Good Evening Beloved Ones !
Happy Friday from the ancestral land of the Chumash. Today we spend time getting to know James Hannington and His Companions also known as the Martyrs of Uganda. Today we will begin spending time in contemplation as we begin our weekend retreat and vigil time prior to the Triduum of All Saints and All Souls. So tonight we must spend time grounding ourselves with our "Peace be stills" and breathing exercises before we enter our time of worship and meditating upon random quotes.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Inhale gently
Hold
Exhale
Pause
Repeat twice.
"Breathing in, I am aware that I am breathing in.
Breathing out, I am aware that I am breathing out.
Breathing in, I am grateful for this moment.
Breathing out, I smile.
Breathing in, I am aware of the preciousness of this day.
Breathing out, I vow to live deeply in this day." ~ Nhat Hanh
And our daily breathing exercises:
Breathing Exercises with Thich Nhat Hanh
“*Breathing in, I know this is my in-breath.
Breathing out, I know this is my out-breath.*
It's very simple, but very effective. When we bring our attention to our in-breath and our out-breath, we stop thinking of the past; we stop thinking of the future; and we begin to come home to ourselves...Don't think this practice doesn't apply to you. If we don't go home to ourselves, we can't be at our best and serve the world in the best way... Our quality of being is the foundation for the quality of our actions.
*Breathing in, I'm aware of my whole body.
Breathing out, I'm aware of my whole body.*
Breathing mindfully brings us back to our bodies. We have to acknowledge our bodies first because tension and suffering accumulate in the body. Breathing in this way, we create a kind of family reunion between mind and body. The mind becomes an embodied mind.
...We can't do our best if we don't know to release the tension and pain in ourselves.
*Breathing in, I'm aware of the tension in my body.
Breathing out, I'm aware of the tension in my body.*
When we look at the suffering around us, at poverty, violence, or climate change, we may want to solve these things immediately. We want to do something. But to do something effectively and ethically, we need to be our best selves in order to be able to handle the suffering...
*Breathing in, I am aware of a painful feeling arising.
Breathing out, I release the painful feeling.*
This is a nonviolent and gentle way to help our bodies release tension and pain. It is possible to practice mindful breathing in order to produce a feeling of joy, a feeling of happiness. When we are well-nourished and know how to create joy, then we are strong enough to handle the deep pain within ourselves and the world.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Good Citizens: Creating Enlightened Society
Lovingkindness (Metta) Prayer
May "all beings" be happy, healthy and whole.
May they have love, warmth and affection.
May they be protected from harm, and free from fear.
May they be alive, engaged and joyful.
May "all beings" enjoy inner peace and ease.
May that peace expand into their world and throughout the entire universe.
This prayer is traditionally done for successively wider circles of caring, with “all beings” replaced appropriately. The first round would be for yourself, then those closest to you, then those who you feel neutral toward, then those with whom you have difficulties, and continuing outward until it includes all beings.
Let us breathe in peace.
Let us breathe out worry.
Be still and hear the whisper of God in the Wind, in the waves, and in our hearts
Be still and hear the whisper of God in the Wind,in the waves.
Be still and hear the whisper of God in the Wind.
Be still and hear the whisper of God.
Be still and hear the whisper.
Be still and hear.
Be still.
Be.
And this 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.
Now let us continue with the Daily Examen.
This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced.
1. Become aware of God’s presence.
This is the time when we become aware of our breathing and grounding ourselves. Let us use the "Peace be stills".
Inhale
Hold
Exhale gently.
Pause and repeat!
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Repeat two more times.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.
__
More help from Ignatian Spirituality
A Litany for Peace - Thich Nhat Hanh
As we are together praying for Peace, let us be truly with each other.
Silence
Let us pay attention to our breathing.
Silence
Let us be relaxed in our bodies and our minds.
Silence
Let us return to ourselves and become wholly ourselves.
Silence
Let us be aware of the Source of Being common to us all and to all that is.
Silence
Evoking the presence of the Great Companion, let us fill our hearts with our own compassion—towards ourselves and toward all living beings.
Silence
Let us pray that all living beings realize that they are all nourished from the same Source of Life.
Silence
Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be the cause of needless suffering.
Silence
Let us pray that we may live in a way which will not needlessly deprive other living beings of air, water, food, shelter, or the chance to live in health.
Silence
With reverence for Life and with awareness of the sufferings that are going on around us, let us pray for the establishment of peace in our hearts and on earth.
++++
"Love is the beauty of the soul." ~ Saint Augustine
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Peace is not automatic. It is a gift of the grace of God. It comes when hearts are exposed to the love of Christ. But this always costs something. For the love of Christ was demonstrated through suffering and those who experience that love can never put it into practice without some cost." ~ Festo Kivengere
"Thousands of years ago, civilizations flourished in Africa which suffer not at all by comparison with those of other continents. In those centuries, Africans were politically free and economically independent. Their social patterns were their own and their cultures truly indigenous." ~ Haile Selassie
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly." ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." ~ Jimi Hendrix
"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
"The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread." ~ Mother Teresa
"It's obvious that the rest of the world loves high African culture - African culture, period." ~ Hugh Masekela
"Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit." ~ Khalil Gibran
"The basis of world peace is the teaching which runs through almost all the great religions of the world. "Love thy neighbor as thyself." Christ, some of the other great Jewish teachers, Buddha, all preached it. Their followers forgot it. What is the trouble between capital and labor, what is the trouble in many of our communities, but rather a universal forgetting that this teaching is one of our first obligations." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Come let us worship!
Be still and hear the whisper of God in the Wind, in the waves, and in our hearts
Be still and hear the whisper of God in the Wind,in the waves.
Be still and hear the whisper of God in the Wind.
Be still and hear the whisper of God.
Be still and hear the whisper.
Be still and hear.
Be still.
Be.
God is with us.
God’s love unites us.
God’s purpose steadies us.
God’s Spirit comforts us.
Blessed be God forever.
INVOCATION- St. Augustine
O Love of God, descend into my heart;
Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling,
And scatter there Your cheerful beams.
Dwell in the soul that longs to be Your temple;
Water that barren soil overrun with weeds and briars
And lost for lack of cultivating.
Make it fruitful with Your dew.
Come, dear Refreshment of those who languish;
Come, Star and Guide of those who sail amidst tempests.
You are the Haven of the tossed and shipwrecked.
Come now, Glory and Crown of the living,
As well as the Safeguard of the dying.
Come, Sacred Spirit;
Come, and make me fit to receive You.
+++
FOR INWARD PEACE -Soren Kierkegaard.
Calm the waves of this heart, O God; calm its tempests.
Calm yourself, O my soul, so that God is able to rest in you, so that God’s peace may cover you.
Yes, You give us peace, O God, peace that the whole world can never take away.
Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who abuse you. Do good and lend, expecting nothing in return; for God is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish.
Be merciful as your father is merciful. Judge not and you will not be judged. Condemn not and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and it will be given to you; for the measure you give will be the measure you receive. From Luke 6:27-38
Today's meditation poems from the Northumbria Community.
As the tamed horse
still hears the call of her wild brothers
and as the farmed goose flaps hopeful wings
as his sisters fly overhead,
so too, perhaps,
the wild ones amongst us
are our only hope in calling us back
to our true nature.
Wild ones
who have not been turned to stone
by the far-reaching grasp of the empire
and its programme of consumer sedation,
the killing of imagination.
Where, my friends,
have the wild ones gone?
Joel McKerrow
‘Come to the edge’,
He said. They said,
‘we are afraid’.
‘Come to the edge’,
He said. They came.
He pushed them, and
they flew.
Christopher Logue
Let us light our candles and turn on our porch lights as we join together in sacred time, space, and love for one another.
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.
Hymn
ALL THINGS NEW
O Life that still makes all things new,
The blooming earth, our thoughts within;
Our pilgrim feet, wet with Your dew,
In gladness hither turn again.
From hand to hand the greeting flows,
From eye to eye the signals run;
From heart to heart the bright hope glows;
The seekers of the light are one.
One in the freedom of the truth,
One in the joy of paths untrod,
One in the soul’s perennial youth,
One in the larger thought of God.
The freer step, the fuller breath,
The wide horizons grander view,
The sense of life that knows no death,
The life that still makes all things new.
- Samuel Longfellow
From The Resistance Prays
God of all, keep us mindful that we are all created in your image with a responsibility to love our neighbors as ourselves, and help us understand the consequences of actions, like partisan gerrymandering, that violate that duty. Give us strength as we work to elect judges and political leaders that are equally mindful of this responsibility. Amen.
This week's prayer Focus -From Industrial Christian Fellowship
Those who work in healthcare
God who made the soul and spirit, and offers re-birth from within, let us not forget that You also made the bodies we inhabit and wove our physical form within the womb. In Christ, You placed Yourself in human flesh; stretching out the hand of healing to those whose minds and bodies were diseased and damaged; yearning for release. And so we pray for those who today continue Your healing work through our healthcare institutions. As they co-operate with nature’s own therapeutic process, may they glimpse the Creator God whose word brought it into being. As they bring relief and comfort to those who cannot be cured, may they encounter the saving God who is acquainted with our grief and suffering. And as they seek to educate and reform, so that our communities will be healthy places for everyone, may they sense Your revealed purpose which is the well-being of all creation. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, AMEN.
Many years Ago we made vigil with Standing Rock and the Water Protectors. Let us conclude tonight's meditation with this special vigil as a reminder that we all must be in solidarity and in unity with each other.
God we light our candles in unity and make vigil together in solidarity.
We pray for the Water Protectors at Standing Rock.
For the musical chants click on the bold links.
Song for the Sacred Elements
Water Song
Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe
Native American Prayer
Give us the wisdom to teach our children to love, to respect and to be kind to one another that we may grow with peace in mind.
- Native American Prayer
We pray and remember that all living things are sacred precious to God and that we must be good stewards of God's Cathedral of life.
Water Song
Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe
One With This World
My words are tied in one with the great mountains, with the great rocks, with the great trees, in one with my body and heart.
All of you see me, one with this world.
- Yokuts Prayer
God we pray that we my be truly one family in peace and harmony.
Prayer For Peace
Oh Great Spirit who dwells in the sky,
lead us to the path of peace and understanding,
let all of us live together as brothers and sisters.
Our lives are so short here, walking upon Mother Earth's surface,
let our eyes be opened to all the blessings you have given us.
Please hear our prayers, Oh Great Spirit.
- Native American Prayer
Water Song
Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe
God we pray that everyday we may remember that wherever we plant our feet we are on holy ground as we travel through life.
The Journey
When the earth is sick and dying,
There will come a tribe of people
From all races…
Who will put their faith in deeds,
Not words, and make the planet
Green again…
- Cree Prophecy
God we pray that we may seek to remember that we are one family throughout the world and wherever there is trouble we stand in solidarity with CALM (Compassionate, accepting, loving, and Merciful ) Hearts, hands, feet, words, and deeds.
Water Song
Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe
Great Spirit
O Great Spirit, help me always to speak the truth quietly, to listen with an open mind when others speak and to remember the peace that may be found in silence.
- Cherokee Prayer
God we pray for the Earth and that we may stand in solidarity with those seeking to heal the environment and save all animals from becoming endangered or extinct species.
Water Song
Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe
Earth Prayer
Earth teach me freedom
as the eagle which soars in the sky.
Earth teach me regeneration
as the seed which rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself
as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness
as dry fields weep with rain.
- Ute Prayer
God we pray for the healing of all our family members. We pray for the healing of hurts, hatreds, bodies, minds, spirits, and hearts.
Water Song
Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe
Healing Prayer
Grandfather,
Sacred one,
Teach us love, compassion,
and honor.
That we may heal the earth
And heal each other.
- Ojibway Prayer
God help us to be one family throughout the world. May we be your children and peacemakers seeking to love and serve the least of these.
Water Song
Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe
Sioux Prayer
Grandfather Great Spirit
All over the world the faces of living ones are alike.
With tenderness they have come up out of the ground
Look upon your children that they may face the winds
And walk the good road to the Day of Quiet.
Grandfather Great Spririt
Fill us with the Light.
Give us the strength to understand, and the eyes to see.
Teach us to walk the soft Earth as relatives to all that live.
- Sioux Prayer
From Fr. Thomas Beasley- Adapted from the Book of Common Prayer
With all our heart and with all our mind, let us pray to the Lord, saying "Lord, have mercy." For the poor and the oppressed, for the oppressed Native Peoples at Standing Rock, for the unemployed and the destitute, for prisoners and captives, and for all who remember and care for them, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy
.Water Song
Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe
A Native American Prayer for Peace
O Great Spirit of our Ancestors, I raise my pipe to you.
To your messengers the four winds,
and to Mother Earth who provides for your children.
Give us the wisdom to teach our children to love, to respect,
and to be kind to each other so that they may grow with peace in mind.
Let us learn to share all the good things you provide for us on this Earth.
- U.N. Day of Prayer for World Peace 2
Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe
The Water Song
Song for the Sacred Elements
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
1 Peter 3:14-22
14But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear,* and do not be intimidated, 15but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you; 16yet do it with gentleness and reverence.* Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. 17For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. 18For Christ also suffered* for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you* to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 19in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water. 21And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for* a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.
Matthew 10:37-42
37Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
Rewards
40 ‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; 42and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’
O God, by whose providence the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church: Grant that we who remember before you James Hannington and his companions, may, like them, be steadfast in our faith in Jesus Christ, to whom they gave obedience even to death, and by their sacrifice brought forth a plentiful harvest; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
"The basis of world peace is the teaching which runs through almost all the great religions of the world. "Love thy neighbor as thyself." Christ, some of the other great Jewish teachers, Buddha, all preached it. Their followers forgot it. What is the trouble between capital and labor, what is the trouble in many of our communities, but rather a universal forgetting that this teaching is one of our first obligations." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Come let us worship!
Come let us light our candles, turn on our porch lights, make vigil, and pray!
Joseph Barth: A Grace
We give thanks for Being;
We give thanks for being here;
We give thanks for being here together.
How good and pleasant a thing it is when God’s people live together in unity.Psalm 133:1
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
The risen Christ appeared to James, then to all the apostles.1 Corinthians 15:7
You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but citizens together with the saints and members of the household of God. Ephesians 2:19
Be still and hear the whisper of God in the Wind, in the waves, and in our hearts
Be still and hear the whisper of God in the Wind,in the waves.
Be still and hear the whisper of God in the Wind.
Be still and hear the whisper of God.
Be still and hear the whisper.
Be still and hear.
Be still.
Be.
The Light of Christ in me Recognizes the Light of Christ in you!"
I hold holy space for you in love and peace this day and always!
God is with us.
God’s love unites us.
God’s purpose steadies us.
God’s Spirit comforts us.
Blessed be God forever.
INVOCATION- St. Augustine
O Love of God, descend into my heart;
Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling,
And scatter there Your cheerful beams.
Dwell in the soul that longs to be Your temple;
Water that barren soil overrun with weeds and briars
And lost for lack of cultivating.
Make it fruitful with Your dew.
Come, dear Refreshment of those who languish;
Come, Star and Guide of those who sail amidst tempests.
You are the Haven of the tossed and shipwrecked.
Come now, Glory and Crown of the living,
As well as the Safeguard of the dying.
Come, Sacred Spirit;
Come, and make me fit to receive You.
+++
FOR INWARD PEACE -Soren Kierkegaard.
Calm the waves of this heart, O God; calm its tempests.
Calm yourself, O my soul, so that God is able to rest in you, so that God’s peace may cover you.
Yes, You give us peace, O God, peace that the whole world can never take away.
Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who abuse you. Do good and lend, expecting nothing in return; for God is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish.
Be merciful as your father is merciful. Judge not and you will not be judged. Condemn not and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and it will be given to you; for the measure you give will be the measure you receive. From Luke 6:27-38
Today's meditation poems from the Northumbria Community.
As the tamed horse
still hears the call of her wild brothers
and as the farmed goose flaps hopeful wings
as his sisters fly overhead,
so too, perhaps,
the wild ones amongst us
are our only hope in calling us back
to our true nature.
Wild ones
who have not been turned to stone
by the far-reaching grasp of the empire
and its programme of consumer sedation,
the killing of imagination.
Where, my friends,
have the wild ones gone?
Joel McKerrow
‘Come to the edge’,
He said. They said,
‘we are afraid’.
‘Come to the edge’,
He said. They came.
He pushed them, and
they flew.
Christopher Logue
You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but citizens together with the saints and members of the household of God. Ephesians 2:19
Officiant: O God, be not far from us.
People: Come quickly to help us, O God.
Let us light our candles and turn on our porch lights as we join together in sacred time, space, and love for one another.
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.
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.
Hymn
ALL THINGS NEW
O Life that still makes all things new,
The blooming earth, our thoughts within;
Our pilgrim feet, wet with Your dew,
In gladness hither turn again.
From hand to hand the greeting flows,
From eye to eye the signals run;
From heart to heart the bright hope glows;
The seekers of the light are one.
One in the freedom of the truth,
One in the joy of paths untrod,
One in the soul’s perennial youth,
One in the larger thought of God.
The freer step, the fuller breath,
The wide horizons grander view,
The sense of life that knows no death,
The life that still makes all things new.
- Samuel Longfellow
From The Resistance Prays
|
God of all, keep us mindful that we are all created in your image with a responsibility to love our neighbors as ourselves, and help us understand the consequences of actions, like partisan gerrymandering, that violate that duty. Give us strength as we work to elect judges and political leaders that are equally mindful of this responsibility. Amen.
This week's prayer Focus -From Industrial Christian Fellowship
Those who work in healthcare
God who made the soul and spirit, and offers re-birth from within, let us not forget that You also made the bodies we inhabit and wove our physical form within the womb. In Christ, You placed Yourself in human flesh; stretching out the hand of healing to those whose minds and bodies were diseased and damaged; yearning for release. And so we pray for those who today continue Your healing work through our healthcare institutions. As they co-operate with nature’s own therapeutic process, may they glimpse the Creator God whose word brought it into being. As they bring relief and comfort to those who cannot be cured, may they encounter the saving God who is acquainted with our grief and suffering. And as they seek to educate and reform, so that our communities will be healthy places for everyone, may they sense Your revealed purpose which is the well-being of all creation. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, AMEN.
Many years Ago we made vigil with Standing Rock and the Water Protectors. Let us conclude tonight's meditation with this special vigil as a reminder that we all must be in solidarity and in unity with each other.
God we light our candles in unity and make vigil together in solidarity.
We pray for the Water Protectors at Standing Rock.
For the musical chants click on the bold links.
Song for the Sacred Elements
Water Song
Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe
Native American Prayer
Give us the wisdom to teach our children to love, to respect and to be kind to one another that we may grow with peace in mind.
- Native American Prayer
We pray and remember that all living things are sacred precious to God and that we must be good stewards of God's Cathedral of life.
Water Song
Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe
One With This World
My words are tied in one with the great mountains, with the great rocks, with the great trees, in one with my body and heart.
All of you see me, one with this world.
- Yokuts Prayer
God we pray that we my be truly one family in peace and harmony.
Prayer For Peace
Oh Great Spirit who dwells in the sky,
lead us to the path of peace and understanding,
let all of us live together as brothers and sisters.
Our lives are so short here, walking upon Mother Earth's surface,
let our eyes be opened to all the blessings you have given us.
Please hear our prayers, Oh Great Spirit.
- Native American Prayer
Water Song
Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe
God we pray that everyday we may remember that wherever we plant our feet we are on holy ground as we travel through life.
The Journey
When the earth is sick and dying,
There will come a tribe of people
From all races…
Who will put their faith in deeds,
Not words, and make the planet
Green again…
- Cree Prophecy
God we pray that we may seek to remember that we are one family throughout the world and wherever there is trouble we stand in solidarity with CALM (Compassionate, accepting, loving, and Merciful ) Hearts, hands, feet, words, and deeds.
Water Song
Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe
Great Spirit
O Great Spirit, help me always to speak the truth quietly, to listen with an open mind when others speak and to remember the peace that may be found in silence.
- Cherokee Prayer
God we pray for the Earth and that we may stand in solidarity with those seeking to heal the environment and save all animals from becoming endangered or extinct species.
Water Song
Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe
Earth Prayer
Earth teach me freedom
as the eagle which soars in the sky.
Earth teach me regeneration
as the seed which rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself
as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness
as dry fields weep with rain.
- Ute Prayer
God we pray for the healing of all our family members. We pray for the healing of hurts, hatreds, bodies, minds, spirits, and hearts.
Water Song
Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe
Healing Prayer
Grandfather,
Sacred one,
Teach us love, compassion,
and honor.
That we may heal the earth
And heal each other.
- Ojibway Prayer
God help us to be one family throughout the world. May we be your children and peacemakers seeking to love and serve the least of these.
Water Song
Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe
Sioux Prayer
Grandfather Great Spirit
All over the world the faces of living ones are alike.
With tenderness they have come up out of the ground
Look upon your children that they may face the winds
And walk the good road to the Day of Quiet.
Grandfather Great Spririt
Fill us with the Light.
Give us the strength to understand, and the eyes to see.
Teach us to walk the soft Earth as relatives to all that live.
- Sioux Prayer
From Fr. Thomas Beasley- Adapted from the Book of Common Prayer
With all our heart and with all our mind, let us pray to the Lord, saying "Lord, have mercy." For the poor and the oppressed, for the oppressed Native Peoples at Standing Rock, for the unemployed and the destitute, for prisoners and captives, and for all who remember and care for them, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy
.Water Song
Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe
A Native American Prayer for Peace
O Great Spirit of our Ancestors, I raise my pipe to you.
To your messengers the four winds,
and to Mother Earth who provides for your children.
Give us the wisdom to teach our children to love, to respect,
and to be kind to each other so that they may grow with peace in mind.
Let us learn to share all the good things you provide for us on this Earth.
- U.N. Day of Prayer for World Peace 2
Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe
The Water Song
Song for the Sacred Elements
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.
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
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.
1 Peter 3:14-22
14But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear,* and do not be intimidated, 15but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you; 16yet do it with gentleness and reverence.* Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. 17For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. 18For Christ also suffered* for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you* to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 19in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water. 21And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for* a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.
A Song of God’s Love
1 John 4:7-11
Beloved, let us love one another, *
for love is of God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, *
for God is Love.
In this the love of God was revealed among us, *
that God sent his only Son into the world,
so that we might live through Jesus Christ.
In this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us *
and sent his Son that sins might be forgiven.
Beloved, since God loved us so much, *
we ought also to love one another.
For if we love one another, God abides in us, *
and God’s love will be perfected in us.
Matthew 10:37-42
37Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
Rewards
40 ‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; 42and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’
The Song of Mary Magnificat
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in you, O God my Savior, *
for you have looked with favor on your lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
you, the Almighty, have done great things for me,
and holy is your name.
You have mercy on those who fear you *
from generation to generation.
You have shown strength with your arm *
and scattered the proud in their conceit,
Casting down the mighty from their thrones *
and lifting up the lowly.
You have filled the hungry with good things *
and sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the help of your servant Israel, *
for you have remembered your promise of mercy,
The promise made to our forebears, *
to Abraham and his children for ever
The Lord’s Prayer or the alternative is said. From A New Zealand Prayer Book
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
Or
Eternal Spirit,
Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples
of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and for ever. Amen.
O God, by whose providence the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church: Grant that we who remember before you James Hannington and his companions, may, like them, be steadfast in our faith in Jesus Christ, to whom they gave obedience even to death, and by their sacrifice brought forth a plentiful harvest; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
We Praise You, O God Te Deum laudamus
We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
all creation worships you,
the Father everlasting.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
the cherubim and seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you took our flesh to set us free
you humbly chose the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come to be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.
We light yet another candle and pray 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
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.
++
Let us see one another through eyes
enlightened by understanding and compassion.
Release us from judgment so we can receive the stories
of our sisters and brothers with respect and attention.
Open our hearts to the cries of a suffering world
and the healing melodies of peace and justice for all creation.
Empower us to be instruments of justice
and equality everywhere.
prayer for everyday for all creation
Collectively authored by the Millionth Circle Initiative,
5th World Conference on Women & Circle Connections.
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.
The Song of Simeon Nunc dimittis
Luke 2:29-32
Lord, you now have set your servant free *
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten the nations, *
and the glory of your people Israel.
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.
Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more
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
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
May I be filled with loving kindness.
May I be well.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be happy.
ancient - tibetan buddhist - meditation
God’s Blessing be with you,
Christ’s peace be with you,
the Spirit’s outpouring be with you,
now and always. Amen.
(source: Celtic)
Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the infinite peace to you.
gaelic blessing
See also Under a Dark Star by Fiona Macleod.
+++
God’s Blessing be with you,
Christ’s peace be with you,
the Spirit’s outpouring be with you,
now and always. Amen.
(source: Celtic)
Good Night Brothers and Sisters! May we love one another in spirit and open heart homes. May we show attitudes of gratitude for all living things and each other. May we seek unity through Jesus the Living Water and the Waters Of Life that Course through our veins. May we be enlivened and empower to seek unity and be in service one to another.
In peace, harmony, and love,
Sara
Resources:
In Lak' Ech -Luis Valdez
Enriching Our Worship
Book of Common Prayer
Satucket Lectionary- Lessons and Saint of the Day: John Wyclif
Metis Aboriginal Ministries - Smudging prayer
YouTube
Quote Sites for Native American Prayers, Prayers, and quotes
Christ’s peace be with you,
the Spirit’s outpouring be with you,
now and always. Amen.
(source: Celtic)
Good Night Brothers and Sisters! May we love one another in spirit and open heart homes. May we show attitudes of gratitude for all living things and each other. May we seek unity through Jesus the Living Water and the Waters Of Life that Course through our veins. May we be enlivened and empower to seek unity and be in service one to another.
In peace, harmony, and love,
Sara
Resources:
In Lak' Ech -Luis Valdez
Enriching Our Worship
Book of Common Prayer
Satucket Lectionary- Lessons and Saint of the Day: John Wyclif
Metis Aboriginal Ministries - Smudging prayer
YouTube
Quote Sites for Native American Prayers, Prayers, and quotes
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