Be Opened: a Prayer Service for Our Troubled Country

Invocation

Let us Pray:

God of compassion and unconditional love, send your spirit through us to open us to your healing mercy and love. Remind us again that we are all created in the divine image beloved. Amen.

 

Scripture

³¹ Then Jesus returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. ³²They brought to Jesus a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged Jesus to lay his hand on him. ³³Jesus took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. ³⁴Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ ³⁵And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. ³⁶Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. ³⁷They were astounded beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.’ Mark 7:31-37

 

A litany of Confession

Pastor:  O compassionate healer, we believe you can open us up. You can open our ears to hear, release our tongues, and help us to speak plainly.

People: Open us to you healing love.

Pastor: Be opened, you spoke these words to a man who was trapped in his own head, lost in his garbled words. We ask you to open our ears. May we hear the voices that push us in the direction of love and compassion.

People: Open us to you healing love.

Pastor: Be opened. May we hear the voices that are hurting right now. The people who have been hurting and pain for a long time. Who have continually cried out and yet we couldn’t hear them. May we hear the voices that beg I can’t breath. May we hear the anger and rage, the heartache and pain, the desire for a new and better world.

People: Open us to you healing love.

Pastor: Be opened. May we hear the words and voices that make us uncomfortable, that make us squirm. We know Jesus that you made people uncomfortable by healing the stranger, by making the deaf to hear.

People: Open us to you healing love.

Pastor: Be opened. Be opened to the voices in the street crying out for justice. Be opened to the fear that this means change. Be opened to those worried about loved ones, family.

People: Open us to you healing love.

Pastor: Be opened. When you opened his ears, you invited us to have our ears opened. Open to hear that every single life is created in your image and is holy. That whatever rainbow hued color of our skin, whatever country our ancestors came from, we are holy and beautiful and loved.

People: Open us to you healing love.

Pastor: Be opened. Be open to the voices of academics and writers who share their stories of what it is like to be black in America and what needs to change to fix systemic racism.

People: Open us to you healing love.

Pastor: Be opened. But we know you didn’t just open ears. You release tongues. You allowed this man who only spoke garbled phrases to speak plainly.

People: Open us to you healing love.

Pastor: Be opened. When we hear our friends and family speak about other people as if they aren’t human, aren’t worthy, should be where there are. When we hear our family and friends speak about nuking, killing, tanks. Release our tongues to speak of love and compassion.

People: Open us to you healing love.

Pastor: Be opened. It is hard to speak against the crowd. It is hard to say to parents and grandparents that we need to change. It is hard to tell our friends that that isn’t funny. So God we need you to release our tongues so we can speak plainly.

People: Open us to you healing love.

Pastor: Be opened. The deaf can hear and the mute can speak. These are your promises to us. That those who have blocked their ears or hidden their voices will be free. You promise that the world can change. You promise us that a new world can be born. But you let us know it is not easy. It is not comfortable. It is scary.

People: Open us to you healing love.

Pastor: Be opened. So we pray for your healing. We pray that you groan deep in your spirit. That your rub our ears and touch our tongues. That you lead us in your love into a world that is often scary and dangerous, but has such promise.

 

And so we stop here and pray

May those who are protesting have strength and courage, be safe and know that the work they do is sacred.

We stop and pray for safety. May you protect those protesting, may you protect those who put themselves in danger, our first responders.

We stop here and pray for those who have lost their lives through violence: black Americans, protestors and police.

We stop here and pray for those who are sick right now with this horrible virus that is hurting black and brown people so much harder than us.

We stop and pray for those who have died from this horrible virus and we pray for their grieving families.

As we pray together:

Our Father…

 

Benediction

May we all take care of one another

May we all protect each other

May we all see the holy in one another

May you help us find our way forward, in hope, in truth, in justice, in compassion, in courage, and in love.