Walk With me on Our Journey: It is time for our weekend retreat! Time to meditate upon taking up our crosses and following Jesus!

Good Evening Beloved Family!

I hope everyone is well. Today we return to the lessons from the Eucharistic Lectionary. I am always surprised as to what will be on the menu. Well dear ones, we are given the Gospel of Matthew's reading on taking up our crosses and denying ourselves and following Jesus. Yes, we are confronted yet again with these hard tasks. As a person who has given up much in the past two years, I know that it can be done and must be done in order to tenderize oneself to understand the plight of our most vulnerable family members. BTW because I have learned these skills living in a pandemic world has been much easier for me. This weekend as we enter our time of retreat and vigil let us practice self-denial and taking up our crosses as in the words of this hymn:

Take up your cross- Charles W. Everest

1 "Take up your cross," the Savior said,
"if you would my disciple be;
take up your cross with willing heart,
and humbly follow after me."

2 Take up your cross; let not its weight
fill your weak spirit with alarm;
Christ's strength shall bear your spirit up
and brace your heart and nerve your arm.

3 Take up your cross, heed not the shame,
and let your foolish heart be still;
the Lord for you accepted death
upon a cross, on Calv'ry's hill.

4 Take up your cross, then, in Christ's strength,
and calmly ev'ry danger brave:
it guides you to abundant life
and leads to vict'ry o'er the grave.

Let us ponder these quotes on self-denial.

"Denying self isn't a one-time thing, but a daily task." ~ Trip Lee

"I have now concentrated all my prayers into one, and that one prayer is this, that I may die to self, and live wholly to Him." ~ Charles Spurgeon

"People who are crucified with Christ have three distinct marks: 1. they are facing only one direction, 2. they can never turn back, and 3. they no longer have plans of their own." ~ Aiden Wilson Tozer

"If any man would come after me, let him deny himself." The disciple must say to himself the same words Peter said of Christ when he denied him: "I know not this man." Self-denial is never just a series of isolated acts of mortification or asceticism. It is not suicide, for there is an element of self-will even in that. To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us. Once more, all that self denial can say is: "He leads the way, keep close to him." ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"The first lesson in Christ's school is self-denial." ~ Matthew Henry

"I take the love of God and self-denial to be the sum of all saving grace and religion." ~ Richard Baxter

"Do not the angels differs from us in this respect, that they do not want so many things as we do? Therefore the less we need, the more we are on our way to them; the more we need, the more we sink down to this perishable life." ~ Saint John Chrysostom

"Any objection to the carryings on of our present gold-calf Christianity is met with the triumphant reply, ‘But we are winning them!’ Winning them to what? To true discipleship? To cross-carrying? To self-denial? To separation from the world? To crucifixion of the flesh? To holy living? To hard self-discipline ? To love for God? To total committal to Christ? Of course the answer to all these questions is...No." ~ Aiden Wilson Tozer

"Carrying the cross does mean following in Jesus' footsteps. And in His footsteps are rejection, brokenheartedness, persecution and death. There are not two Christs - an easy going one for easy going Christians, and a suffering one for exceptional believers. There is only one Christ. Are we willing to follow His lead?" ~ Hudson Taylor

"The Kingdom of God is not a matter of getting individuals to heaven, but of transforming the life on earth into the harmony of heaven." ~ Walter Rauschenbusch

"The first duty of a Christian, of a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ, is to deny himself. To deny oneself means to give up one's bad habits, to root out of the heart all that ties us to the world; not to cherish bad desires and thoughts; to quench and suppress bad thoughts; to avoid occasions of sin; not to do or desire anything from self-love but to do everything out of love for God. To deny oneself means, according to the Apostle Paul, to be dead to sin and the world, but alive to God." ~ Innocent of Alaska

"Whoever uncouples the religious and the social life has not understood Jesus. Whoever sets any bounds for the reconstructive power of the religious life over the social relations and institutions of men, to that extent denies the faith of the Master." ~ Walter Rauschenbusch

"If our life is not a course of humility, self-denial, renunciation of the world, poverty of spirit, and heavenly affection, we do not live the lives of Christians." ~ William Law

"We never live so intensely as when we love strongly. We never realize ourselves so vividly as when we are in full glow of love for others." ~ Walter Rauschenbusch

"Such self-denial 'may appear demanding,' but it will allow you, so to speak, to be and to breathe within the heart of the church." ~ Pope Francis

"Christianity is in its nature revolutionary" ~ Walter Rauschenbusch

"Freedom has always been an expensive thing. History is fit testimony to the fact that freedom is rarely gained without sacrifice and self-denial." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

"To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only Him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us. Once more, all that self-denial can say is, 'He leads the way, keep close to Him.'" ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Come let us worship:

Blessed be the God of our salvation:
Who bears our burdens and forgives our sins

Jesus said: “If any of you would come after me, deny yourself
and
take up your cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34

Christ Jesus, being found in human form, humbled himself and
became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:8

Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, the lifting
up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Psalm 141:2

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the
Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Worship the Lord in the beauty of his holiness; let the whole earth
tremble before him. Psalm 96:9

Yours is the day, O God, yours also the night; you established
the moon and the sun. You fixed all the boundaries of the
earth; you made both summer and winter. Psalm 74:15,16

I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel; my heart teaches
me, night after night. I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not fall. Psalm 16:7,8

Seek him who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep
darkness into the morning, and darkens the day into night;
who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon
the surface of the earth: The Lord is his name. Amos 5:8

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 Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.

2 Corinthians 4:6-10

If I say, "Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light
around me turn to night," darkness is not dark to you, O
Lord; the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light to
you are both alike. Psalm 139:10,11

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world; whoever follows me
will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
John 8:12

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. For our sins he was lifted high
upon the cross, that he might draw the whole world to
himself; and, by his suffering and death, he became the
source of eternal salvation for all who put their trust in him.

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.

God as we prepare our lamps and fill them with oil may we remember that this oil tonight is a holy oil, a holy balm, made to light the way out of darkness and into healing. We light our candles as a symbol of unity, peace, and as your loving family. We pray for healing and comfort this day for the people around the world where there has been violence, terror, and threats of war. We pray for the healing of your Cathedral of Life and that we may help you become good conservationists of the abundant gifts you have given us. We pray for the healing of all nations and people that unity and a spirit of familyhood may grow. We pray for the healing of our bodies minds and spirits that we may be made whole so that we may serve you and all our family members nearby and in distant places. We pray for the healing of relationships where violent words and actions have occurred We pray this night that wherever there is division there may be healing and grace. We pray for the healing where injustice, inequality, and human rights are being challenged and in our land and in the other lands where people aren't being treated fairly because of who they are and how God has made them to be. We pray in the words of St. Francis as we go into silence and continue this vigil.

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.

“May our heart's garden of awakening bloom with hundreds of flowers.”

― Thich Nhat Hanh

In Lak 'Ech

Tú eres mi otro yo.

You are my other me.

Si te hago daño a ti,

If I do harm to you,

Me hago daño a mi mismo.

I do harm to myself.

Si te amo y respeto,

If I love and respect you,

Me amo y respeto yo.

I love and respect myself.

Luis Valdez

A Smudging Prayer

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.

I LAY BEFORE YOU - Howard Thurman

The concern which I lay bare before You today is:

Whatever disaffection there is between me and those who are or have been very close to me— I would seek the root or cause of such disaffection, and with the illumination of Your mind, O God, to understand it.

I give myself to Your scrutiny that, whatever there may be in me that is responsible for what has happened, I will acknowledge.

Where I have wronged or given offense deliberately or without intention, I seek a face-to-face forgiveness.

What I can undo I am willing to try; what I cannot undo, with that I seek to make my peace.

How to do these things, what techniques to use, with what spirit— for these I need and seek Your wisdom and strength, O God.

Whatever disaffection there is between me and those who are or have been very close to me, I lay bare before You.

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.

Services of Religion: Free Nation and Free World

God, who has made us one nation out of many peoples, amid our diversities of race and tradition, unite us in a common love of freedom and in a high ambition for our national life.

Continue in us the pioneering spirit which led our fathers across the estranging sea and up held them in the wilderness.

Deepen in the people of this land a devotion to the common commonweal, so that we may open new doors of hope to the neglected and oppressed; cleanse our hearts from the greed which preys upon others; and deliver our politics from corruption.

Help us to establish this land in righteousness.

Endue with the spirit of wisdom those entrusted with authority, that there may be peace within our borders, and that we may stand among the nations of the earth an example of justice and a power of good will.

Let Your peace, O God, rule in all our hearts.

To every council where nations bring their hopes and fears, grant wisdom and mutual understanding, that distrust and hatred may be diminished, and a common law of justice be established.

Let peace, O God, prevail throughout the earth.

124 Nisi quia Dominus

1 If the Lord had not been on our side, *
let Israel now say;

2 If the Lord had not been on our side, *
when enemies rose up against us;

3 Then would they have swallowed us up alive *
in their fierce anger toward us;

4 Then would the waters have overwhelmed us *
and the torrent gone over us;

5 Then would the raging waters *
have gone right over us.

6 Blessed be the Lord! *
he has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth.

7 We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; *
the snare is broken, and we have escaped.

8 Our help is in the Name of the Lord, *
the maker of heaven and earth.

Nahum 1:15,2:2,3:1-3,6-7

15 *Look! On the mountains the feet of one
who brings good tidings,
who proclaims peace!
Celebrate your festivals, O Judah,
fulfil your vows,
for never again shall the wicked invade you;
they are utterly cut off.
2 (For the Lord is restoring the majesty of Jacob,
as well as the majesty of Israel,
though ravagers have ravaged them
and ruined their branches.)

Ruin Imminent and Inevitable

3Ah! City of bloodshed,
utterly deceitful, full of booty—
no end to the plunder!
2 The crack of whip and rumble of wheel,
galloping horse and bounding chariot!
3 Horsemen charging,
flashing sword and glittering spear,
piles of dead,
heaps of corpses,
dead bodies without end—
they stumble over the bodies!
6 I will throw filth at you
and treat you with contempt,
and make you a spectacle.
7 Then all who see you will shrink from you and say,
‘Nineveh is devastated; who will bemoan her?’
Where shall I seek comforters for you?

A Song of Ezekiel
Ezekiel 36:24-28
I will take you from among all nations; *
and gather you from all lands to bring you home.
I will sprinkle clean water upon you; *
and purify you from false gods and uncleanness.
A new heart I will give you *
and a new spirit put within you.
I will take the stone heart from your chest *
and give you a heart of flesh.
I will help you walk in my laws *
and cherish my commandments and do them.
You shall be my people, *
and I will be your God.

Matthew 16:24-28

The Cross and Self-Denial

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 26For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

27 ‘For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. 28Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.’

A Song of Christ’s Humility
Philippians 2:6-11
Though in the form of God, *
Christ Jesus did not cling to equality with God,
But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, *
and was born in human likeness.
Being found in human form, he humbled himself *
and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.
Therefore, God has highly exalted him *
and given him the name above every name,
That at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, *
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, *
to the glory of God the Father.

The Lord’s Prayer or the alternative is said.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.

Or

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 beloved Son willingly endured the agony and shame of the cross for our redemption: Give us courage to take up our cross and follow him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A Collect for Fridays

Lord Jesus Christ, by your death you took away the sting of
death: Grant to us your servants so to follow in faith where
you have led the way, that we may at length fall asleep
peacefully in you and wake up in your likeness; for your
tender mercies' sake. Amen.

A Song of Christ’s Goodness
Anselm of Canterbury
Jesus, as a mother you gather your people to you; *
you are gentle with us as a mother with her children.
Often you weep over our sins and our pride, *
tenderly you draw us from hatred and judgment.
You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our wounds, *
in sickness you nurse us and with pure milk you feed us.
Jesus, by your dying, we are born to new life; *
by your anguish and labor we come forth in joy.
Despair turns to hope through your sweet goodness; *
through your gentleness, we find comfort in fear.
Your warmth gives life to the dead, *
your touch makes sinners righteous.
Lord Jesus, in your mercy, heal us; *
in your love and tenderness, remake us.
In your compassion, bring grace and forgiveness, *
for the beauty of heaven, may your love prepare us.

O God, you manifest in your servants the signs of your
presence: Send forth upon us the spirit of love, that in
companionship with one another your abounding grace may
increase among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord,
it is night.

The night is for stillness.
Let us be still in the presence of God.

It is night after a long day.
What has been done has been done;
what has not been done has not been done;
let it be.

The night is dark.
Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives
rest in you.
The night is quiet.
Let the quietness of your peace enfold us,
all dear to us,
and all who have no peace.

The night heralds the dawn.
Let us look expectantly to a new day,
new joys,
new possibilities.

In your name we pray.
Amen.

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.

"God, we thank you for this earth, our homes; for the wide sky and the blessed sun, for the salt sea and the running water, for the everlasting hills and the never resting winds, for trees and the common grass underfoot. We thank you for our senses by which we hear the songs of birds, and see the splendor of the summer fields, and taste of the autumn fruits, and rejoice in the feel of the snow, and smell the breath of the spring. Grant us a heart wide open to all this beauty; and save our souls from being so blind that we pass unseeing when even the common thorn bush is aflame with your glory." ~ Walter Rauschenbusch

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.

God we make vigil tonight for the healing of ourselves, our families, and the planet. Give us the courage to accept your healing and pray for the healing of others. Help us to pray with kind words, healing words, and loving words. Let us enter in holy silence as we make this vigil for healing.

Heal our bodies O God.

Heal our minds O God.

Heal our spirits O God.

Heal our hearts O God.

Heal our emotions O God.

Heal our fears O God.

Heal our lives O God.

Heal everyone and everything that lives on this planet O God.

Heal the Nations O God.

Heal divisions wherever we are O God.

Heal the world of hatred, racism, bigotry, abuse, white supremacy, terror, and all isms and obias O God.

Heal the world of hatred, racism, bigotry, abuse, white supremacy, terror, and all isms and obias O God.

Heal what ever is on our hearts during this vigil time and help us to pray and set it free and make us whole O God.

Heal_____________________ O God.

Hear our Prayers, and Heal us O God.

“Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”

― Teresa of Ávila

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 Beatitudes

5 When Jesus[a] saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely[b] on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

God we pray for our tender hearts,bodies, minds, and spirits that are in need of healing this night.

Heal us loving and merciful God and make us whole .

God we pray for the healing of all our family members who are victims of bullying, terror, and abuse.

Heal them loving and merciful God and make them whole.

God we pray for the healing of our land and that our environment may be restored from climate change and misuse.

Heal this your planet O loving and merciful God and make it whole as you created to be.

God we pray for the healing of division that we may be made one and that we may in the words of the the Prophet Micah 'Do Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with you O God.

Heal us from all hatred, bigotry, and discrimination and make us wholly one O God of love and mercy.

God we pray for healing of our jangled nerves as we confront life's struggles daily.

Heal our anxieties and may we always remember to "Not be anxious and to Consider the Lilies!"

God we pray for the healing of these precious ones we name before you now____________

Heal them God and make them whole.

God we pray for the healing of those who are grieving the loss of many dearly loved ones. We remember them now and speak their names tenderly and in their honor____________

Heal the grieving and give them peace and comfort loving and merciful God.

God we pray for the healing of all places where there has been violence and terror recently and today we remember all places known and unknown.

God we pray these additional prayers:

God of all comfort be with us this night as we pray for peace in this world and that we may live into our baptismal covenant with you and each other.

God of all comfort may we seek as one family with you to find solutions that will stem the tide of all violence and terror.

God of all comfort may we seek with you to find our true calling and life path.

God of all comfort give us strength to speak out firmly and lovingly for those who haven't any voice.

God of all comfort give us all a return to common sense. Take away from us all temptation to fall into a mob and hate mentality.

God of all comfort we pray for all who are ill and in need of healing of their bodies, minds, and spirits.

God of all comfort may we be sources of comfort one to another and listen to you with our heart homes for those who are in need of help and may not be able to name their needs.

God of all comfort may we ever be mindful of our family members who are grieving losses and pre-grieving.

God of all comfort we pray for all who have been senselessly murdered for who they are. Grant to them eternal rest.

God of all comfort may all of us who struggle to live authentically without fear be able to speak and live our truth valiantly and with courage.

God of all comfort we pray and give thanks for_________________________

We lift up these our prayers in the Holy name of Jesus! Amen.

St. Teresa's Bookmark

Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything. Whoever has God lacks nothing. God alone suffices.

Christ has no body- St. Teresa of Avila

Christ has no body now on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out on the world. Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which He is to bless His people.

A voice was heard in Ramah,

wailing and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;

she refused to be consoled, because they are no more."

How long must we be faced with the deaths of our innocents? How long must our family members endure torture at the hands of governments, tyrants, and extremists ? How long must we see and hear these stories of murder, abuse, terror, hate and injustice on a daily basis? How long will it take for so-called Christian people to wake up and see what they are saying and preaching is against the Lord and Savior they are supposedly following? How long O, God ? How Long? How long O, Jesus? How long O, Holy Spirit? How Long?

Let us with God's help:

Stand with the people of____________ and all places where violence is occurring on a daily basis.

(The original prayer line: Stand with the people of Ferguson, Staten Island, Sandy Hook, Sydney, Peshwar and all places where violence is occurring on a daily basis.)

Not be complacent but actively engaged in fighting injustice everywhere.

Stand up for what is right, just, and merciful.

Stand up against violence, terror, torture, and abuse of any kind.

Stand up and practice peace and be God's peace makers.

Stand with refugees, captives, victims of violence and abuse, victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, our undocumented immigrants, LGBTQ sisters and brothers. We all our family !

Love God, Family members, and ourselves.

Stand up and be light bearers to your fragile and broken world.

Stand up for universal human rights for all God's Children.

Stand with each other and not against each other.

Stand up against extremism in all its forms.

Stand with the least of these

Stand with the voiceless ones and those who are crying out and seeking to be heard.

Stand with the vulnerable.

Stand with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as bringers of love, peace, joy, and hope.

The light of Christ in me recognizes the light of Christ in you!

The God in me Loves me Loves the God in you!

The Holy Spirit who comforts me Comforts you this day when things we can't explain and gives us heavy heart.

Will you Stand with me? Will you love one another? Will you love your enemies and do good to those who hate you? Will you continue to walk with me/us on our journey in God's Kindom?

Let us pray,

God wake us up out of the silences that make us complicit viewers as violence and hatred surrounds.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake us up from out sleep that we may seek to know and serve you more fully.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake us up to be able to speak truth to power and be the voice for the voiceless.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake us up to work for justice and universal human rights.

Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake us op from the need to be engaged in one upmanship and the pointing of fingers.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake up our spirits so that we may connect with you.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake up our minds so that we may seek what is true and what is right.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake up our hearts so that we may love with Love Energy that will shine your Light to a fragile and broken world.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake up our souls so that we may be empowered to answer your call to new life paths and vocations.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake up our bodies so that we may find ourselves stronger and able to care for the least of these our family members.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake up our lives from times of just casually watching the media on T.V. without being empowered to take action when we see injustice, racism, and hatred.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake up and open our hearts to add our prayers and thanksgivings__________________
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake us up so that we may be in relationship with you and your Son Jesus whom we lift up our daily prayers in his name.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.. Amen.

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 enough to know that God has made us in God's image and we are all in God's hands

Let us be woke and sing He's Got the Whole World In His Hands!

He's got the whole world in His hands,