A Service of Memory and Hope for 9/11

11 September 2011

The 13th Sunday After Pentecost

 

On the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Seekers prayed out of the silence and lit candles in memory of those who died in the violence of that day. The photo of the altar was taken at the end of the service.

 

God of mercy and justice,
God of compassion and truth,
God of honesty and grace,
on this day we remember.

 

We remember a clear, blue sky.
We remember a crisp, autumn morning.
We remember hearing news we could not believe.
We remember smoke and fear and the drumbeat of war.

 

Holy One, as we gather to worship you,
help us to remember that you are always with us.
Help us to remember that forgiveness drives out hate,
that love is stronger than death,
that your grace is greater
     than the terror that tries to consume us.

 

In each new moment,
let your Holy Spirit guide our hearts and minds
     to live like your holy Child, Jesus,
who offered healing to all who asked,
who went to the cross forgiving his enemies,
and who continues to walk the path of peace
     among us and in us and through us.

Amen.

 

God of compassion and truth,
on this day of remembrance,
we bring our thanks and praise
       for all the gifts you have already given.

 

We give thanks for rain and sun and wind,
for food for our bodies and food for our souls.

 

We give thanks for simple pleasures:
for hugs from friends and smiles from strangers;
for hikes in the woods and walks along busy, city streets;
for long conversations
       and the welcome silence of solitude.

 

God of mercy and justice,
we bring to you our prayers of thanksgiving and praise,
aloud and in the silence of our hearts.

 

And in our thanks for all that we can name,
and all that we forget,
our hearts break open to the broken places
where even simple gifts are only a dream,
a promise not yet fulfilled.

 

We pray for all who struggle from day to day,
never knowing if they will have enough to eat,
a place to sleep, a way to keep their children safe.

 

We pray for those who live in danger,
where war and its threats are a constant reality.

 

We pray for all whose lives are filled with pain,
who suffer through each moment
       of grief, of loss, of heartache.

 

We pray for first responders, and for all
who pour out their lives for the well-being of others.

 

And for what else shall we pray this day?