and life, for the night which brings rest and sleep, and for the ordered course of nature, seedtime and harvest. We bless You for the joy of children and the wisdom of the old. We thank You for the love of God and people which shines forth in commonplace lives, and above all for the vision of You in silent meditation, in fellowship, in the sacrament of the shared life, and in prayer. We praise Your name now and forever more.

THE LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES - Anonymous

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

We light this candle of remembrance.

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

We light this candle of consecration.

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

IN LAK’ECH

Tú eres mi otro yo.

You are my other me.

Si te hago daño a ti,

If I do harm to you,

Me hago daño a mi mismo.

I do harm to myself.

Si te amo y respeto,

If I love and respect you,

Me amo y respeto yo.

I love and respect myself.

Luis Valdez

A Smudging Prayer - Metis Aboriginal Ministries
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.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and those who are afraid are not perfected in love. We love because God first loved us. If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother or sister, that person is a liar; for those who do not love their brothers and sisters whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.1 John 4:18-20

Christ our Passover     Pascha nostrum
1 Corinthians 5:7-8; Romans 6:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22

Alleluia. 
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us; * 
    therefore let us keep the feast, 
Not with old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, * 
    but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia.

Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; * 
    death no longer has dominion over him. 
The death that he died, he died to sin, once for all; * 
    but the life he lives, he lives to God. 
So also consider yourselves dead to sin, * 
    and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Alleluia.

Christ has been raised from the dead, * 
    the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 
For since by a man came death, * 
    by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 
For as in Adam all die, * 
    so in Christ shall all be made alive. Alleluia.


Psalm 96 Cantate Domino

1 Sing to the Lord a new song; *
sing to the Lord, all the whole earth.

2 Sing to the Lord and bless his Name; *
proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.

3 Declare his glory among the nations *
and his wonders among all peoples.

4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; *
he is more to be feared than all gods.

5 As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols; *
but it is the Lord who made the heavens.

6 Oh, the majesty and magnificence of his presence! *
Oh, the power and the splendor of his sanctuary!

7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples; *
ascribe to the Lord honor and power.

8 Ascribe to the Lord the honor due his Name; *
bring offerings and come into his courts.

9 Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; *
let the whole earth tremble before him.

10 Tell it out among the nations: "The Lord is King! *
he has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity."

11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea thunder and all that is in it; *
let the field be joyful and all that is therein.

12 Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy
before the Lord when he comes, *
when he comes to judge the earth.

13 He will judge the world with righteousness *
and the peoples with his truth.

Romans 14:1-12

Do Not Judge Another

14Welcome those who are weak in faith,* but not for the purpose of quarrelling over opinions. 2Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. 3Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgement on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. 4Who are you to pass judgement on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord* is able to make them stand.

5 Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. 6Those who observe the day, observe it in honour of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honour of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honour of the Lord and give thanks to God.

7 We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. 8If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

10 Why do you pass judgement on your brother or sister?* Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister?* For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God.* 11For it is written,
‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
   and every tongue shall give praise to* God.’ 
12So then, each of us will be accountable to God.*

THE CANTICLE OF THE SUN

O Most High, Almighty God: to You belong praise, glory, honor, and all blessing.
Praise be to You with all Your creatures: and especially our broth er the sun, who brings us the day and who brings us the light. Fair is he and shining with a very great splendor: O God, to us he signifies You.
Praise be to You for our sister the moon, and for the stars which You have set clear and lovely in the heavens.
Praise be to You for our brother the wind, and for air and cloud, calms and all weather, by which You uphold in life all creatures.
Praise be to You for our sister water, who is very serviceable unto us, and humble and precious and clean.
Praise be to You for our brother fire, through whom You give light in the darkness; and he is bright and pleasant, and very mighty and strong.
Praise be to You for our mother, the earth, which sustains us and keeps us, and brings forth diverse fruits, and flowers of many colors, and grass.
Praise be to You for all those who pardon one another for love’s sake, and who endure weakness and tribulation.
Blessed are they who peaceably shall endure, for You, O Most High, shall give them a crown.
Praise be to You for our sister the death of the body, from whom no one escapes.
We praise and bless and give thanks to You, O God, and serve You with great humility.

A Song of Judith
Judith 16:13-16
I will sing a new song to my God, *
for you are great and glorious, wonderful in strength, invincible.
Let the whole creation serve you, *
for you spoke and all things came into being.
You sent your breath and it formed them, *
no one is able to resist your voice.
Mountains and seas are stirred to their depths, *
rocks melt like wax at your presence.
But to those who fear you, *
you continue to show mercy.
No sacrifice, however fragrant, can please you, *
but whoever fears the Lord shall stand in your sight for ever.

John 15:9-11

9As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.


A Song of Our True Nature
Julian of Norwich

Christ revealed our frailty and our falling, *
our trespasses and our humiliations.
Christ also revealed his blessed power, *
his blessed wisdom and love.
He protects us as tenderly and as sweetly when we are in greatest need; *
he raises us in spirit
and turns everything to glory and joy without ending.
God is the ground and the substance, the very essence of nature;
*
God is the true father and mother of natures.
We are all bound to God by nature, *
and we are all bound to God by grace.
And this grace is for all the world, *
because it is our precious mother, Christ.
For this fair nature was prepared by Christ
for the honor and nobility of all, *
and for the joy and bliss of salvation.

We Praise You, O God Te Deum laudamus

We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
all creation worships you,
the Father everlasting.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
the cherubim and seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you took our flesh to set us free
you humbly chose the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come to be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting

Additional lessons to meditate upon for the feast day of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER

Genesis 1:14-19

14 And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, ¹⁵and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so. ¹⁶God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. ¹⁷God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth,¹⁸to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

Psalm 8 Domine, Dominus noster

1 O Lord our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!

2 Out of the mouths of infants and children *
your majesty is praised above the heavens.

3 You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, *
to quell the enemy and the avenger.

4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *
the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,

5 What is man that you should be mindful of him? *
the son of man that you should seek him out?

6 You have made him but little lower than the angels; *
you adorn him with glory and honor;

7 You give him mastery over the works of your hands; *
you put all things under his feet:

8 All sheep and oxen, *
even the wild beasts of the field,

9 The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, *
and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.

10 O Lord our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!

1 Corinthians 2:6-12

6 Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. ⁷But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. ⁸None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. ⁹But, as it is written,
‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
   nor the human heart conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him’— 
¹⁰these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. ¹¹For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. ¹²Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.

Matthew 2:1-11

2In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men^* from the East came to Jerusalem, ²asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising,^* and have come to pay him homage.’ ³When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah^* was to be born. ⁵They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 
⁶ “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
   are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
   who is to shepherd^* my people Israel.” ’

7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men^* and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ ⁹When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising,^* until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw that the star had stopped,^* they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Collects of the day

As the heavens declare your glory, O God, and the firmament shows your handiwork, we bless your Name for the gifts of knowledge and insight you bestowed upon Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler; and we pray that you would continue to advance our understanding of your cosmos, for our good and for your glory; through Jesus Christ, the firstborn of all creation, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Of a Scientist or Environmentalist

God of grace and glory, you create and sustain the universe in majesty and beauty: We thank you for [N. and] all in whom you have planted the desire to know your creation and to explore your work and wisdom. Lead us, like them, to understand better the wonder and mystery of creation; through Christ your eternal Word, through whom all things were made. Amen.

Space Exploration

 Creator of the universe, your dominion extends through the immensity of space: guide and guard those who seek to fathom its mysteries [especially N.N.]. Save us from arrogance lest we forget that our achievements are grounded in you, and, by the grace of your Holy Spirit, protect our travels beyond the reaches of earth, that we may glory ever more in the wonder of your creation: through Jesus Christ, your Word, by whom all things came to be, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Robert Frost: A Prayer in Spring

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;

And give us not to think so far away

As the uncertain harvest; keep us here

All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,

Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;

And make us happy in the happy bees,

The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird

That suddenly above the bees is heard,

The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,

And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,

The which it is reserved for You above

To sanctify to what far ends You will,

But which it only needs that we fulfill.

Ubi Caritas

Where charity and love are, God is there.

Christ's love has gathered us into one.

Let us rejoice and be pleased in Him.

Let us fear, and let us love the living God.

And may we love each other with a sincere heart.

Where charity and love are, God is there.

As we are gathered into one body,

Beware, lest we be divided in mind.

Let evil impulses stop, let controversy cease,

And may Christ our God be in our midst.

Where charity and love are, God is there.

And may we with the saints also,

See Thy face in glory, O Christ our God:

The joy that is immense and good,

Unto the ages through infinite ages. Amen.

God Who Stretched the Spangled heavens
Catherine Cameron
William Moore


Lyrics:

1 God, who stretched the spangled heavens,
infinite in time and place,
flung the suns in burning radiance
through the silent fields of space,
we your children, in your likeness,
share inventive powers with you.
Great Creator, still creating,
show us what we yet may do.

2 Proudly we rise our modern cities,
stately buildings, row on row;
yet their windows, blank, unfeeling,
stare on canyoned streets below,
where the lonely drift unnoticed
in the city's ebb and flow,
lost to purpose and to meaning,
scarcely caring where they go.

3 We have ventured worlds undreamed of
since the childhood of our race;
know the ecstasy of winging
through untraveled realms of space;
probed the secrets of the atom,
yielding unimagined power,
facing us with life's destruction
or our most triumphant hour.

4 As each far horizon beckons,
may it challenge us anew,
children of creative purpose,
serving others, honoring you.
May our dreams prove rich with promise,
each endeavor well begun.
Great Creator, give us guidance
till our goals and yours are one.

The Lord’s Prayer or the alternative is said.

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 this.

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.

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.

Always ask yourselves if  your attitudes of love, gratitude, and thanksgiving are bearing fruit.

Now let us be at prayer but first let us listen to this piece from Godspell- All Good Gifts 

God we thank you for all that you have brought into our lives this day. 

God we thank you for all our family members that help us to know and feel that we are never alone or invisible.

God we thank you for all those things that we may forget to be thankful for.

God we thank you for your Cathedral of  Life that sustains us and breathes life into our bodies, minds, and spirits. Help us to be good stewards and practice conservation of  all  your natural resources. We pray for an end to poaching and animal destruction. We pray for clean water and  solutions to climate change and global warming.

God we thank you for your healing of  all who are ill in body, mind, and spirit. Help us to lovingly respond to their needs. We pray especially for______________________

God we thank you for Jesus and our family members who have gone before us into Eternal Joy, and their many gifts that they brought to this world and in our lives. 

God we thank you for making us peacemakers help us to walk in the ways of peace and become your children. May those who do not know how to make peace may be shown that peace and love are better than violence, fear, and terror.

God we thank you for the least of these our family members who remind us everyday not to be complacent and look away. We pray this night for warm shelter, nourishing food, and warm clothing for our brothers and sisters who do not have access to these.

God we thank you for our voices to speak for the voiceless ones,  speak truth to power, and feet to march in peaceful non-violent protests in support of full inclusion, equality, universal human rights, and justice.

God we thank you for your son Jesus who called us to love all and not some and we lift up our prayers and thanksgivings in Jesus' name. 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.

A Song of Faith
1 Peter 1:3-4,18-21
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, *
by divine mercy we have a new birth into a living hope;
Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, *
we have an inheritance that is imperishable in heaven.
The ransom that was paid to free us *
was not paid in silver or gold,
But in the precious blood of Christ, *
the Lamb without spot or stain.
God raised Jesus from the dead and gave him glory *
so that we might have faith and hope in God.

Aristophanes: Elixir of Nations

From the murmur and subtlety of suspicion with which we vex one another, give us rest.

Make a new beginning, and mingle again the kindred of nations in the alchemy of love; and with some fine essence of forbearance, temper our minds.

Christ be within us to keep us,
beside us to guard,
before us to lead,
behind us to protect,
beneath us to support,
above us to bless.

The divine Spirit dwells in us.

Thanks be to God.

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Good Night Dear Ones! I love you! Have a blessed and restful night. Remember these prayers :

Fred Gillis: Meditation on Many Places

We come from many places seeking a center for our lives, a sense of wholeness.

We come from dry places where the words and the knowledge seem broken into brittle fragments that do not cohere.

We come from overfilled places where information abounds, but there is no real understanding.

We come from hard places where feelings are dulled, hollow places where meanings seem empty.

Now, at this time of quiet reflection, we come to be emptied and filled with life’s Spirit that flows in and among us and through the world.

Empty us of the clatter and confusion, the information we thought all-sufficient.

Quiet our minds; center our spirits; ground our being.

Enable us to find Your power that is already within us, power for love, creativity, hope.

Open our eyes to the sustenance that already surrounds and up holds us.

Help us to see the miracle of life in each moment and each cubic inch of space offering a gift of opportunity.

May our minds be open to wisdom, our spirits open to grace.

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.

Geoffrey S. Pain: For the Gifts of Science


God of truth and Lover of humanity, we praise You for the gifts of science, which have added to our well-being and deliv ered us from many agonies of pain. We rejoice in the long roll of scientists who rendered selfless service in the advancement of knowledge, including those who gave life itself in the battle against disease. We pray for the illumination of all who seek the cause and cure of the dangerously declining environment of the planet. Deliver us from the employment of Your gifts in the destruction of reason and life, whether in war or peace, so all the days of our years may contribute to the enhancement of the Earth.

With Love and Blessings!

Sara

Resources

A to Z Quotes

A New Zealand Prayer Book

Book of Common Prayer

Enriching our Worship 1

Prayers of Power

Satucket Lectionary

Walk With Me On Our Journey