Prayers: A Window That Joy Opens/ Water is Like Blood/ Prayers of the People (July 21, 2013) - With Evaluation

Call to Worship

A Window That Joy Opens

Leader:

My room has a window that is

brightened by the morning sun

I pray to have a window

that joy opens in my heart.  

People:

May the windows of our heart

open into the four directions of love,

like the cross opens to the four edges

of grief and hope.

Leader:

Don’t cry.

Don’t feel lonely.

Let us open the window

and communicate

with others, with the sacred.

People:

May there be revelations for the eyes –

my eyes, my neighbour’s eyes

and Christ's eyes –

through the window

of our worship today, we pray. Amen.

Prayer of the Day

Water is like Blood

(Adapted from the words of August Brown in The Sacred Headwaters)

Leader:

Water is like blood.

It goes everywhere and anywhere; we can’t stop it.

People:

Water does not stay still.

It always finds new paths for its flow.

And once it does, the river changes forever.

Leader:

God of Living Water,

we are concerned that the acid from mines

can coat the bottom of the river, the stream, the creek,

where the fish lay their eggs, 

and then the eggs won’t hatch.

People:

God of Life,

let us not coat the bottom of our hearts

With greed and indifference.

Leader:

We have a message.

We have a prayer.

We cannot eat gold.

We can eat our fish.

All:

Give us wisdom to live in harmony

with all living beings and our neighbours.

We pray this in Jesus’ name

who has witnessed life by the cross. Amen.

Peace of Christ

Jesus has borne witness to justice, peace, and life.

As followers of Jesus, we should do the same;

To be more just with our neighbours, to be more peaceful with ourselves,

To be more in harmony with the living, whole creation.

May the peace and life-giving Spirit of Jesus be with us and transform us all.

Prayers of the People

God of justice and healing,

We pray for the suffering black community and people of African descent in North America from the shock of the murder done to Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old boy. Many are in shock, outraged, grieving at this terrible echo of all the injustices that have been forced upon their ancestors and themselves. The verdict may have been lawful, but it represents the triumph of fear over sensibility, injustice over equality.

There is human law and there is higher law, O God, we and we have conviction in a higher justice. God’s law says “Thou shall not murder.” And Jesus says “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”

Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for the Neighbourhood House here in Chemainus, its staff, its youth and their projects. We pray that the community of Chemainus and we as a church can be supportive of their need to find a new place to protect and nurture their dreams and hopes. May our hearts and minds be attentive to their concerns and hopes, and carry them on the wings of our ideas and actions. We pray that youths in risk in Chemainus and their families can be fully supported by the society and community and feel security and confidence as they grow.

We pray for the youths’ mental health, well-being and achievements in pursuit of their dreams.

Now we bring up those names in our hearts and prayers: we especially remember N and his family and friends. While N and I sat together, in his living room, commanding a beautiful, panoramic view of the sea and the sky, through the wide widows, he said to me, “I know it is a beautiful view. I love the other side of the view that you can see through the other room’s window, by standing on your feet. Go and appreciate it.”

O God, we believe that we see you when we look at the other side of the view. When we open the window, may you also open it, and look us in the eyes, and brighten us like the morning Sun.

We also pray for N’s good friends, J and T. N said, “I have old, good friends, J and T. It is heartbreaking that I have not seen him for a long time.” God, in your love, take care of J and T and all his good friends in our church, especially N’s well-being in his mind and body.

Finally, we pray for those in our church who miss their lost partners. We also ask that You bless those who find life companionship in mutual trust, care, true affection and love. Watch over with love our members and their families whose lives are touched by cancer. Give them your saving health.

Evaluation
https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/0/?shva=1#inbox/13ff3146137c2203

Children’s Time: Jesus Blesses Children

…

In the world, there are many sad things happening to children.

Some children are hungry. Some children are ashamed or bullied just because their skin colour is different from those around them. Some suffer because they live where wars are happening. Some have to leave their homes because there are no jobs for their parents where they live, or because their country has become a dangerous place.

When children are hurt, God is also hurt.

When children cry, God cries. When children laugh for happiness, God laughs for happiness.

You can imagine and feel God’s heart and draw God’s face – smiling face, a weeping face – because you have the eyes of child. And the way you see, the way you hope, the way you draw God’s face are truly gifts you can share with us all. So my answer to the original question is that God cries because God loves us all.