We honor and call the names of our youth as we pray for the courage to follow their lead!
Good Evening Dear Ones!
Happy Monday! Today we heard from Greta Thunberg at the United Nations speaking on our current climate crises. We heard an articulate young woman speaking truth to power. How many of us could do this ? I'm not so sure that I would. Can you call out the names of young people who have spoken and speak truth to power? Let us give this a try!
I call the name of Greta Thunberg
I call the name of Malala Yousafzai
I call the name of Elizabeth Smart
I call the name of Joan of Arc
I call the name of the Prophet Jeremiah
I call the name of Emma Gonzalez
I call the name of Sara Mora
I call the name of Khloe Thompson
I call the name of Ruby Bridges
I call the name of Ruby Sales
I call the name of Aija Mayrock
I call the name of Marley Dias
I call the name of Lane Murdock
I call the name of Mari Copeny
I call the name of Deja Foxx
I call the name of Nupol Kiazolu
I call the name of Yara Shahidi
I call the name of Shamma bint Suhail Faris Mazrui
I call the name of Sophie Cruz
I call the name of Anne Frank
I call the name of Alexandra Scott
I call the name of Claudette Colvin
I call the name of Jazz Jennings
I call the name of Bana Alabed
I call the name of Audrey Faye Hendricks
I call the name of Capri Everitt
I call the name of Mary Shelley
I call the name of Yusra Mardini
I call the name of Margaret E. Knight
I call the name of Sylvia Mendez
I call the name of Bindi Irwin
I call the name of Cameron Kasky
I call the name of David Hogg
I call the name of Alex Wind
I call the name of Gavin Grimm
I call the name of Schuyler Bailar
I call the name of Ryan Jacobs Flores
I call the name of Yolanda Renee King
We add these names lovingly to our #WalkWithMeOnOurJourneysWallOfLoveHonorAndJustice
We Speak these names again! The Birmingham Church Bombing Victims
Addie Mae Collins (14)
If you Speak My Name I Will Live Forever.
Cynthia Wesley (14)
If you Speak My Name I Will Live Forever.
Carole Robertson (14)
If you Speak My Name I Will Live Forever.
Carol Denise McNair (11)
If you Speak My Name I Will Live Forever.
Let us meditate upon the word and theme of youth.
"Young people need models, not critics." ~ John Wooden
"The duty of youth is to challenge corruption." ~ Kurt Cobain
"We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends." ~ Mary McLeod Bethune
"I've never understood why people consider youth a time of freedom and joy. It's probably because they have forgotten their own." ~ Margaret Atwood
"You can never stop and as older people, we have to learn how to take leadership from the youth and I guess I would say that this is what I'm attempting to do right now." ~ Angela Davis
"The young, free to act on their initiative, can lead their elders in the direction of the unknown... The children, the young, must ask the questions that we would never think to ask, but enough trust must be re-established so that the elders will be permitted to work with them on the answers." ~ Margaret Mead
"It is not possible for civilization to flow backwards while there is youth in the world. Youth may be headstrong, but it will advance it allotted length." ~ Helen Keller
"The youth is the hope of our future." ~ Jose Rizal
"There is no obstacle in the path of young people who are poor or members of minority groups that hard work and preparation cannot cure." ~ Barbara Jordan
"The youth do not see the old. They are not programmed to see the old, who are cancelled, negated, wiped out." ~ Doris Lessing
"The task of youth is not only its own salvation but the salvation of those against whom it rebels, but in that case there must be something vital to rebel against and if the elderly stiffly refuse to put up a vigorous front of their own, it leaves the entire situation in a mist." ~ Jane Addams
"Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts itself off from its youth severs its lifeline; it is condemned to bleed to death." ~ Kofi Annan
Come let us worship:
Joseph Barth: A Grace
We give thanks for Being;
We give thanks for being here;
We give thanks for being here together.
Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, 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?
1 Corinthians 13:11
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes; these have been redeemed from humanity as first fruits for God and the Lamb. Revelation 14:4
I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them and give them gladness for sorrow. Jeremiah 31:13
"The wolf will live with the lamb,
and the leopard will lie down with the young goat;
the calf and the young lion will feed together,
and a little child will lead them."
Isaiah 11:6
"Jesus was telling them a parable about their need to pray continuously and not to be discouraged. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him, asking, ‘Give me justice in this case against my adversary.’ For a while he refused but finally said to himself, I don’t fear God or respect people, but I will give this widow justice because she keeps bothering me. Otherwise, there will be no end to her coming here and embarrassing me.” The Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. Won’t God provide justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he be slow to help them? I tell you, he will give them justice quickly. But when the Human One comes, will he find faithfulness on earth?”
Luke 18:1-8
“In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions”
- Acts 2:17
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." - Matthew 5:9
“This meeting fervently recommends to the deep attention of all our members, that they be religiously guarded against approving or showing the least connivance at war, either by attending at or viewing military operations, or in any wise encouraging the unstable deceitful spirit of party, by joining with political devices or associations, however speciously disguised under the ensnaring subtleties commonly attendant thereon…As we are called out of wars and fightings, so let them be as seldom as possible the subjects of our conversations; but let an holy care rest upon us, to abide in that power which gives dominion over the hopes and fears that arise from the concerns of an unstable world, which tend, as they are admitted into the mind, to lessen the trust on that rock which is immovable.”
- Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, 1806, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice (Quakers)
We light our candles in honor of all the youth in the world who are speaking truth to power and leading us on the path of change.
We offer this prayer for parents-
THE PRAYER OF A PARENT - Anonymous
Now that the children are asleep, dear God, I am tired and would spend a half hour in stillness.
May my burning heart feel Your ever-renewing power. May I not be unduly annoyed by the little things of life. You give me a large view, a sense of proportion, so I can truly judge what is important, what is not.
I turn to You for strength to be a fine parent to my children, knowing how to help them to unfold their dreams as well as to care for their bodies. May they grow up healthy, creatively affirming life.
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.
O Gracious Light Phos hilaron
O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.
or this setting
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.
Hail, gladdening Light, of God’s pure glory poured,
Who is the immortal Father, heavenly, blest,
Holiest of holies, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Who is the immortal Father, heavenly, blest,
Holiest of holies, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Now we are come to the sun’s hour of rest,
The lights of evening round us shine,
We hymn the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit divine.
The lights of evening round us shine,
We hymn the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit divine.
Worthiest art thou at all times to be sung,
With undefilèd tongue,
Son of our God, Giver of life, alone!
Therefore in all the world thy glories, Lord, they own.
With undefilèd tongue,
Son of our God, Giver of life, alone!
Therefore in all the world thy glories, Lord, they own.
Gracious and loving God as we meet in community this evening to pray and light candles let us remember all of our family members who do not have community, family, where loving shoulders and soft places in which to fall are available. We pray for the lost, lonely, and afraid that they may be found and brought into the family of God and wrapped in a quilt of comfort. We pray for our family members who are refugees, asylum seekers, children in foster care, children who are seeking to be adopted and all who are waiting for their forever homes wherever that may be. We pray that we may practice radical hospitality and welcome all of our family members and especially the strangers who are in our midst. We pray that we may keep our eyes on all of our loved ones and pray that no one, not one will fall through the cracks. We pray that a community of CALM (Compassion, Acceptance, Love, and Mercy) may spring up around the world and especially where there is hatred, violence, terror, and division. We pray that peace, justice, and mercy may prevail upon Earth, that we may be peacemakers and called the Children of God. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer: Forgive Us, O God
Forgive, O God, those national sins which so easily beset us: our wanton waste of soil and air and water; our desecration of natural beauty; our heedlessness of those who come after us, if only we be served; our lust for money; our contempt for what is small and worship of what is big. For wrongs done to our land, our people, our heritage, and our future, as well as for things left undone, forgive us, O God.
Book of Common Prayer: Forgive Us, O God
Forgive, O God, those national sins which so easily beset us: our wanton waste of soil and air and water; our desecration of natural beauty; our heedlessness of those who come after us, if only we be served; our lust for money; our contempt for what is small and worship of what is big. For wrongs done to our land, our people, our heritage, and our future, as well as for things left undone, forgive us, O God.
Beacon Song and Service Book: The Work of the World
Wondrous giver of all things, this world is full of Your riches. We thank You for the splendor of nature and for Your bountiful provision for our human needs. May we not waste Your gifts nor needlessly ignore the welfare of others in our use of them. We seek to do our part in the work of the world, and so enter into fellowship with all who toil and all who create. We would recognize the right of every human being to share in what You give. We would help to make our planet a true home for all of Your children, where each may have an equal opportunity both for work and for the rewards of work.
Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone's face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love?' These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will be many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.
Henri Nouwen
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.
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.
We must dissent from the indifference. We must dissent from the apathy. We must dissent from the fear, the hatred and the mistrust. We must dissent from a nation that has buried its head in the sand, waiting in vain for the needs of its poor, its elderly, and its sick to disappear and just blow away. We must dissent from a government that has left its young without jobs, education or hope. We must dissent from the poverty of vision and the absence of moral leadership. We must dissent because America can do better, because America has no choice but to do better." - Thurgood Marshall
A prayer from The Arusha Call to Discipleship
Loving God, we thank you for the gift of life in all its diversity and beauty. Lord Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, we praise you that you came to find the lost, to free the oppressed, to heal the sick, and to convert the self-centred. Holy Spirit, we rejoice that you breathe in the life of the world and are poured out into our hearts. As we live in the Spirit, may we also walk in the Spirit. Grant us faith and courage to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus: becoming pilgrims of justice and peace in our time. For the blessing of your people, the sustaining of the earth, and the glory of your name. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Loving God, we thank you for the gift of life in all its diversity and beauty. Lord Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, we praise you that you came to find the lost, to free the oppressed, to heal the sick, and to convert the self-centred. Holy Spirit, we rejoice that you breathe in the life of the world and are poured out into our hearts. As we live in the Spirit, may we also walk in the Spirit. Grant us faith and courage to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus: becoming pilgrims of justice and peace in our time. For the blessing of your people, the sustaining of the earth, and the glory of your name. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
In Lak 'Ech by Luis Valdez
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.
God, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
Great Friend,
May I 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.
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 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
- Luke Nephew
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 our creator and redeemer, you call us to be bold and brave in body and faith. You call us to rise in body and spirit to love and serve each other, you, and all creation. Let us not grow weary as we remain persistent in our demands for climate justice. Walk with us, dear God. Amen.
Lord Jesus, remind us daily of who we are and who you have called us to be – a people committed to loving you and loving your people and all of creation with all of who we are. And let us be true to that calling every day.
We are moulded, each one of us,
in the image of God,
and within our souls there is a fingerprint
none can erase.
We pray for those who have no regard
for anyone but self,
who put no value on human life.
For nations and individuals who abuse and kill.
We are not called to be judge or jury,
but we are called to be agents of change,
and if the butterfly that flaps its wings
should be our attitude to others
then so be it, Lord,
and may the hurricane this generates
somewhere within the world
reach into the hearts and souls of those
for whom we pray, and reveal to them
how precious are those
for whom they have no love,
and how precious are they
who now bring tears to the eyes of God.
- A Prayer for Peace from the Jesuit International Day of Peace page
This Week's Rule Reflection from The Northumbria Community!
We can do worse than remember a principle which gives us a firm rock and leaves the maximum elasticity for our minds: the principle ‘Hold to Christ and for the rest be totally uncommitted’ Herbert Butterfield
Psalm 119:33–40
He Legem pone
33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, *
and I shall keep it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law; *
I shall keep it with all my heart.
35 Make me go in the path of your commandments, *
for that is my desire.
36 Incline my heart to your decrees *
and not to unjust gain.
37 Turn my eyes from watching what is worthless; *
give me life in your ways.
38 Fulfill your promise to your servant, *
which you make to those who fear you.
39 Turn away the reproach which I dread, *
because your judgments are good.
40 Behold, I long for your commandments; *
in your righteousness preserve my life.
1 Corinthians 9:1�10
The Rights of an Apostle
9Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 This is my defence to those who would examine me. 4Do we not have the right to our food and drink? 5Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife,* as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? 6Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? 7Who at any time pays the expenses for doing military service? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not get any of its milk?
8 Do I say this on human authority? Does not the law also say the same? 9For it is written in the law of Moses, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.’ Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10Or does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was indeed written for our sake, for whoever ploughs should plough in hope and whoever threshes should thresh in hope of a share in the crop.
A Song of Wisdom Sapientia liberavit
Wisdom 10:15-19,20b-21
Wisdom freed from a nation of oppressors *
a holy people and a blameless race.
She entered the soul of a servant of the Lord, *
withstood dread rulers with wonders and signs.
To the saints she gave the reward of their labors, *
and led them by a marvelous way;
She was their shelter by day *
and a blaze of stars by night.
She brought them across the Red Sea, *
she led them through mighty waters;
But their enemies she swallowed in the waves *
and spewed them out from the depths of the abyss.
And then, Lord, the righteous sang hymns to your Name, *
and praised with one voice your protecting hand;
For Wisdom opened the mouths of the mute, *
and gave speech to the tongues of a new-born people.
Luke 24:13�35
The Walk to Emmaus
13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles* from Jerusalem, 14and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad.* 18Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ 19He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth,* who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.* Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. 22Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’ 25Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26Was it not necessary that the Messiah* should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ 27Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them. 30When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us* while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ 33That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34They were saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
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
The Lord’s Prayer or the alternative is said. (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.
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.
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.
Collects for the day from A New Zealand Prayer Book, Book of Common Prayer
Holy Father,
your Son was saved from the slaughter of infants
at the hand of Herod;
grant that we may never be indifferent
to the sufferings of your children,
but may bring them help and compassion
in your unfailing love;
for he is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever.
Amen.
Loving Jesus,
let the tears of Rachel express our desolation,
let her weep for battered babies and clinical deformity,
weep for human cruelty and ignorance and arrogance.
Loving Jesus, may we weep with her,
may we see what we are doing,
what is happening to us;
help us repair it soon.
Praise to you our God; you answer prayer.
Amen.
God of liberating power, empower courageous evangelists among us, that men and women everywhere may know the freedom that you offer; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
For the Human Family
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
For our Enemies
O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love
our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth:
deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in
your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For those who suffer for the sake of Conscience
O God our Father, whose Son forgave his enemies while he
was suffering shame and death: Strengthen those who suffer
for the sake of conscience; when they are accused, save them
from speaking in hate; when they are rejected, save them
from bitterness; when they are imprisoned, save them from
despair; and to us your servants, give grace to respect their
witness and to discern the truth, that our society may be
cleansed and strengthened. This we ask for the sake of Jesus
Christ, our merciful and righteous Judge. Amen.
For Social Justice
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so
move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the
people of this land], that barriers which divide us may
crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our
divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
In Times of Conflict
O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us,
in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront
one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work
together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
For the Poor and the Neglected
Almighty and most merciful God, we remember before you
all poor and neglected persons whom it would be easy for us
to forget: the homeless and the destitute, the old and the sick,
and all who have none to care for them. Help us to heal those
who are broken in body or spirit, and to turn their sorrow
into joy. Grant this, Father, for the love of your Son, who for
our sake became poor, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For the Oppressed
Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this
land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as
their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to
eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those
who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law
and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of
us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For the Right Use of God's Gifts
Almighty God, whose loving hand hath given us all that we
possess: Grant us grace that we may honor thee with our
substance, and, remembering the account which we must one
day give, may be faithful stewards of thy bounty, through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For those who Influence Public Opinion
Almighty God, you proclaim your truth in every age by many
voices: Direct, in our time, we pray, those who speak where
many listen and write what many read; that they may do their
part in making the heart of this people wise, its mind sound, and
its will righteous; to the honor of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Knowledge of God's Creation
Almighty and everlasting God, you made the universe with
all its marvelous order, its atoms, worlds, and galaxies, and
the infinite complexity of living creatures: Grant that, as we
probe the mysteries of your creation, we may come to know
you more truly, and more surely fulfill our role in your
eternal purpose; in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For the Conservation of Natural Resources
Almighty God, in giving us dominion over things on earth,
you made us fellow workers in your creation: Give us wisdom
and reverence so to use the resources of nature, that no one
may suffer from our abuse of them, and that generations yet
to come may continue to praise you for your bounty; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For the Harvest of Lands and Waters
O gracious Father, who openest thine hand and fillest all
things living with plenteousness: Bless the lands and waters,
and multiply the harvests of the world; let thy Spirit go
forth, that it may renew the face of the earth; show thy
loving-kindness, that our land may give her increase; and
save us from selfish use of what thou givest, that men and
women everywhere may give thee thanks; through Christ
our Lord. Amen.
For Rain
O God, heavenly Father, who by thy Son Jesus Christ
hast promised to all those who seek thy kingdom and its
righteousness all things necessary to sustain their life: Send
us, we entreat thee, in this time of need, such moderate rain
and showers, that we may receive the fruits of the earth, to
our comfort and to thy honor; through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
For the Future of the Human Race
O God our heavenly Father, you have blessed us and given us
dominion over all the earth: Increase our reverence before
the mystery of life; and give us new insight into your purposes
for the human race, and new wisdom and determination in
making provision for its future in accordance with your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For the Diversity of Races and Cultures
O God, who created all peoples in your image, we thank you
for the wonderful diversity of races and cultures in this world.
Enrich our lives by ever-widening circles of fellowship, and
show us your presence in those who differ most from us, until
our knowledge of your love is made perfect in our love for all
your children; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For the Beauty of the Earth
We give you thanks, most gracious God, for the beauty of
earth and sky and sea; for the richness of mountains, plains,
and rivers; for the songs of birds and the loveliness of flowers.
We praise you for these good gifts, and pray that we may
safeguard them for our posterity. Grant that we may continue
to grow in our grateful enjoyment of your abundant creation,
to the honor and glory of your Name, now and for ever. Amen.
For the Harvest
Most gracious God, by whose knowledge the depths are
broken up and the clouds drop down the dew: We yield thee
hearty thanks and praise for the return of seed time and harvest,
for the increase of the ground and the gathering in of its fruits,
and for all other blessings of thy merciful providence
bestowed upon this nation and people. And, we beseech thee,
give us a just sense of these great mercies, such as may appear
in our lives by a humble, holy, and obedient walking before
thee all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom,
with thee and the Holy Ghost be all glory and honor, world
without end. Amen.
The Beatitudes Matthew 5:3–12
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. (5:3)
Blessed are those who mourn: for they will be comforted. (5:4)
Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth. (5:5)
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be filled. (5:6)
Blessed are the merciful: for they will be shown mercy. (5:7)
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they will see God. (5:8)
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they will be called children of God. (5:9)
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (5:10
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. (5:3)
Blessed are those who mourn: for they will be comforted. (5:4)
Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth. (5:5)
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be filled. (5:6)
Blessed are the merciful: for they will be shown mercy. (5:7)
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they will see God. (5:8)
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they will be called children of God. (5:9)
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (5:10
Holy God we come before you this night with many things on our heart and minds.
We ask that you be with us as we pray for ourselves and others.
We pray in remembrance of those who have entered the Thin Places and for all who mourn especially_____________
We pray for all those who are receiving hospice care and who are dying. We pray for our family members,hospice workers, clergy, and friends who sit vigil at bedside.
We pray for all refugees who are seeking asylum in any country. . Help us to be welcoming to all refugees where ever they may come from Help us to fine tune our thinking and recognize that our family members who may be illegal immigrants may be actually refugees. Help us to see them as The Least of These.
We pray for all who are ill and have chronic illnesses and pain. That they may be healed, comforted, and that their suffering will be relieved.
We pray that there may be peace in this world ant that we may be united in love as Your Family O, God.
We pray for all our most vulnerable family members who are in need of shelter, food, clothing, medical care, and a comforting and compassionate ear and soft place to fall.
We pray for the stranger, resident alien, and all of our family members whom we have yet to meet. May we be welcoming, loving, and compassionate.
God settle our bodies, minds, and spirits as we take our rest tonight. Be with those who have asked us to pray especially____________ heal, relieve, comfort and may they feel your abiding love and presence.
All this we ask in Jesus Most Holy Name. Amen.
We ask that you be with us as we pray for ourselves and others.
We pray in remembrance of those who have entered the Thin Places and for all who mourn especially_____________
We pray for all those who are receiving hospice care and who are dying. We pray for our family members,hospice workers, clergy, and friends who sit vigil at bedside.
We pray for all refugees who are seeking asylum in any country. . Help us to be welcoming to all refugees where ever they may come from Help us to fine tune our thinking and recognize that our family members who may be illegal immigrants may be actually refugees. Help us to see them as The Least of These.
We pray for all who are ill and have chronic illnesses and pain. That they may be healed, comforted, and that their suffering will be relieved.
We pray that there may be peace in this world ant that we may be united in love as Your Family O, God.
We pray for all our most vulnerable family members who are in need of shelter, food, clothing, medical care, and a comforting and compassionate ear and soft place to fall.
We pray for the stranger, resident alien, and all of our family members whom we have yet to meet. May we be welcoming, loving, and compassionate.
God settle our bodies, minds, and spirits as we take our rest tonight. Be with those who have asked us to pray especially____________ heal, relieve, comfort and may they feel your abiding love and presence.
All this we ask in Jesus Most Holy Name. Amen.
From Prayers of Power
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.
FOR WORLD NEIGHBORLINESS - Peter Marshall
O God, we pray for a broader vision of the needs of humanity, and a deeper compassion to fill those needs; for a planting of the seeds of concern for all humanity in our hearts; for a tapping of the wells of generosity.
May we live together as people who have been forgiven a great debt.
May we be gentle, walking softly with one another.
May we be understanding, lest we shall add to the world’s sorrow or cause to flow needless tears.
May we be as anxious for the rights of others as we are for our own.
May we be as eager to forgive as we are to seek forgiveness.
May we know no barriers of creed or race or sex, that our love may be like Yours—a love that sees all people as Your children and our kin.
May we be ministers of humanity.
James Martineau: Prayer
A PRAYER OF CONSECRATION- James Martineau
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.
Diann Neu: Blessed Be Our Hands
Blessed be the work of our hands.
Blessed be these hands that touch life.
Blessed be these hands that nurture creativity.
Blessed be these hands that hold pain.
Blessed be these hands that embrace with passion.
Blessed be these hands that tend gardens.
Blessed bed these hands that close in anger.
Blessed be these hands that plant new seeds.
Blessed be these hands that harvest ripe fields.
Blessed be these hands that clean, wash, mop, scrub.
Blessed be these hands that become knotty with age.
Blessed be these hands that wrinkle and scar from doing justice.
Blessed are these hands that reach out and are received.
Blessed are these hands that hold the promise of the future.
Blessed be the works of our hands and hearts.
Walter Rauschenbusch: Prayers
FOR OUR WORLD, OUR EARTH
O God, we thank You for this universe, our great home; for the vastness and richness of our cosmic environment; for the manifoldness of life on the planet of which we are a part.
We are thankful for the morning sun and the clouds and the constellations of stars.
We rejoice in the salt sea and the deep waters and green leaves of grass.
We thank You for our sense by which we experience earth’s splendor.
We would have souls open to all this joy, souls saved from being so weighted with care that we pass unseeing when the thornbush by the wayside is aflame with beauty.
Enlarge within us a sense of fellowship with all that lives and moves and has being in space and time, especially with all who share this earth as their common home with us.
Remembering with shame that in the past, we human beings have all too often exercised high dominion with ruthless cruelty, we admit that the voice of the earth, which should have gone up to You in song, has been a groan of travail.
May we so live that our world may not be ravished by our greed nor spoiled by our ignorance.
May we hand on earth’s common heritage of life, undiminished in joy when our bodies return in peace to You, our Great Mother who has nourished them.
EVENING PRAYER
O God, we praise You for the night and for sleep. Release our limbs of toil. Smooth our brow of care. Grant us a refreshing draught of forgetfulness. Comfort those who toss on a bed of pain, or whose nerves crave sleep and find it not. Save them from despondent thoughts in the darkness. May they learn to lean on Your all-pervading life and love so, their souls may grow tranquil and their bodies may rest.
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.
FOR WORLD NEIGHBORLINESS - Peter Marshall
O God, we pray for a broader vision of the needs of humanity, and a deeper compassion to fill those needs; for a planting of the seeds of concern for all humanity in our hearts; for a tapping of the wells of generosity.
May we live together as people who have been forgiven a great debt.
May we be gentle, walking softly with one another.
May we be understanding, lest we shall add to the world’s sorrow or cause to flow needless tears.
May we be as anxious for the rights of others as we are for our own.
May we be as eager to forgive as we are to seek forgiveness.
May we know no barriers of creed or race or sex, that our love may be like Yours—a love that sees all people as Your children and our kin.
May we be ministers of humanity.
James Martineau: Prayer
A PRAYER OF CONSECRATION- James Martineau
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.
Diann Neu: Blessed Be Our Hands
Blessed be the work of our hands.
Blessed be these hands that touch life.
Blessed be these hands that nurture creativity.
Blessed be these hands that hold pain.
Blessed be these hands that embrace with passion.
Blessed be these hands that tend gardens.
Blessed bed these hands that close in anger.
Blessed be these hands that plant new seeds.
Blessed be these hands that harvest ripe fields.
Blessed be these hands that clean, wash, mop, scrub.
Blessed be these hands that become knotty with age.
Blessed be these hands that wrinkle and scar from doing justice.
Blessed are these hands that reach out and are received.
Blessed are these hands that hold the promise of the future.
Blessed be the works of our hands and hearts.
Walter Rauschenbusch: Prayers
FOR OUR WORLD, OUR EARTH
O God, we thank You for this universe, our great home; for the vastness and richness of our cosmic environment; for the manifoldness of life on the planet of which we are a part.
We are thankful for the morning sun and the clouds and the constellations of stars.
We rejoice in the salt sea and the deep waters and green leaves of grass.
We thank You for our sense by which we experience earth’s splendor.
We would have souls open to all this joy, souls saved from being so weighted with care that we pass unseeing when the thornbush by the wayside is aflame with beauty.
Enlarge within us a sense of fellowship with all that lives and moves and has being in space and time, especially with all who share this earth as their common home with us.
Remembering with shame that in the past, we human beings have all too often exercised high dominion with ruthless cruelty, we admit that the voice of the earth, which should have gone up to You in song, has been a groan of travail.
May we so live that our world may not be ravished by our greed nor spoiled by our ignorance.
May we hand on earth’s common heritage of life, undiminished in joy when our bodies return in peace to You, our Great Mother who has nourished them.
EVENING PRAYER
O God, we praise You for the night and for sleep. Release our limbs of toil. Smooth our brow of care. Grant us a refreshing draught of forgetfulness. Comfort those who toss on a bed of pain, or whose nerves crave sleep and find it not. Save them from despondent thoughts in the darkness. May they learn to lean on Your all-pervading life and love so, their souls may grow tranquil and their bodies may rest.
Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of
the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you
may do his will, working in you that which is pleasing in his
sight; through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and
ever. Hebrews 13:20-21
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or
weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who
sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless
the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the
joyous; and all for your love's sake. 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.
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)
Good Night Beloved Ones. May peace be upon you all this night and always and know that you are loved.
Sending love, prayers, hugs, and blessings!
Sara
Resources:
BCP-Online
BCP-Online
Good Reads
A New Zealand Prayer Book
Satucket Lectionary
A New Zealand Prayer Book
Satucket Lectionary
Metis Aboriginal Ministries
Walk With Me On Our Journey
Enriching Our Worship 1
Prayers of Power
A to Z Quotes
All other sources as noted
Enriching Our Worship 1
Prayers of Power
A to Z Quotes
All other sources as noted
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