Present to Our Interconnectedness

Spirit of Life, Spirit of Love, forever moving amongst and within us, we call out your name.
We seek to know grace, so that we might honor our interconnectedness this morning, with each other and those who have gone before us.

When we witness suffering, in ourselves and in the world around us, may we know compassion.

Against a black background, the lens looks up to towering white trees, their branches nearly touching in a thick canopy without leaves.

When we are at a loss for words, when we're unsure of the path ahead, may we be guided by this compassion to be witnesses still; To know and to feel the truth that this human family is broken, and that it is breaking with every life lost and with each time someone’s dignity is denied.

When we find ourselves exhausted and defeated, and unsure of where to go, may we keep witnessing, turning ever further toward your still, small voice.

And, Spirit of Life, remind us too that the experience of suffering does not close us off from the possibility of joy.

May we know that our interconnectedness is a miracle, and may it be a refuge for us, felt in the voice of a friend, in the touch of a loved one, in memories of days spent in good company.

May we remain grateful for the goodness we’ve witnessed and enacted in the world, and may the warmth of our lives together hold us in love as we move into a future that is as uncertain as ever.

We ask, dear God, to know your presence, that it may remind us of what is sacred in each precious moment, even when in our brokenness. And may you teach us that sacred presence too, that we might know ourselves here and now, that we may be present for this one wild and precious life.

May it be so. Amen.