That turned dark quickly. Instead
of helping, it just gave way to
hate,
hatred of others.
And, in doing that,
it had to give way to violence.
And
violence, a lot of it,
is
self-violence.
We can't blame others for
what we do, but
what a sad
statement about
reality.
If we are capable of blaming
others, we can't be honest
with
ourselves. We have to do what
we do out of a sense of
deep pain
and
sadness about our condition.
What we need to do is
understand our condition
better, and understand ourselves.
Now,
there are three
institutions that can do that:
our families, the state and
government, and the Church.
And, there are five basic
responses to hate that we're
going to find. The first one is
acceptance of human sinfulness,
acceptance of ourselves.
Then,
there's the
understanding of the love of
God.
Friends: let's pray.
Holy Father,
we thank you for your word in
John 14,
where
Jesus tells us, "I am the way,
the truth and the life,
no one comes to the Father but
through me."
We come to you now,
Father, to listen to the words
of your word.
May
it set us free
from all hatred,
in our hearts,
which lead to violence,
and help us see ourselves and
the world
as you do.
And
Father, we ask this of you as
we listen
to the
preaching of Jesus' word.
Amen.
Thank you, God,
for making us your beloved
children,
and for the life that you give
us.
You made us in your image,
for your love,
that
would be free.
You made us in your image,
to walk in your paths of
shalom,
so that we could walk together
in
peace. Thank you, Father.
In the name of the Father,
and
of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Let us pray together.
Lord God, Almighty,
you know the hearts of each and
every one
of your children. We're asking
that you help each of us to
accept our own
shortcomings and the shortcomings
of others
forgive them,
and help us to forgive ourselves
as well,
that our families,
society, and
government may be able to
live together in peace.
God, help us to love you and
each other and
all your people
with
love and peace.
In Jesus' name,
we pray. Amen.
Amen.
Praise God,
Father. Thank you for your word
and your
words.
I hope that we
will hear
and that you will help us to
hear
them with fresh ears,
and, in so doing,
may
we hear the way in which God
is
calling each of us,
today,
to live,
to be of service,
and to love
each other
in the
name of the God of
all shalom. Amen.
Thank you,
Father.
God, we pray this afternoon for
every
family and community in the
state
of California and beyond
to have the ability to see
each other
through the
eyes of God,
accepting each other and seeing
each other
as human beings,
as brothers
and
sisters in Christ.
Help us to be strong in
community,
in family, and
in the Christian faith.
If any of us, by
our words or
our actions,
bring sorrow to another,
may we be forgiven,
and then may we be restored.
May we bring blessing to all we
meet today,
whether in
word or deed,
so that God's creation of us
in
the
likeness of God can thrive.
And
may we be able to love
each other
with the love of
the
Father,
and may we be able
to give you glory,
Father God, in the name of Jesus
Christ,
your son, our Lord. Amen.
It is a beautiful day,
California.
Beautiful, thank you for being
here, thank you for being
there, in other places where
the
souls are dark,
in the city of Orlando,
the
city of Pittsburgh,
and in other places that you
read about
in the news.
God, we pray today for an end
to all hatred,
hatred of others,
and the violence that we
see so
often in our world.
Give us the ability to see
through the
hateful eyes of our
forefathers and
let us stand up and speak up
against it,
in love. And may we be able to
turn,
even the worst
of hearts,
to blessing and
peace. In the name of Jesus
Christ,
our Lord,
amen.
And let us
praise God,
Father, in
our own
strength.
And with a
voice of the heart,
for all
of
those who have
perished in the
name of
violence,
and for all of those
who are
still suffering.
Amen.
Lord, as we gather
together today,
and in our own neighborhoods,
and
beyond,
help us to love
each other,
father, brother and sister
in
Christ.
Lord, we pray that you help
us
to not let the world and its
drivers
of
hatred,
blame,
pain and strife
overcome our joy,
our hope and
our plans for
a new future
that will honor you.
Lord, help us to accept ourselves
and others,
for we are all children of
the
Father.
For you alone
can make us whole,
and by
your Spirit,
in Jesus Christ,
your Son,
help us to believe the truth of
your
love, the love of God.
Lord, we pray,
and thank you
for your
grace,
love,
and mercy.
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thanks be to God.
Almighty
God, Father in
heaven,
we ask that you be with us.
Fill us with your spirit,
that we might be able to
comfort
one another,
and walk together in
peace.
We pray for those who have
suffered,
who
have died,
and who continue to suffer
throughout
this day.
We
pray that you would help us to
accept
your truth that Jesus is
the
way, the truth and the life.
And
let us each
accept that
you are
the
only way
to the Father,
and that through Jesus Christ
that
we may
follow you,
walking in love,
peace and
shalom,
and the knowledge
that we are sons and
daughters of your kingdom,
and will
not die, but will be
conformed
to the likeness of your Son
Jesus, our Savior and Lord.
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you, Father,
for the life and
words you have given us.
We ask for your grace today,
that
as we walk together,
you might help us to
follow
the paths
of shalom
that you've provided for us.
In Jesus' name,
we
pray. Amen.
Please join me, and
everyone else who has gathered
together,
in prayer:
Almighty
God, Father in heaven,
in the name of the
holy Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy
Spirit.
We
ask you,
our Lord, to guide us.
We ask that you bless
this gathering,
we ask that you bless those
who
gather here,
and that you bless
this day.
Please
receive our
prayers, our
thoughts,
and the intentions
of all the
people gathered
here.
We pray to you
that your
kingdom,
the kingdom of God,
would be
proclaimed,
that
all
behold the
kingdom
of heaven is at hand,
and that we might
be living witnesses
of
it and of
the grace of
our Lord.
May your name be honored and
respected,
your house be
established,
your presence be given,
your
favor rest upon us,
and your blessing
be given to
all.
We pray for your presence,
and
for your peace,
and for your
direction,
and for your
power.
May
