The worship theme for October is Deep Listening.
Especially in this election cycle during pandemic, we need to listen deeply to ourselves to stay safe physically and in balance emotionally and spiritually. We have to listen deeply to family and friends so that we see beyond our own narrow fears and stories. We have to be courageous enough to listen deeply to those who do not vote as we do, so we might understand their needs and feelings. And become courageous enough to share, so they too may listen deeply.
In this time of divisiveness and anxiety, may we help create shared spaces of deep listening, creating a new way forward.
Listen Deeply with me on Sunday October 4th at the interfaith community Zoom Sunday service. I share the prayer I contributed to the service:
Beloved Spirit of Life and Justice,
Opening us to the joy we feel being together in community,
tasked with Keeping Faith with Life,
living from our hearts where you guide us.
Opening to the sorrow we carry for those suffering from Covid-19,
Opening to the anger and fear and grief we carry in
response to the pandemic of white supremacy
Opening to our shared commitment to equal justice for all.
Hold us with your unconditional Love, breathing us, inspiring us.
Breathing with gratitude for being together, sharing our faith in life, shining through us, shining through the different religious and spiritual traditions that support us in keeping our hearts and minds open to your guidance, Dearest Spirit of Life, Spirit of Community,
Spirit of Justice and Peace.
Help us to see beyond our differences. Help us to hear beyond our opinions. Help us to act beyond our fears.
Move us toward one another, in vulnerability and vision,
That we may become the beloved community You dream of.
Guide us in praying together, in deepening our trust in ourselves and each other, so that our lives and our actions may help bend that moral arc of the Universe toward your dream of Justice.
Thank you for bringing us together.
May we honor you through all we do and all we are.
