One: Grace and peace be with you.
MOST: And also with you.
One: As we enter this time together, may this musical moment allow a settling of our hearts and a spiritual centering…
SONG: The First of June Paul West
One: Please hear this prayerful commentary…
Thou takest the pen –
and the lines dance.
Thou takest the flute –
and the notes shimmer.
Thou takest the brush –
and the colours sing.
So all things have meaning and beauty
in that space beyond time where Thou art.
How, then, can I hold back anything from Thee?
~ Dag Hammarskjöld
SONG: Put Your Hand in the Hand
Put Your Hand in the Hand – by Gene MacLellan
Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently
By putting your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee
Every time I look into the Holy Book, I wanna tremble
When I read about the part where the carpenter cleared the temple
For the buyers and the sellers were no different fellers than what I profess to be
And it causes me shame to know I’m not the person I should be
Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently
By putting your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee
Momma taught me to pray before I reached the age of seven
She said, there’ll come a time when there’ll probably be room in Heaven
But I’m feelin’ kinda guilty ‘bout the number of times, we do what we shouldn’t do
When we forget what He said and then we beg Him that He’ll still make room.
Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently
By putting your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge God, and God will make straight your paths.
“One Day at a Time, Dear Jesus” – Song Perspectives
One Day at a Time, Dear Jesus
Wilkin and Kristofferson (Long – vs. 3)
I’m only human, I’m just a man,
Help me believe in what I could be
and all that I am,
Show me the stairway I have to climb,
Lord, for my sake, teach me to take one day at a time.
Chorus
One day at a time, dear Jesus, That’s all I’m asking from You,
Just give me the strength to do ev’ry day
What I have to do;
Yesterday’s gone, dear Jesus,
And tomorrow may never be mine,
Lord, help me today,
Show me the way one day at a time.
Do you remember when you walked among men?
Well, Jesus, you know if you’re looking below
that it’s worse now than then.
Pushing and shoving, crowding my mind,
So, for my sake, teach me to take one day at a time.
Chorus
One day at a time, dear Jesus, That’s all I’m asking from You,
Just give me the strength to do ev’ry day
What I have to do;
Yesterday’s gone, dear Jesus,
And tomorrow may never be mine,
Lord, help me today,
Show me the way one day at a time.
But it don’t hurt Lord, if we think past today
Help us to think, that we’re not on the brink,
showin’ kindness each day,
And if we do Lord, Pass along your good grace
Maybe we make, the actions folk take better day after day
Chorus
One day at a time, dear Jesus, That’s all I’m asking from You,
Just give me the strength to do ev’ry day
What I have to do;
Yesterday’s gone, dear Jesus,
And tomorrow may never be mine,
Lord, help me today,
Show me the way one day at a time.
This prayer section will be a little different this week – we’ll start with litany prayer and then ask for specific joys & concerns in the midst of our prayer
Litany of Healing (portions from Public Service of Healing)
RESPONSE:
Hear us, O Lord of life
One: O Great Love, thank you for living and loving in us and through us. May all that we do flow from our deep connection with you and all beings. Help us become a community that vulnerably shares each other’s burdens and the weight of glory. Listen to our hearts’ longings for the healing of our world.
ALL: [The community will add our own intentions here…]
One: God, knowing you are hearing us better than we are speaking, we offer these prayers in all the holy names of God, saying together The Lord’s Prayer:
ALL: Our father…
SONG: Blest Be the Tie That Binds
Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.
Before our Father’s throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims, are one,
Our comforts and our cares.
We share our mutual woes,
Our mutual burdens bear,
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear
Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.
CLOSING (in unison:)
Friends, life is short and there is precious little time to gladden the hearts of those who travel with us… So make haste to be kind, and be quick to love, for within every act of love and kindness, the God who first formed us, reforms and transforms us again and again, now and forever! And for that God’s people say: AMEN!
Go in peace, with a focus on experiencing life one day at a time …
[NOTE: In silence, please feel free to leave this Zoom meeting when you are ready…]
PARTING MUSIC: John Ryan’s Reel
NOTE: The community is grateful to Chris D., Paul W. and Steve L. for their contributions to today’s gathering