Doing my best to find my way.
Today, O God
I ask for a rainbow.
Or something.
Some small sign that goodness will prevail.
And decency.
And compassion.
And kindness.
Some sign that the flood waters
And the chaos
Are not permanent.
That the harm we are doing
To each other
And to ourselves
Does not have
Will not have
The final word.
I ask for a rainbow, O God
Because all I see right now
Feel right now
Are the waves
Crashing around
And into
The leaky boat which is my life.
Our lives.
On this Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend…
Let us pray for any and for all who have lost their lives in any conflict.
Their names remembered on bronze plaques
And marked by crosses or stars or crescents that line far too many fields.
Let us pray for all the mothers who have lost a son.
And fathers who have lost a daughter.
And brothers who have lost a sister.
And children who have lost a parent.
And, let us pray for our country.
Our leaders.
Our fellow countrymen and women.
Those who are doing well and those who are not.
And, let us give thanks for freedom.
The freedom to go where we please.
To worship as we please.
To have a voice in deciding those who will govern.
And to express our own point of view.
And let us pray for ourselves.
For if we take God at God’s word and claim our place among the People of God we are called to something more. And even though we can’t quite see it, we are to live, work, speak, dream our way towards that day which may almost be now…
When the lion lies down with the lamb.
When swords will be transformed into plows.
And spears into tools to harvest food enough for all.
And when we will be named as peacemakers and because of that be known as the children of God.
For, if not us, O God, then who?
And if not now, O God, then when?
Amen.
My guess is before yesterday you had never heard of it.
Santa Fe, Texas.
Now we have.
On Friday, 8 students and 2 teachers were killed by a 17 year old.
The headline of the yesterday’s New York Daily News read:
With yesterday’s Texas massacre, there have now been more students and teachers killed by guns in US schools than active duty military deaths in 2018.
And, as our ad in the local paper this week reminded us.
912 people were killed or injured by guns in the week ending May 14th.
Which brings the total of those killed or injured to 14,720.
And that was before the shooting at Sante Fe High School.
We will begin our prayer this morning in silence, as a bell rings for each of the victims of Friday’s shooting in Santa Fe, Texas.
Call us out, O God.
Call us out from all those places where we hide
From you and from each other.
Call us out from behind the walls be build.
And, from the stereotypes to which we cling.
And, from the assumptions and easy certainty which avoids the challenging questions which face us.
Call us out, O God.
To life.
To hope.
To justice.
To compassion.
In other words, O God, call us out towards your promised Kingdom meant for us and for all.
As we turn towards You, may we find the courage to pray.
For all those who we remember in this moment.
And, for all those who find themselves in need of health or healing or hope or a reminder of your abiding presence in all the moments of life.
And, added to all those prayers, O God, our prayers of gratitude for the love which surrounds us and for the love which supports us. For the opportunities before us and the responsibilities entrusted to us. Thank you for this community of faith with its reminder of who we are and whose we are and who we are called to be.
And, as always, O God,
May our lives follow where our prayers first lead.
Amen.
In this moment which is now, O God,
But never again
Create some space within us we pray.
Push past our busyness.
And our lists.
And our focus on what comes next
Rather than the moment we have
Right here.
Right now.
Stop us long enough that we might take stock of ourselves.
Who we are.
How we are.
Our dreams and hopes.
Our brokenness and sorrow.
And, to make room for the other and to leave space for you.
Those whom we love.
Those whom we barely know.
For all fall within the circle of Your love.
So, here we are, O God.
Create some space within us, we pray.
Amen.
I used to pray that God would feed the hungry, or do this or that, but now I pray that [God] will guide me to do whatever I’m supposed to do, what I can do. I used to pray for answers, but now I’m praying for strength. I used to believe that pray changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us and we change things.
– Mother Teresa
Believing all fall within the circle of your love and care, O God, we pray.
First, for those who find themselves in need.
Those who are lost.
Those who are separated from their children.
Those without a home or a place to call home.
Those who are hungry.
Those who are victims.
And, we pray for those who have enough.
And more than enough.
Ourselves included.
May our affluence not lead to arrogance.
Instead, may gratitude deepen our compassion.
And, may we live with an awareness of our need for each other.
And, may we find our way forward towards that promised day when all will have enough and all will have a place.
And, as we pray may our lives be changed.
So that we begin to pray not just with our words.
But also with our lives.
Amen.
As you pray this morning, see your family.
And, as you do surround them with your love.
As you pray this morning, see those who find themselves in need.
As you see them or remember their names, surround them with the care.
As you pray this morning see those who struggle.
For food. For shelter. For safety. To be heard.
Surround them now with your strength and support.
As you pray this morning see to the beauty around you.
Notice the grace which brushes up against your life.
Pay attention to the goodness and kindness in our world.
And add your gratitude to the gratitude of others.
As you pray this morning see yourself
Allow the care and support and love of others to wash across your life.
And, as always, O God,
May our lives follow where our prayers first lead.
