Thanksgiving
in a Time of Trouble
The Rev. Erwin Barron
Prayer of the People
Old First Presbyterian Church, San Francisco
May 16, 2004
Thanks to ee cummings for the first part of our prayer today:
i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any-lifted from the no
of all nothing-human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?
(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)
We thank you, O loving God, for poetry like this that lifts
us from the everyday drudgery and too frequent terrors to again discover
the unimaginable in you... to discover that peace can come that justice
can be made right and your unimaginable love will conquer in our lives
and our world
We thank you for that which enables us to be alive again today and to
find in the dull ache and difficulties of everyday, to find things which
are infinite; which are YES!
In the dungeons of Abu Ghraib prison, the deadly streets of Mosul, and
the indescribable mess that is Iraq . . . show us your justice, get us
out of this mess! Help us bring peace. Let us find things which are infinite;
which are YES!
In the refugee settlements and bulldozed homes and bombed buses of Palestine
and Israel . . . may we somehow find a way out of the loudly shouted NO
and hatred, to find a way to share under your loving care, Oh Yahweh,
Allah, loving God. Let us find things which are infinite; which are YES!
On the corner of this street with the homeless who are cold and hungry,
addicted and ill On the corner of this street with the homeless who are
cold and hungry, addicted and ill . . . help us share love and give hope.
Let us find things which are infinite; which are YES!
Amongst the rubble of own lives, with alcoholism, lost jobs, money problems,
broken relationships . . . give us the joy of family and friends. Let
us find things which are infinite; which are YES!
With dear people we love who facing disease and suffering and death,
with (people we name aloud or in silence) . . . bring healing and hope,
o God. Let us find things which are infinite; which are YES!
And among our prayer partners for today: Let us find things which are
infinite; which are YES!
Remind us Oh God, through the leaping greenly spirits of trees,
the lilting laughter of children,
the warm touch of a lover,
the smiles of our colleagues,
the kindness of a stranger,
the community of this church,
That this and every day is the sun's birthday,
the birthday of life and love and wings,
and of the gay great happening illimitably earth!
And in the midst of many NO’S
that you open our eyes and our ears to hear your YES! So that we remain
always tasting touching hearing seeing breathing through you
And we human merely beings can never, ever doubt unimaginable You
Amen
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