Day 4: Justice

OPENING PRAYER

We come together today, O Lover and Protector of all, because we understand that all of creation is made by you. We are all one, holy family. Grant us your vision of a family of your making, in which all are loved, protected, and cared for, and no one has too much, while others have too little. Help us to see that though diverse, we are equally loved. We share in the dignity of belonging to you, your beloved creation. Help us return to this family of origin, for if some of us know injustice, none of us will possess true abiding peace. Give us the strength to be love, to heal each other and the planet.

OPENING SONG: We Rise

We rise, humbly hearted
Rise, won’t be divided
Rise, with spirit to guide us
Rise!

In hope, in prayer, we find ourselves here
In hope, in prayer, we’re right here (x2)

We rise, all of the children
Rise, elders with wisdom
Rise, ancestors surround us
Rise!

In hope, in prayer, we find ourselves here
In hope, in prayer, we’re right here (x2)

We rise, up from the wreckage
Rise, with tears and with courage
Rise, fighting for life
We rise!

FIRST READING: Kat Armas

I think this is foundational to an abuelita faith: recognizing the sacred belonging we have to Creator and every created thing. But we cannot belong to one another if we’re not committed to telling the truth about ourselves and each other. Injustice affects both the oppressor and the oppressed, so we must tell the truth about the past—and the ways we have disrupted our sacred belongingness—so we may heal our future.

SUNG PSALM OPENING

O Justice, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. (Repeat)

PSALM 37

Evil may prosper, but don’t you wallow in anger.
Do what you can and let it go.
Remember the long arc of the universe
and how it bends towards justice.
Set your feet upon that path;
for it is True.

Be still
and wait for God to speak to your heart.
Cherish your life, find your work and love those around you.

Hold your head up and teach your children.
Stand with those who are honest and kind
Seek out the upright
make peace where you can
trust in God

SUNG DOXOLOGY

Glory to the Maker, Lover, and Keeper; as ago, in this breath, and will be ever. Amen, Amen.

SECOND READING: Barbara Holmes

Today’s wilderness can be found in bustling suburban and urban centers, on death row, in homeless shelters in the middle of the night, in the eyes of a hospice patient, and in the desperation of AIDS orphans in Africa and around the world. Perhaps these are the postmodern desert mothers and fathers. Perhaps contemplative spaces can be found wherever people skirt the margins of inclusion. Perhaps those whom we least value have the most to teach.

SILENT CONTEMPLATION

PRAYERS OF CONCERN

Mother/Father of All Souls, you who weep with those who weep, see the travail of those whose loved ones have fallen victim to hate. Sometimes it is those oppressed by they who fear and despise them, yet at other times there are those who become victims of the hate that dwells within them. Both are in need of healing. So heal us, Mother/Father and Giver of Life, no matter where we stand. Restore us to the Love that puts us on an equal playing field.

SUNG RESPONSE

O God of Justice, receive the prayers we offer

Spirit of Our Light and Our Shadow, the morning sunlight can reveal the ugliness inside of us. The evening shadows can hide our deception and hate. Let your Light show us who we are, and help us to be our most loving, justice, and life-giving selves, until the only shadow we dwell in is yours. Let us be honest with ourselves, and others, vulnerable in our sharing, and quick to forgive. Let us heal and build together, as you would have us do.

SUNG RESPONSE

O God of Justice, receive the prayers we offer

You Who Are Love, we have fallen so far away from your desires. Fill our hearts with compassion for one another, and the willingness to work to ensure justice for all. We have stripped the earth by our greed. Help us to restore our great mother, and share her bounty in the most sustainable ways, even as we begin to share the fruits of our own labor with each other. Let us love without reservation, and beyond our comfort zones, until justice dawns like morning, full of new mercies.

SUNG RESPONSE

O God of Justice, receive the prayers we offer.

Please add the prayers you are longing to express.

SUNG RESPONSE

O God of Justice, receive the prayers we offer.

CLOSING SONG: We Shall Be Known

We shall be known by the company we keep
By the ones who circle round to tend these fires.
We shall be known by the ones who sow and reap
The seeds of change alive from deep within the Earth.
It is time now
It is time now that we thrive
It is time we lead ourselves into the well
It is time now
And what a time to be alive
In this “Great Turning” we shall learn to lead in love
In this “Great Turning” we shall learn to lead in love

(The term “Great Turning” is coined by Joanna Macy)

CLOSING BLESSING

Bless you with great discomfort
when you see injustice play out before you
and there is something you can do to help.

Bless you with wholeheartedness,
so that you may live
from deep within wellsprings of Love,
placed in your heart when you were created.

Bless you with fiery anger,
so that you may fight to keep the world from burning,
innocents and innocence lost,
casualties of genocide and war.

Bless you to understand the assignment:
justice, freedom, peace, and goodwill,
a healed and healthy planet full of plenty,
and may you accept your call with joy and sometimes even tears.

Bless you to reach out your hand
to comfort those with little comfort,
and bless those with few blessings.

And finally, bless you with glorious foolishness
to know that Love always, in all ways, makes a difference,
in your home, your neighborhood,
your city, state, and country.
May you be foolish enough to try the impossible,
so that the good that is possible stands a chance.

May Christ grant you the strength to live
in the Love that makes justice attainable,
now and for the rest of your days.

SUNG AMEN