Good Evening Beloved Ones!
Happy Sunday! I hope everyone has managed to spend Sabbath time. I have. Today we look to the word balm and the lesson from Jeremiah. What does the word balm mean to you? Let us begin tonight's time together looking up the meaning and then its etymology. Our quotes to ponder today are from Henri Nouwen who died September 21, 1996. He wrote many wonderful books. My favorite was and is THE WOUNDED HEALER.
Now let us look at the word balm:
noun
- 1.a fragrant ointment or preparation used to heal or soothe the skin.
- 2.a tree which yields a fragrant resinous substance, especially one used in medicine.
- 3.a bushy herb of the mint family, with leaves smelling and tasting of lemon.
Here is our featured lesson for today:
Jeremiah 8:18-9:1
The Prophet Mourns for the People
18 My joy is gone, grief is upon me,
my heart is sick.
19 Hark, the cry of my poor people
from far and wide in the land:
‘Is the Lord not in Zion?
Is her King not in her?’
(‘Why have they provoked me to anger with their images,
with their foreign idols?’)
20 ‘The harvest is past, the summer is ended,
and we are not saved.’
21 For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt,
I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why then has the health of my poor people
not been restored?
9*O that my head were a spring of water,
and my eyes a fountain of tears,
so that I might weep day and night
for the slain of my poor people!
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Let us ponder these quotes by Henri Nouwen:
"Nobody escapes being wounded. We are all wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. The main question is not, 'How can we hide our wounds?' so we don't have to be embarrassed, but 'How can we put our woundedness in the service of others?' When our wounds cease to be a source of shame, and become a source of healing, we have become wounded healers." ~ Henri Nouwen
“The beginning and the end of all Christian leadership is to give your life for others.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society
"Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human." ~ Henri Nouwen
“Compassion is born when we discover in the center of our own existence not only that God is God and man is man, but also that our neighbor is really our fellow man.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society
"Pay attention to the people God puts in your path if you want to discern what God is up to in your life." ~ Henri Nouwen
“Christian leaders are called to help others affirm this great news, and to make visible in daily events the fact that behind the dirty curtain of our painful symptoms there is something great to be seen: the face of God in whose image we are shaped.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society
"Hope is willing to leave unanswered questions unanswered and unknown futures unknown. Hope makes you see God's guiding hand not only in the gentle and pleasant moments but also in the shadows of disappointment and darkness." ~ Henri Nouwen
"In a world so torn apart by rivalry, anger, and hatred, we have the privileged vocation to be living signs of a love that can bridge all divisions and heal all wounds." ~ Henri Nouwen
"Keep a space where God can let something totally new take place." ~ Henri Nouwen
"The church is not an institution forcing us to follow rules but a community inviting us to still our hunger and thirst at its table." ~ Henri Nouwen
"Dear God, I am so afraid to open my clenched fists! Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to? Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands? Please help me to gradually open my hands and to discover that I am not what I own, but what you want to give me." ~ Henri Nouwen
"From the moment we claim the truth of being the beloved, we are faced with the call to become who we are." ~ Henri Nouwen
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Come let us worship!
"Learning to weep, learning to keep vigil, learning to wait for the dawn. Perhaps this is what it means to be human." ~ Henri Nouwen
The righteous will be remembered for ever: the memory of the righteous is a blessing. Psalm 112:6; Proverbs 10:7
"In our own woundedness, we can become sources of life for others." ~ Henri Nouwen
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
"You have to listen to the one who calls you beloved. That has to be affirmed over and over again. That is prayer - listening to the voice of the one who calls you "the beloved."" ~ Henri Nouwen
Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6
"The beginning and the end of all Christian leadership is to give your life for others." ~ Henri Nouwen
When anyone is united to Christ, there is a new world; the old order has gone, and a new order has already begun. 2 Corinthians 5:17
"Peace is first of all the art of being." ~ Henri Nouwen
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
"Be sure that you make a difference in the world." ~ Henri Nouwen
Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. Matthew 28:19–20
"Jesus didn't say, 'Blessed are those who care for the poor.' He said, 'Blessed are we where we are poor, where we are broken.' It is there that God loves us deeply and pulls us into deeper communion with himself." ~ Henri Nouwen
For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6
You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9
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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.
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.
We light our candles and make vigil and pray for all who are suffering around the world. We remember our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Texas, Florida, and all over the world where there are disasters and national stress. With undefilèd tongue,
Son of our God, Giver of life, alone!
Therefore in all the world thy glories, Lord, they own.
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.
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.
We Join together in prayer
We join our hearts with all of our brothers and sisters all over the world God as your family of love, peace, and mercy to pray for our family members who have become refugees, outcasts, and the persecuted.
We join our hands and hearts in love and pray for peace. God may we with you become peace makers.
We join our hands, feet, eyes, ears, and voices in service to you God.
We join our voices to speak truth to power and to speak out for the least of these.
We join our minds to help become the educated Children of God.
We join our hands and hearts in prayers for those who have come to us asking for prayers on behalf of others.
We join our hearts in prayer with those who mourn and those who are keeping vigil at the bedside of their loved ones who are transitioning into the glorious Heavenly Thin Places.
We join our voices, hands, feet, and minds to speak out for health care, human rights, the homeless, the hungry and the lost, Help us to feed these hungry hearts with courage and love.
We join our prayers for those who are dying and those who have died today.
We join our bodies to help become stewards of God's Cathedral of life.
We join our hearts in love and pray for an end to hate and violence.
We join together to pray that there may be an end to war and terror in this Your Fragile and broken world O God.
We join together to add our prayers, thanksgivings, celebrations, and remembrances to you now O God. Accept these our prayers in the Name of your only Son Jesus. Amen.
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
Tonight I ask us all to take the Matthew 25 Pledge again and again until poverty at home and abroad is vanquished. Here is the pledge.
I pledge to protect and defend vulnerable people in the name of Jesus.
God, we pray this night for all who are houseless. Give us courage to find ways to help our family members in times of need and varieties of shelter to meet their needs.
I pledge to protect and defend vulnerable people in the name of Jesus.
God, we pray for all who are food insecure and that we may seek ways to collaborate with food banks, SNAP, and Meals on Wheels programs.
I pledge to protect and defend vulnerable people in the name of Jesus.
God, we pray for education and job training programs for our family members who are older and disabled.
I pledge to protect and defend vulnerable people in the name of Jesus.
God, we pray for all who have been caregivers, cancer patients where income is a problem and has led them into poverty through no fault of their own.
I pledge to protect and defend vulnerable people in the name of Jesus.
God, we pray for all who are mentally ill and cannot find food, clothing, shelter and are being banished from city streets and buildings just by being who they are.
I pledge to protect and defend vulnerable people in the name of Jesus.
God ,we pray for all who are living in domestic poverty of all kinds.
I pledge to protect and defend vulnerable people in the name of Jesus.
For whom and what shall we pray____________
We pray this day for everyone who traveled to any Detention Center, Stood up against Gun Violence,and _______________.
We continue to pray for continued activism in the areas of Criminal Justice Reform, Peace Building, and Domestic Poverty.
We lift up these our prayers in Jesus Holy Name.
I pledge to protect and defend vulnerable people in the name of Jesus.
79 Deus, venerunt
1 O God, the heathen have come into your inheritance;
they have profaned your holy temple; *
they have made Jerusalem a heap of rubble.
.
2 They have given the bodies of your servants as food for the birds of the air, *
and the flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the field.
3 They have shed their blood like water on every side of Jerusalem, *
and there was no one to bury them.
4 We have become a reproach to our neighbors, *
an object of scorn and derision to those around us.
5 How long will you be angry, O Lord? *
will your fury blaze like fire for ever?
6 Pour out your wrath upon the heathen who have not known you *
and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon your Name.
7 For they have devoured Jacob *
and made his dwelling a ruin.
8 Remember not our past sins;
let your compassion be swift to meet us; *
for we have been brought very low.
9 Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your Name; *
deliver us and forgive us our sins, for your Name's sake.
113 Laudate, pueri
1 Hallelujah!
Give praise, you servants of the Lord; *
praise the Name of the Lord.
2 Let the Name of the Lord be blessed, *
from this time forth for evermore.
3 From the rising of the sun to its going down *
let the Name of the Lord be praised.
4 The Lord is high above all nations, *
and his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God, who sits enthroned on high, *
but stoops to behold the heavens and the earth?
6 He takes up the weak out of the dust *
and lifts up the poor from the ashes.
7 He sets them with the princes, *
with the princes of his people.
8 He makes the woman of a childless house *
to be a joyful mother of children.
Amos 8:4-7
4 Hear this, you that trample on the needy,
and bring to ruin the poor of the land,
5 saying, ‘When will the new moon be over
so that we may sell grain;
and the sabbath,
so that we may offer wheat for sale?
We will make the ephah small and the shekel great,
and practise deceit with false balances,
6 buying the poor for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
and selling the sweepings of the wheat.’
7 The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Instructions concerning Prayer
2First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings should be made for everyone, 2for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. 3This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, 4who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5For
there is one God;
there is also one mediator between God and humankind,
Christ Jesus, himself human,
6 who gave himself a ransom for all
—this was attested at the right time. 7For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth,* I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Luke 16:1-13
The Parable of the Dishonest Manager
16Then Jesus* said to the disciples, ‘There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. 2So he summoned him and said to him, “What is this that I hear about you? Give me an account of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.” 3Then the manager said to himself, “What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.” 5So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, “How much do you owe my master?” 6He answered, “A hundred jugs of olive oil.” He said to him, “Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.” 7Then he asked another, “And how much do you owe?” He replied, “A hundred containers of wheat.” He said to him, “Take your bill and make it eighty.” 8And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. 9And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth* so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.*
10 ‘Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth,* who will entrust to you the true riches? 12And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? 13No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.’*
Settings of the Lord's Prayer from A New Zealand Prayer Book!
As Christ teaches us we pray
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.
Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith: We give you heartfelt thanks for the pioneering spirit of your servant Philander Chase, and for his zeal in opening new frontiers for the ministry of your Church. Grant us grace to minister in Christ's name in every place, led by bold witnesses to the Gospel of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to
love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among
things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall
endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Almighty God,
fount of all wisdom, crown of all knowledge;
give us eyes to see
and minds to understand your marvelous works,
that we may know you through your handiwork
and use your creations to your glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Kyrie for the Magdalene
God help us to be calm and instill our hearts and heart homes with compassion, acceptance, love and mercy and may we have the necessary Love Energy to accomplish the many things you are calling us to do.
God help us to calm down and be more mindful as we go through all the hustle and bustle of this new season and beyond.
God help us to be more reverent in our devotion and worship to you at church, home, out and about and in your Cathedral of Life.
God help us to take time to care for ourselves and others, being mindful of our needs and our family members.
God help us to be attentive to all of our family members who are ill. Help us to be co-healers with you and that they may know that they are loved and cared for. May we be mindful of all of their struggles in body, mind, and spirit.
God give us courage to examine all the facts in the daily news cycle and speak truth to power.
God give us the mind of your Son Jesus Christ that we may model our lives after Him.
God give us the courage to lovingly respond and care for your children who are the least of these.
God make us to be the peacemakers that you need us to be to help love,heal, and care for your world and may we lovingly respond to the needs of all of our family members who are victims of war, violence, terror, and human trafficking.
God give us an awareness of those things that cause us to be a divided world and may we learn what it means to be truly your family and love one another.
God we pray for all faith leaders who need the courage to learn how to be united in love, peace, and harmony and accept belief systems that may differ from their own.
God we pray for all who are seeking employment and discerning new life paths.
God we offer our prayers and thanksgivings to you for ourselves and on behalf of those who have asked us to pray and those who haven't the courage to ask for prayers.
God we lift up these our prayers, thanksgivings, celebrations, and remembrances in the Name of your Son Jesus our redeemer, healer, reconciler, brother and friend. 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
I hope everyone is ready to continue our period of Sabbath Rest, Self-care, retreat, and renewal. To enter in to our retreat mode let us meditate and pray Mendelssohn's "O Rest in the Lord" from Elijah. Let us read the lyrics and then listen to the song:
O rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him,
And He shall give thee thy heart’s desires.
Oh, rest in the Lord,
Wait patiently for Him,
& He shall give thee thy heart’s desires;
& He shall give thee thy heart’s desires.
Commit thy way unto Him, and trust in Him,
Commit thy way unto Him, and trust in Him,
And fret not thyself because of evil doers.
O rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him.
Wait patiently for Him.
Oh rest in the Lord,
wait patiently for Him.
& He shall give thee thy heart’s desires.
He shall give thee thy heart’s desires;
& He shall give thee thy heart’s desires.
Oh rest in the Lord.
Oh rest in the Lord.
& wait, wait, patiently for Him.
by Felix Mendelssohn (Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy) (1809-1847), 1846
from Psalm 37
Now listen.
O Rest In the Lord
Tonight let us take time to rest and go deeper into the center and find rest. Please take time all the time you need and rest. Just sit quietly, breathe deeply, and pray along with the prayers below.
God as we take our rest in you may we seek to come to know you more fully and listen to you with the ears of our hearts.
God as we take our rest in you may we continue to seek ways to be loving to the least of these.
God as we take our rest in you may we find our selves being awakened to new and exciting ways in which to serve our family members.
God as we take our rest in you may we remember all of the workers and caregivers who do not have adequate respite and the need for soft places in which to fall.
God as we take our rest in you may we pray for peace in the world and in our hearts.
God as we take our rest in you we pray for our family members who are ill.
God as we take our rest in you we pray for_______________________
God as we take our rest in you we give thanks for________________________
God as we take our rest in you we pray to an end to violence ,terror, injustice, and abuse.
O rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him,
And He shall give thee thy heart’s desires.
Oh, rest in the Lord,
Wait patiently for Him,
& He shall give thee thy heart’s desires;
& He shall give thee thy heart’s desires.
Commit thy way unto Him, and trust in Him,
Commit thy way unto Him, and trust in Him,
And fret not thyself because of evil doers.
O rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him.
Wait patiently for Him.
Oh rest in the Lord,
wait patiently for Him.
& He shall give thee thy heart’s desires.
He shall give thee thy heart’s desires;
& He shall give thee thy heart’s desires.
Oh rest in the Lord.
Oh rest in the Lord.
& wait, wait, patiently for Him.
by Felix Mendelssohn (Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy) (1809-1847), 1846
from Psalm 37
Now listen.
O Rest In the Lord
Tonight let us take time to rest and go deeper into the center and find rest. Please take time all the time you need and rest. Just sit quietly, breathe deeply, and pray along with the prayers below.
God as we take our rest in you may we seek to come to know you more fully and listen to you with the ears of our hearts.
God as we take our rest in you may we continue to seek ways to be loving to the least of these.
God as we take our rest in you may we find our selves being awakened to new and exciting ways in which to serve our family members.
God as we take our rest in you may we remember all of the workers and caregivers who do not have adequate respite and the need for soft places in which to fall.
God as we take our rest in you may we pray for peace in the world and in our hearts.
God as we take our rest in you we pray for our family members who are ill.
God as we take our rest in you we pray for_______________________
God as we take our rest in you we give thanks for________________________
God as we take our rest in you we pray to an end to violence ,terror, injustice, and abuse.
Psalm 134
1 Behold now, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, *
you that stand by night in the house of the Lord.
2 Lift up your hands in the holy place and bless the Lord; *
the Lord who made heaven and earth bless you out of Zion.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;
for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for
your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30
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 SimeonNunc Dimittis
| 1 | Lord now you let your servant ′ go in ′ peace: your ′ word has ′ been ful′filled. |
| 2 | My own eyes have ′ seen the · sal′vation: which you have prepared in the ′ sight of ′ every ′ people, |
| 3† | a light to reveal you ′ to the ′ nations: and the ′ glory · of your ′ people ′ Israel.Luke 2:29-32 |
| Glory to the Father and ′ to the ′ Son: and ′ to the ′ Holy ′ Spirit; as it was in the beginning · is ′ now: and shall be for ′ ever. ′ A′men. |
Gracious God,
you have given us much today;
grant us also a thankful spirit.
Into your hands we commend ourselves
and those we love.
Be with us still,
and when we take our rest,
renew us for the service of your Son Jesus Christ.
Amen.
you have given us much today;
grant us also a thankful spirit.
Into your hands we commend ourselves
and those we love.
Be with us still,
and when we take our rest,
renew us for the service of your Son Jesus Christ.
Amen.
May the God of all grace
who has called us to eternal glory in Christ,
restore, establish and strengthen us.
To the one true God be the dominion for ever and ever.
Amen.
who has called us to eternal glory in Christ,
restore, establish and strengthen us.
To the one true God be the dominion for ever and ever.
Amen.
Bonus:
Prayers for the Hear Healer
God you who are the heart healer of us all, make our hearts if they are hurting in any way whole and healed from anxiety, fear, distress, and broken.
God you who are the heart healer of us all,heal the brokeness of your fragile world and that peace may prevail.
God you who are the heart healer of us all, heal our bodies, minds, and spirits and all of our family members who are ill. Give us courage and strength to meet each day with joy and hope.
God you who are the heart healer of us all, take from us every root of bitterness and division that we may all be one.
God you who are the heart healer of us all, may we have courage to live authentically into our truth as the beautiful children you have made us to be in your image and likeness.
God you who are the heart healer of us all, may we do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you as we become and are the voices for the voiceless and speak truth to power.
God you who are the heart healer of us all, make our bodies strong so that we may serve you and follow where you lead.
God you who are the heart healer of us all, we pray for _______________ and give thanks for____________ for ourselves and on behalf of others.
God you who are the heart healer of us all, we pray for those who are in mourning and pre-grieving may we lovingly respond with compassion.
God you who are the heart healer of us all, we pray for all who are dying and who have died today that they may have a gentle transition into the Thin Places.
Jesus, accept these our prayers in your most Holy Name. Amen.
God you who are the heart healer of us all,heal the brokeness of your fragile world and that peace may prevail.
God you who are the heart healer of us all, heal our bodies, minds, and spirits and all of our family members who are ill. Give us courage and strength to meet each day with joy and hope.
God you who are the heart healer of us all, take from us every root of bitterness and division that we may all be one.
God you who are the heart healer of us all, may we have courage to live authentically into our truth as the beautiful children you have made us to be in your image and likeness.
God you who are the heart healer of us all, may we do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you as we become and are the voices for the voiceless and speak truth to power.
God you who are the heart healer of us all, make our bodies strong so that we may serve you and follow where you lead.
God you who are the heart healer of us all, we pray for _______________ and give thanks for____________ for ourselves and on behalf of others.
God you who are the heart healer of us all, we pray for those who are in mourning and pre-grieving may we lovingly respond with compassion.
God you who are the heart healer of us all, we pray for all who are dying and who have died today that they may have a gentle transition into the Thin Places.
Jesus, accept these our prayers in your most Holy Name. Amen.
Good Night Dear Family! Have a blessed and restful night! I love you! I give God thanks for you this night and always.May your heart homes be filled with love, joy, hope, and peace and radiate God's love and light to the world.
Love, blessings, prayers, and hearts that are healed from worry,
Sara
Resources:
Enriching Our Worship 1 and 2
A to Z Quotes
Prayers of Power
Walk With Me On Our Journey
Metis Aboriginal Ministries
Other sources as noted
Book of Common Prayer
Quote sites for Prayers
YouTube
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