Creating, Relating, Loving One:
We come to this moment filled inside with the clutter of our week, the pressing-in of our worries, the excitement of our joys, and the loud thoughts of elsewhere.
[SILENCE]
As we feel the chair beneath our thigh, as we sense the presence of those around us, and as sounds floats in from outside these walls, we reach out to you with our authentic selves.
[SILENCE]
Help us to calm and release the noise. Help us to be present in this moment. May the silence heal our hearts and focus our spirits.
[SILENCE]
Before we open our eyes, we ask that you touch each person in this room, our family members and friends, those whose lives have been filled with hardship, those who sleep outdoors or endure the indignity of being hated for who they are, and those who have much but fear there is not enough.
We remember refugees and immigrants who out of fear or hope leave the lands of their births. We ask for healing for those who grieve and those who are sick. We pray for those who turn to guns and violence in schools and public spaces. We pray for our leaders in Washington, Salem, and our local community that they might feel your healing touch and respond by leading with grace, compassion, and justice.
We seek solace and hope in this time of change, angst, and despair. May we welcome each of your people with your love and healing actions.
[SILENCE]
In the name of Jesus who breathed your spirit in and lived and taught love, justice, and hope, fully and completely. Amen.
Tim is a runner, a hiker, a devoted husband, a father of two adult children, and their spouses, and a grandfather of four perfect children. A former early childhood educator, Tim is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He has served as pastor of both Disciples and United Church of Christ congregations. As we enter what we hope is the final phase of the pandemic, Tim is beginning a journey of rediscovering himself and discerning next steps. He writes from his home in Albany, Oregon and wherever the Spirit lures him.
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