Good Evening Beloved Ones!
I hope everyone is well. Today is International Holocaust Remembrance day, before we begin our time together let us take time to light either a candle or turn on a porch light and enter into a time of reflection and silence.
also let us remember this:
Let us begin our time of silence and reflection.
Today Let us ponder these two pieces from The Resistance Prays.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” - Deuteronomy 6: 4-8
**
Let us close this time of remembrance by praying these psalms.
Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd;*
I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures*
and leads me beside still waters.
3 He revives my soul*
and guides me along right pathways for his Name’s sake.
4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil;*
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who
trouble me;*
you have anointed my head with oil,
and my cup is running over.
6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days
of my life,*
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Psalm 130
1 Out of the depths have I called to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice;*
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
2 If you, LORD, were to note what is done amiss,*
O Lord, who could stand?
3 For there is forgiveness with you;*
therefore you shall be feared.
4 I wait for the LORD; my soul waits for him;*
in his word is my hope.
5 My soul waits for the LORD,
more than watchmen for the morning,*
more than watchmen for the morning.
6 O Israel, wait for the LORD,*
for with the LORD there is mercy;
7 With him there is plenteous redemption,*
and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.
Psalm 139:1-17
1 LORD, you have searched me out and known me; *
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
2 You trace my journeys and my resting-places *
and are acquainted with all my ways.
3 Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *
but you, O LORD, know it altogether.
4 You press upon me behind and before *
and lay your hand upon me.
5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *
it is so high that I cannot attain to it.
6 Where can I go then from your Spirit? *
where can I flee from your presence?
7 If I climb up to heaven, you are there; *
if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
8 If I take the wings of the morning *
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
9 Even there your hand will lead me *
and your right hand hold me fast.
10 If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, *
and the light around me turn to night,”
11 Darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day; *
darkness and light to you are both alike.
12 For you yourself created my inmost parts; *
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
13 I will thank you because I am marvelously made; *
your works are wonderful, and I know it well.
14 My body was not hidden from you, *
while I was being made in secret
and woven in the depths of the earth.
15 Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb;
all of them were written in your book; *
they were fashioned day by day,
when as yet there was none of them.
16 How deep I find your thoughts, O God! *
how great is the sum of them!
17 If I were to count them, they would be more in number
than the sand; *
to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours
Today our lessons point to God's need for us to many things and that we are all equally important. As the title of tonight's blog says "It takes every body to do the work God has and is giving us to do. We are to celebrate being one body. As in the opening acclamation in the rite of Holy Baptism says:
There is one Body and one Spirit;
People There is one hope in God's call to us;
Celebrant One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism;
People One God and Father of all.
So dear ones this week and going forward let us strive to be one body and use the gifts that God has given us for the good of all. Let us be compassionate, accepting, loving, and merciful.
Let us ponder these quotes on unity:
"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." ~ Mother Teresa
"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." ~ Margaret Mead
"Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all." ~ George Washington
"We are members one of another; so that you cannot injure or help your neighbor without injuring or helping yourself." ~ George Bernard Shaw
"There is only one man in the world and his name is All Men. There is only one woman in the world and her name is All Women. There is only one child in the world and the child's name is All Children." ~ Carl Sandburg
"The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion." ~ Thomas Paine
"Our true nationality is mankind." ~ H. G. Wells
"We are made for goodness. We are made for love. We are made for friendliness. We are made for togetherness. We are made for all of the beautiful things that you and I know. We are made to tell the world that there are no outsiders. All are welcome: black, white, red, yellow, rich, poor, educated, not educated, male, female, gay, straight, all, all, all. We all belong to this family, this human family, God's family." ~ Desmond Tutu
"There is not a liberal America and a conservative America - there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and latino America and asian America - there's the United States of America." ~ Barack Obama
"We are not our brother’s keeper we are our brother and we are our sister. We must look past complexion and see community." ~ Maya Angelou
"Peace requires everyone to be in the circle - wholeness, inclusion." ~ Isabel Allende
Come let us worship.
With awesome deeds you answer our prayers for deliverance, O God our Savior; you that are the hope of all the ends of the earth, and of the far off seas. Psalm 65:5,6
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
Call to remembrance, O Lord, your tender care
and the unfailing love
which you have shown from of old.
Do not remember the sins and offences of my youth:
but according to your mercy
remember me, Lord, in your goodness.
You O Lord are upright and good
therefore you show the path to those who go astray.
You guide the humble to do what is right,
and those who are gentle you teach your way.
All your ways are loving and sure
to those who keep your covenant
and your commandments. Psalm 25:5-9
IN LAK’ECH
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.
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.
Let us ponder these quotes on Holocaust Memorial Day, some are hard to take!:
"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." ~ Elie Wiesel
"Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim." ~ Elie Wiesel
"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation." ~ Elie Wiesel
"Holocaust Memorial Day is intended as an inclusive commemoration of all the individuals and communities who suffered as a result of the Holocaust - not only Jews, but also Gypsies, Slavs, homosexuals, political prisoners and dozens of ethnic and other minorities." ~ Jack Straw
"On my recent trip to Israel, I had the opportunity to visit Yad Vashem, Israel's national Holocaust memorial, and reaffirm our collective responsibility to confront anti-Semitism, prejudice, and intolerance across the world. On this Yom Hashoah, we must accept the full responsibility of remembrance, as nations and as individuals-not simply to pledge "never again," but to commit ourselves to the understanding, empathy and compassion that is the foundation of peace and human dignity." ~ Barack Obama
"For me the Holocaust was not only a Jewish tragedy, but also a human tragedy. After the war, when I saw that the Jews were talking only about the tragedy of six million Jews, I sent letters to Jewish organizations asking them to talk also about the millions of others who were persecuted with us together - many of them only because they helped Jews." ~ Simon Wiesenthal
"Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart." ~ Anne Frank
"For the dead and the living, we must bear witness." ~ Elie Wiesel
"Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a socialist." ~ Martin Niemoller
"Some people don't believe in climate warning - like those who don't believe there was a Holocaust." ~ Paul McCartney
"The Holocaust survivors are among the most inspiring people I have had the privilege to meet." ~ Jonathan Sacks
"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." ~ Elie Wiesel
"The sincere Christian knows that what died in Auschwitz was not the Jewish people but Christianity." ~ Elie Wiesel
"American slavery was not a Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It was a holocaust. My ancestors are slaves. Stolen from Africa. I will honor them." ~ Spike Lee
"My number is 174517; we have been baptized, we will carry the tattoo on our left arm until we die." ~ Primo Levi
"I had to help them. There was no choice." ~ Oskar Schindler
"Who has inflicted this upon us? Who has made us Jews different from all other people? Who has allowed us to suffer so terribly uptill now? It is God that has made us as we are, but it will be God, too, who will raise us up again. If we bear all this suffering and if there are still Jews left, when it is over, then Jews, instead of being doomed, will be held up as an example." ~ Anne Frank
"The Scriptures have been misused to defend bloody crusades and inquisitions; to support slavery, apartheid, and segregation; to sanction the physical and emotional abuse of women and children; to persecute Jews and other non-Christian people of faith; to support the holocaust of Hitler's Third Reich; to oppose medical science; to condemn inter-racial marriage; to execute women as witches; to excuse the violent racism of the Ku Klux Klan; to mobilize militias, white supremacy and neo-nazi movements; and to condone intolerance and discrimination against sexual minorities." ~ Mel White
"Now that they talk about Islam as being a violent faith, when you look at the history of Christendom, the Crusades and the many wars of religion that were fought, the cruelty of Christians in burning what they believed to be witches and burning heretics, and then very recently they were responsible for the Holocaust... it was Christians." ~ Desmond Tutu
"It was Christians, you know, not Pagans, who were responsible for the Holocaust. It was Christians, not Pagans, who lynched people here in the South, who burned people at the stake, frequently in the name of this Jesus Christ." ~ Desmond Tutu
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Else Niemoeller: For the World’s Children
Lover of humanity, who cares for even one sparrow’s fall, we thank You that Your infinite eye is upon all the children of the world. Whatever the circumstances, we pray that we may help to release them from the forces that scar: hunger, homelessness, hatred, and lies. Give to each of us some sense of responsibility that all children everywhere may come into their full human heritage.
Lancelot Andrewes: Be All To All
We bring before You, O God:
the cries of the weary,
the pains of the distressed,
the tears of the tragedies of life,
the anxious hours of the insecure,
the restlessness of the refugees,
the hunger of the oppressed.
Dear God, be near to each.
Helper of the helpless,
Hope of the homeless,
The Strength of those tossed with tempests,
The Haven of those who sail:
Be all to all.
Be within us, to strengthen us;
without us, to keep us;
above us, to inspire us;
beneath us, to uphold us;
before us, to direct us;
behind us , to propel us;
around us, to sustain us.
Be all to all in present need.
49 Audite hæc, omnes
1 Hear this, all you peoples;
hearken, all you who dwell in the world, *
you of high degree and low, rich and poor together.
2 My mouth shall speak of wisdom, *
and my heart shall meditate on understanding.
3 I will incline my ear to a proverb *
and set forth my riddle upon the harp.
4 Why should I be afraid in evil days, *
when the wickedness of those at my heels surrounds me,
5 The wickedness of those who put their trust in their goods, *
and boast of their great riches?
6 We can never ransom ourselves, *
or deliver to God the price of our life;
7 For the ransom of our life is so great, *
that we should never have enough to pay it,
8 In order to live for ever and ever, *
and never see the grave.
A Song of Jonah
Jonah 2:2-7,9
I called to you, O God, out of my distress, and you answered me; *
out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.
You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, *
and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and billows passed over me.
Then I said, “I am driven away from your sight; *
how shall I ever look again upon your holy temple?”
The waters closed in over me, the deep was round about me; *
weeds were wrapped around my head at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land beneath the earth, *
yet you brought up my life from the depths, O God.
As my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, O God, *
and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.
With the voice of thanksgiving, I will sacrifice to you; *
what I have vowed I will pay, for deliverance belongs to the
Lord!
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Jeremiah’s Call and Commission
4 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,
5 ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’
6Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.’ 7But the Lord said to me,
‘Do not say, “I am only a boy”;
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you.
8 Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
says the Lord.’
9Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me,
‘Now I have put my words in your mouth.
10 See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.’
A Song of Lamentation
Lamentations 1:12,16; 3:19,22-24,26
Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? *
Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,
Which was brought upon me, *
inflicted by God’s fierce anger.
For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears, *
for a comforter is far from me, one to revive my courage.
Remember my affliction and my bitterness, *
wormwood and gall!
The steadfast love of God never ceases, *
God’s mercies never end.
They are new every morning; *
great is your faithfulness.
“God is my portion,” says my soul, *
“therefore will I hope in God.”
It is good that we should wait quietly *
for the coming of God’s salvation.
Luke 21:12-15
12 ‘But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 13This will give you an opportunity to testify. 14So make up your minds not to prepare your defence in advance; 15for I will give you words* and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.
A Song of True Motherhood
Julian of Norwich
God chose to be our mother in all things *
and so made the foundation of his work,
most humbly and most pure, in the Virgin’s womb.
God, the perfect wisdom of all, *
arrayed himself in this humble place.
Christ came in our poor flesh *
to share a mother’s care.
Our mothers bear us for pain and for death; *
our true mother, Jesus, bears us for joy and endless life.
Christ carried us within him in love and travail, *
until the full time of his passion.
And when all was completed and he had carried us so for joy, *
still all this could not satisfy the power of his wonderful love.
All that we owe is redeemed in truly loving God, *
for the love of Christ works in us;
Christ is the one whom we love.
From A New Zealand Prayer BookOur 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.
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.
now and for ever. Amen.
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 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.
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.
now and for ever. Amen.
it is night.
Let us be still in the presence of God.
What has been done has been done;
what has not been done has not been done;
let it be.
Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives
rest in you.
Let the quietness of your peace enfold us,
all dear to us,
and all who have no peace.
Let us look expectantly to a new day,
new joys,
new possibilities.
Amen. (ANZPB)
We continue our time of remembrance:
The Mourner's Kaddish In English
which He has created according to His will.
and within the life of the entire House of Israel, speedily and soon;
and say, Amen.
adored and lauded be the name of the Holy One, blessed be He,
beyond all the blessings and hymns, praises and consolations that
are ever spoken in the world; and say, Amen.
and for all Israel; and say, Amen.
may He create peace for us and for all Israel;
and say, Amen
Let us pray the words of the Morning Prayer by Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you:
I cannot do this alone.
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;
But you know the way for me…
Restore me to liberty,
And enable me to live now
That I may answer before you and before me.
Your name be praised.
Those who died in any genocide.
Women
Men
Children
Enemies
Refugees, immigrants of any kind
Caregivers
Those who don't share your political or religious beliefs
LGBTQ family members
Elderly
Family members with whom we are estranged
Everyone
The sick and the suffering
The mentally ill and memory challenged
Those living with H.I. V./ A.I.D.S
Everyone
Those who have caused you harm or abused you
Those who hate you or you hate ( Not acceptable)
Those who have forgiven you and those whom you have forgiven
Everyone
Those who do not share the same ethnicity or race as you
Political prisoners
Prisoners of war
Those who cause terror, violence, bullying, and do unspeakable things.
Everyone
Jews
Christians
Muslims
Buddhists
Hindus
All faith communities
Everyone
Indigenous peoples
Victims of Human Trafficking
Everyone
Cancer patients,
Chronically ill
The disabled
The poor
The homeless
The hungry
The lonely,
The lost,
The unemployed
The farm worker
Everyone
The misunderstood
The learning disabled
The marginalized
The invisible ones
The least of these
Everyone
The family of nations and all the peoples God's world
Jesus (God, G_d) we pray for all of our family members nearby,stranger, and enemy and in particular those mentioned about that we may love one another as you have loved us . May we strive to be better at loving, accepting, and including everyone. We know that in Your world all means all and not some. May we continue to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you to the end of our days and beyond. Amen.
We pray for peace within ourselves, our nation, the troubled places of the world especially in Bangladesh, Turkey, Nigeria, the Middle East (Israel, The Palestinian Authority-Gaza, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan), African countries (Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, Darfur, South Sudan, The Sudan), Burundi, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, The United States, Afghanistan, Pakistan, The Ukraine, Central America, South America, and all other places in the world where there is violence, inequality, injustice, tribal discord, and sectarian violence.
First they came for the Communists and I did not speak out - because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the Socialists and I did not speak out - because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak out for me.
Pastor Niemoeller, in prison and concentration camp for eight and a half years
Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our
Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News
of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive
the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
3 collects from A New Zealand Prayer Book
God of all mercy,
your Son brought good news to the despairing,
freedom to the oppressed
and joy to the sad;
fill us with your Spirit,
that the people of our day may see in us his likeness
and glorify your name.
Jesus, our Redeemer,
give us your power to reveal and proclaim the good news,
so that wherever we may go
the sick may be healed, lepers embraced,
and the dead and dying given new life.
Almighty God,
your Son revealed in signs and wonders
the greatness of your saving love;
renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your mighty power;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
God be in my eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at my end, and at my departing
O God, who gave your servant John Chrysostom grace eloquently to proclaim your righteousness in the great congregation, and fearlessly to bear reproach for the honor of your Name: Mercifully grant to all who proclaim your word such excellence in preaching, that all your people may be made partakers of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.
By: Education for Justice
Our hearts ache, because of genocide caused by
the lust for power,
cruel hatred for others,
because of their race, religion or physical differences.
God of all, the heavens weep, the winds whisper
through this great world you have created.
We hear and feel the weeping in our own souls.
Open our eyes and cleanse our souls
that we may always remember the awful injustices.
How long, O God, will we look with empty souls and eyes, how long?
The answer, "Until you feel my pain for all my children."
We cry in shame. Forgive us Lord.
Amen.
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you
From Belsen a crate of gold teeth,
from Dachau a mountain of shoes,
from Auschwitz a skin lampshade,
Who killed the Jews?
Not I, cries the typist,
Not I, cries the engineer,
Note I cries Adolf Eichmann,
Not I, cries Albert Speer.
My friend Fritz Nova lost his father –
a petty official had to choose.
My friend Lou Abrahms was beaten and starved.
Some men signed their papers,
and some stood guard,
and some herded them in,
and some dropped the pellets,
and some spread the ashes,
and some hosed the walls,
and some planted the wheat,
and some poured the steel,
and some cleared the rails,
and some raised the cattle.
Some smelled the smoke,
Some just heard the news.
Were they Germans? Were they Nazis?
Were they human? Who killed the Jews?
The stars will remember the gold,
The sun will remember the shoes,
The moon will remember the skin.
But who killed the Jews? William Heyen pp. 174-5
Almighty God, our Refuge and our Rock, your loving care knows no bounds and embraces all the peoples of the earth: Defend and protect those who fall victim to the forces of evil, and as we remember this day those who endured depredation and death because of who they were, not because of what they had done or failed to do, give us the courage to stand against hatred and oppression, and to seek the dignity and well-being of all for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, in whom you have reconciled the world to yourself; and who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
God of love we pray and remember and speak these names and any of those we would like to add in the course of this time of remembrance.
We pray for :
Festo Kivengere
May there be peace in Africa and Uganda
Nelson Mandela
May there continue to be an end to apartheid in places where there is ethnic division and hatred.
Anne Frank
We pray and remember those who have died in the Holocaust and pray that these actions may never happen again.
Raoul Wallenberg
We remember and pray for all who are rescuers from oppression and danger of any kind and especially those who saved our brothers and sisters during the Holocaust.
Frederick Douglas, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, William Wilberforce, John Newton, Alex Haley, ROOTS
We pray and remember all those who were slaves, abolitionists, those who established the Underground Railroad, and those who told the stories of slavery.
Oskar Schindler
We continue to pray for risk takers to save people from genocide, and those who seek to remind us of ethnic cleansing and religious imprisonment and the need to always remember.
Elie Wiesel,The Albanian Muslims who Saved the Jews in World War II
May we always remember and never forget.
Johnathan Myrick Daniels
We lift up all those who fought for the civil and voting rights for African Americans and especially those who lost their lives in seeking liberty, and justice for all.
Florence Li Tim Oi
We pray and give thanks for all women who answered the call to ministry in their churches and may we remember and support those who continue to struggle with God's call in oppressive religious bodies.
Harvey Milk
We pray for all who in the LGBT community who have lost their lives not only in the struggle for human rights but in service to the larger community.
Mahatma Gandhi
We pray and gift thanks for all who have practiced and modeled peaceful non violent protest and civil disobedience.
Oscar Romero
We pray for all who fought for the rights of people in Latin American Countries and who modeled the preferential option for the poor and liberation theology.
Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin
We give thanks and pray for all members of the Abrahamic household that we may continue to seek to be united in the bonds of peace and mercy.
Those who walked Trail of Tears, Black Elk, Chief Seattle, The Dakota 38
We pray and remember all Native Americans who were taken from their lands, denied the provisions of the treaties, and who continue to struggle at Standing Rock.
Madame C.J. Walker
We pray and give thanks for bold African American women who were trailblazers in business, religion, politics, and everywhere.
Margaret Sanger
We pray and give thanks for women and men who helped to give women access to health care and reproductive freedom.
The Orlando 49
We pray and remember all who perished in Pulse and speak their names*
Stonewall
We pray and remember those who were early fighters seeking LGBT rights and the courage to live authentically.
Ryan White
We pray and remember all who have died from A.I.D.S. and those who continue to struggle.
Matthew Shepard
We pray and remember all LGBTQ youth who have died at the hands of bullies and who have been victims of hate crimes.
Malcolm X, Mohammed Ali, Humayun Khan
We pray and remember all Muslims in this country who exemplified what it means to follow their faith and blaze trails for people to follow in the ways of justice, liberty, and peace. We pray that we may learn tolerance and respect for one another.
Cesar Chavez
We pray and give thanks for all who have helped to keep our farm workers safe and make our food safe from pesticides.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Katherine Lee Bates, Marie Curie, Seneca Falls Conference.
We pray and give thanks for all who were trail blazers for women's rights and sought the right to vote and have full participation in their lives with men.
Christine Jorgenson, Billy Tipton, Renee Richards
We pray and remember our Trans brothers and sisters who valiantly lived out their truth. May we continue to educate all people about gender identity and support our trans community who need us.
Dorothy Day and Jane Addams
We pray for all who have made a difference in the lives of the poor, marginalized, women, children and all who are needy.
Your heroes of social justice.
May we name them before you now.
*We speak the names of those who have died by any kind of violence as we remember and pray these our family members in our hearts:
Christ has no body- St. Teresa of Avila
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.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
than we can ask or imagine: Glory to God from generation to
generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever.
Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21
grant us, with all your people, rest and peace.
+++++
Good Night Beloved Ones. Let us remember this song by Luke Nephew " 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
May God Bless You this night and may you feel the love of many here at Walk With Me On Our Journey. I love you.
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