Dear All,
Our theme today is that of ‘Inclusion’. It touches on the need for everyone, including ourselves, to feel included. It also prods us to be aware of how easy it is to exclude others specially if they seem very different from us. I often need to remind myself that we were all loved into existence by one creator. We hope there is something here that you can connect with. And again I am reminded of Pope Francis’s ‘Who am I to judge?’
Today’s blessing is one from In Tune with Heaven, ‘May the mind of Jesus ….’. We hope you enjoy it.
With our love & prayer for you
For Everyone Born
For everyone born, a place at the table,
for everyone born, clean water and bread,
a shelter, a space, a safe place for growing,
for everyone born, a star overhead,
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
For young and for old, a place at the table,
a voice to be heard, a part in the song,
the hands of a child in hands that are wrinkled,
for young and for old, the right to belong,
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
For gay and for straight, a place at the table,
a covenant shared, a welcoming space,
a rainbow of race and gender and colour,
for gay and for straight, the chalice of grace,
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
For just and unjust, a place at the table,
abuser, abused, with need to forgive,
in anger, in hurt, a mindset of mercy,
for just and unjust, a new way to live,
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
For everyone born, a place at the table,
to live without fear, and simply to be,
to work, to speak out, to witness and worship,
for everyone born, the right to be free,
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
Shirley Erena Murray
God sends us out into the world – not to build walls but to dismantle barriers. Not to load on chains but to liberate the oppressed. Not to close our doors but to welcome the stranger. Not to further fragment the body of Christ but to re-imagine it. God sends us out into the world to live as a sign of the justice & peace of his kingdom.
Pat Bennett
O God bring us to silence that we may hear your voice in those calling from the edge. Move us to stand with them in speechless solidarity; write your love on our bodies that our living, not our lips, may sing your freedom song.
Julie Greenham
All those faces, God the Lord!
Familiar ones in the house,
strange ones in the street,
each one made in your likeness,
yet none the mirror of another;
family resemblances, yes, even look-alikes,
but over millions of years no duplicates.
What a craftsman you are
creating different identities in such short space!
It is as if you were telling us
that each one of us is special
and loved as if there were no-one else. Alleluia! Amen.
Everyone is Worthy Of Meaningful Connection
One of the things that can hold you back from looking ahead with hope and courage is the fear that you might not belong. You might have this desire to move onward toward the horizon of some new and promising day, but perhaps, at times, you wonder:
“Will I have to do this alone?”
“If I go down this path…will my friends come with me?”
“If I really go all-in on this, am I going to be even more of an outsider?
“Will I have the support I need?”
“What if I take a lot of these risks and put all of this work in only to get rejected?”
I cannot tell you what will happen when you give your all in this season, but I can tell you this: You belong in this world just as much as anyone else. No matter how others see you or how you see yourself, and it is not an accident that you are here.
It’s important to remember this because there might be spaces where you are made to feel that you do not belong. Perhaps you’ve been discriminated against or were treated unfairly because those people and you received the message that you were not welcome. You didn’t deserve to be treated that way, and you are worthy of spaces that remind you that you belong, no matter how unrealistic it may feel at times. And I just hope you know that even if you have yet to meet anyone who shares your experiences, you are still worthy of empathy and compassion. You are still worthy of belonging.
For all of the questions that find you out here: I hope you also find belonging. I hope you find people and landscapes and music that remind you: you are worthy of meaningful connection, and as long as there is breath in your lungs, there will be room to make meaningful connections along the way that remind you that you are not alone.
Morgan Harper Nichols