The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. - Psalm 23
At noon ET today, faith communities will be hosting an online prayer vigil to bring awareness to the pending Supreme Court decision regarding the termination of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). Arguments were heard before the Supreme Court last November, and approximately 800,000 recipients of DACA wait for a decision to be announced between April and the end of June. However, this timeline may be delayed due to recent protective measures taken because of the Coronavirus outbreak
God of Dreamers,
We pray that as a community of faith, awareness would be sharpened towards this supreme court decision, even in the midst of other crises. We pray for those whose future is uncertain and in the hands of judges, courts, and political will. We pray that their homes would be places of peace and they would know their lives as valuable and contributing to good. We pray that justice would be done and that those making decisions will interpret the law according to your law of agape love.
In this time of unprecedented, global crisis, we all struggle to hold the weight of it. Worries abound and drastic changes to how we work, parent, shop, gather, worship – indeed how we live – are compounding quickly. We, as Jesus followers, are being called to change our behavior out of love and care for our neighbor. There are many directions to pray in so here are a few we could hold before us today.
Abba, the leaders we have in government, healthcare, business, education have exceedingly difficult decisions in front of them. Open their ears and eyes to recognize wisdom. Guide decisions to reflect their positions of “servants of the good.” (Rom. 13:4).
Help our leaders see the breadth of our connectedness – the ecology of the whole creation. Help them hold the truth of our humanity before their decisions.
Guide them with the next right steps in this crisis.
Grant them sleep and health so they can endure the distance they have to go as our leaders during this time.
God, protect the vulnerable. Some members of our society are more adversely affected than others and we hold them up to your care at this time. We hold the immuno-compromised, the already sick, care home residents, the health care workers and their families up to you. We hold the homeless population and those who depend on food banks up to you in this time of resource scarcity. We hold communities with less resources, doctors, clinics and money in mind. We hold the elderly, the already isolated, the already lonely up for your presence and care. Protect bodies and minds from that which separates us from our love and your love. Help those who can care for the most vulnerable among us do so well. By keeping distance, by staying home, by delivering meals, by making sure our neighbors have ways to stay in touch with us.
And God, help us to remember that injustice around the world still abounds, affecting the most vulnerable most adversely. Help us to see truly in this time.
Help us to know that we are in your hands, and that we are also in each other’s hands. (Lynn Ungar)
God, the myth of certainty is laid bare at our feet. Will you now raise up trust and faith in your unwavering presence?
The myth of certainty has been taken down and we hold the weight of not knowing what the future holds.
Help us to hold our own fears, responsibilities, unknowns with grace.
Give us enough for today, help us to take the next right steps for tomorrow.
Be with those whose livelihoods are at risk -provide for them.
Be with those who are unable to see loved ones – care for them.
Be with those who are not sure how to balance all the new ways of daily living, all the shifts to important plans.
Be with us when we inevitably will feel the fear, angst and weight of this uncertainty—point us to your love in those moments.
Help us not trade justice for certainty, making an idol out of plans that work for us but not for everyone.
Spark in us possibilities and bigger imaginations in a time where what we thought was certain is no more.
Spirit of the Living God, you have called us to be the embodied community of the living Christ. Help us all take steps away from fear and hostility, bravado and self-righteousness, towards agape love. Towards a love that demonstrates your care to all who encounter us.
Help us to be good neighbors, locally and systematically, within our communities.
Draw us together in new bodies of worship, word and sacrament.
Open our eyes and ears to your Spirit’s movement during this time.
Surprise us and lead us to become communities that bring life to our cities, leaven in the bread.
Help us move through our own fears, naming them, and offering them to you.
Increase our trust in you and increase our love for our neighbors.
Even in a time of social distancing, may the resurrected Body of Christ be truly embodied, alive, pulsing with grace in our neighborhoods and keep doing your work in us in unexpected, subversive and life giving ways.
Give us new songs from this time, that we may sing of how you do not leave us or forsake us.
Forty years ago, the Refugee Act of 1980 established a formal process for welcoming asylum seekers. Now new federal policies, such as Asylum Cooperative Agreements, fast-track deportation proceedings, and the “Remain in Mexico” policy are eroding that process. Ask your Members of Congress to support welcome for asylum seekers and to oppose and defund any policies that erode that welcome.
There are many legitimate uses for plastic, especially in the medical community. But single-use plastic that is created only for convenience is hard on the environment and a source of carbon emissions through-out its life cycle. It's not too late to join our Lenten journey or check out the tips offered by the Climate Witness Project to reduce your single use plastic.
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