Thursday, 06/16/11

The universe whispers that all things are intertwined.

The Lakota embody "Mitakuye Oyasin" - we are all related.

Yet at times we hear the loud cry of discord.

To which voice shall we listen?

Although we long for harmony, we cannot close our ears to the noise of war, the rasp of hate. How dare we speak of concord when the facts and symbols of our age include Wounded Knee, Auschwitz, Abugrade and Columbine.

The intelligent heart does not deny reality. We must not forget the grief of yesterday, nor ignore the pain of today. But yesterday is past. It cannot tell us what tomorrow will bring.

If there is goodness at the heart of life, then its power, like the power of evil, is real.

Which shall prevail?

Moment by moment we choose between them.

If we choose rightly, and often enough, the broken fragments of our world will be restored to wholeness.

For this we need strength and help.

We turn, in hope, therefore, to a power beyond us.

He has many names but He is One.

He creates. He sustains. He loves.

He inspires us with the hope that we can make ourselves one as He is One.

O God, help us build Your kingdom, one human world, united in heart and soul.

There lives a God:

His presence is the glow in the human heart.

There lives a God:

We meet Him in the joys of human love.

We see Him in our vision of a better world:

when we choose life and blessing and turn from death and destruction.

We hear Him in the still, small voice of conscience.

We sense Him in our unending search for truth.

There lives a God and, in love, we unite with Him as we call Him One.

Gates of Prayer: the New Union Prayer Book