Welcome. This evening as we gather as friends we are aware of the sharp edges of fear and the crushing sense of anxiety many of us feel. Let us take a moment to remember that hope is stronger than fear. We have, as individuals and as a community, done what we can. Now let us release ourselves into the unbounded Love of our Holy One, and breathe.
Opening Song: Be Still And Know by Shaina Knoll
https://youtu.be/CCGsExqtYKo
Welcome
Opening Prayer: Psalm
56 (From Psalms for Praying, Nan Merrill)
If You had kept count of my
transgressions,
Your tears could fill a
lake.
Are they not in your book?
Now my fears will be turned
back,
in the day when I call.
This I know, that the Beloved
dwells within.
In You, whose Word I
praise,
in the Holy One, whose Word I
praise,
In You shall I trust without
fear.
What can others do to
me?
My vows to You I must
uphold,
O Beloved;
I give You thanks, my
heart
overflows with
gratitude.
For you deliver me from the
depths of despair.
You, my fears you help me to
face;
they are put to rest.
That I may walk with
You,
O Beloved,
into the light of a new
dawn.
Poem:
Hoping in the Darkness by Henri Nouwen
Hope means to keep living
Amid desperation
And to keep humming
in the darkness.
Hope is knowing that there is
love,
it is trust in tomorrow
it is falling asleep
and waking again
when the sun rises.
In the midst of a gale at sea,
It is to discover land.
In the eyes of another
it is to see that you are
understood ...
And as long as there is still
hope
There will also be prayer ...
And you will be held
in God's hands.
Meditative Song: Come
Hope by Amanda Udis Kessler
https://youtu.be/KcOMCej9VXs?si=Ke5pkgQKz9S42g-L
Reading: From Carrie Newcomer, “A Gathering of
Spirits, September 15, 2024
“Fear
is the cheapest room in the house
I
would like to see you living
In
better conditions.” ~Hafiz
This is a season filled with fear messaging. It
is human to be afraid. There is a very old part of our brain that is designed
to keep us safe, to always be scanning the landscape for the tiger in the
bushes, to be assessing which berry is healthy or poisonous. This part of brain
has a function, we learn to not touch a hot stove or jump from places too high
to land safely. But at the same time that it is ok to have very human
experiences with fear, we also learn that we don’t have to “be” the fear. Our fears
can be debilitating and may or may not be based in current reality. And in a
season of fear messaging, fear can be manipulated by unscrupulous players. When
we are afraid, we are more likely to abdicate our reason, or lose our compass
and follow what proposes the easiest way to some version called safety. When
that happens, fear is indeed “the cheapest room in the house” and we all can
claim better accommodations.
One of the fears being played upon is that of
difference, that that difference is dangerous. But we don’t have to “be” that
fear. As [Thomas] Merton wrote we are all walking around shining like
the sun, we are all intimately connected in deep and powerful ways. There
is not just comfort in sensing that elemental connection, but also empowerment.
When an individual chooses to not “be” the
fear, but act in small daily ways that some folks would just call “being
neighborly”, the pillars that support fear and division are chipped away - and
eventually brought down.
So this week when every news outlet is calling
for our fear, let us be courageous. Let us seek better accommodations. Let us
reach out and have conversations that extend welcome and connection. Let us
help one another to step back from messages that divide and destroy the
essential threads of connection in our communities. Let us speak a different
message, sing a better song.
We are all shining like the sun and we all
deserve better accommodations.
Ok….and let us vote, and encourage others to
exercise their right to vote.
Intentions:
A Prayer for Unity in
Diversity at this Time of Crisis –
Bridget
Mary Meehan, ARCWP, modified by Dennis McDonald (2024)
Let us pray for a peaceful election and transition
of power in post-election days.
Response: Holy One, we believe that you
speak and work through us.
Let us pray and pledge ourselves to work
for equality and justice for everyone in our country-no exceptions as we
confront discrimination and conspiracy theories that are rooted in hatred,
untruth, and threats of violence.
Response: Holy One, we believe that you
speak and work through us.
Let us pray for wisdom for our political
leaders as they respond to the results of the election.
Response: Holy One, we believe that you
speak and work through us.
Let us pray and pledge ourselves to
foster unity in diversity in our country.
Response:
Holy One, we believe that you speak and work through us.
Let us pray that all civil and
military leaders will follow their oath to the Constitution.
Response: Holy One, we believe that you
speak and work through us.
Let us pray and pledge ourselves to treat
others with kindness.
Response: Holy One, you speak and work
through us.
Closing Prayer:
Prayer of Jesus adapted by Miriam Therese Winter
Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
Holy One, you are within, around and among
us.
We celebrate your many names.
Your wisdom come; your will be done,
unfolding from the depths within us.
Each day you give us all that we need.
You remind us of our limits and we let go.
You support us in our power, and we act with courage.
For you are the dwelling place within us,
the empowerment around us,
and the celebration among us,
now and forever, Amen.
Closing Song: Ode to Joy, Flash Mob
https://youtu.be/kbJcQYVtZMo
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.