Piecing Stories

Liturgy based on II Kings, Jeremiah 32; 52

Cynthia — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:33:24 +0000

CALL TO WORSHIP

Leader: God of the exiled and the embraced
People: God of the fools and the wise ones
Leader: God of the ones who are obedient and those who go their own way
People: God of the generous and the power hungry
Leader: God of those who confess and those who seem unredeemable
People: We come to hear your challenging and hopeful word
Leader: To come face to face with ways we are like the prophets or like the kings
People: Ways we are exiled because of our choices or the decision of others
Leader: And ways we act, vote and live as Caesar.
People: We are ready; teach us now.

©May 14, 2012 Cynthia Langston Kirk

PRAYER

God of Each New Day, help us breath in the sights and smells of your creation and breathe out gratitude and joy for the wonders you have created. Help us breathe in your hope, even during the bleakest times, and offer that to a world in need. Be with us as we worship you that we can hear a word that will make us more obedient, less self-centered, more compassionate and less likely to follow for worldly gain. In the name of Christ who lived such a life we pray. Amen.

©May 14, 2012 Cynthia Langston Kirk

Prayer for General Conference and Beyond

Cynthia — Tue, 01 May 2012 23:03:25 +0000

For bodies weary beyond belief and hearts broken by crevices and canyons of separation, we ask you for your loving care, O God. Receive the tears and pain. Heal in ways we cannot imagine so that all that remains is Love. Pour out wisdom; pour out mercy; pour out your courage until every person who follows Christ loves like Jesus. Thank you for inspiring us and filling us with your song. O, Tender Creator, when we make mistakes as we follow you, please forgive us. When we make mistakes, let us always err on the side of grace. Keep us mindful that hungry, hope-seeking eyes are watching, eager to know if you exist and if you care. Keep us mindful that they learn that, in large part, by the way we communicate, the way we vote and the way we show the joyful, inclusive love you have for all that lives. Amen.

Poem – Peace I Give

Cynthia — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:47:48 +0000

Eyes locked, time frozen,
Electricity crackling at every angel’s pronouncement:
“Do not be afraid.”
Knees knock, palms perspire
Remembering stories of the ancestors.

Do not be afraid?
When our lives are about to be changed?
When our self-made map is shredded and blown to every corner of the world?
When the river bends and we cannot see beyond the curve?
When the sea boils and rumbles
Seeking to toss our bodies one way and our faith another?

And then those four words of
Admonition, encouragement, commandment, prayer
Seep into our rattling bones with assurance -
“Do not be afraid.”
It’s not that frightening yesterdays, todays, and tomorrows will be erased.
It’s not that storms will vanish from the earth
It’s not that abusive power will melt at the sight of a victim.
And it is not that the chaos of grief and agony
Will never be experienced again.

It is that I will be with you.
My peace I give you -
Not as the world can give or understand or duplicate.
I give you my presence
Faithfulness in the gale,
Silver slivers in ebony fog,
Peace to offer peace to those who are terrified,
Peace to be strength in turbulent times,
Peace to bring hope to those who are submerging for the third time.
Courage, wisdom, and authority that the church can be the church,
Disciples be disciples
No longer snuggled into a serene harbor
But willing to travel into deep water
For the sake of Shalom.

Poem and stole for Bishop David Yemba
For General Conference April 2012
By Rev. Cynthia Langston Kirk
Poem © February 2012

As An Old Woman ~ Poem

Cynthia — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:15:31 +0000

As An Old Woman

When I’m an old woman I shall wear thread and fabric bits stuck to my skirt

Confetti for a party-on-the-move.

When I’m an old woman

I shall carry poetry fragments and song phrases

Dangling from my fingertips like jewelry.

When I’m an old woman I’ll whistle joy

And tell you stories of people that will shape your heart.

When I am old I will have tiny pockets

Filled with beads of every color and shape,

Large pockets for scissors, sticks, sketch pads

Sensible and peculiar tools for creating.

When I’m an old woman

I’ll feed birds from bowls tied to my shoes

And learn the songs they share.

When I’m an old woman I’ll make you pancakes

Shaped like pigs and flamingoes

Serve them with apricot syrup and delight.

When I’m an old woman I’ll sit by the ocean,

Drink in the fog; then paddle a kayak one more time.

When I am old we’ll sing songs about God -

Love that knows no bounds and justice that requires our involvement,

How Jesus loves all the little children

Red, yellow, black, brown, white.

When I’m an old woman I will pray

For those I know, for those I don’t know

And for those I can no longer remember.

When I am an old woman

My heart will be filled with decades of love

And I will be grateful.

©Febraury 21, 2012 Cynthia Langston Kirk

Call to Worship, Opening Prayer ~ Exodus 12:29-43, 14, 20:1-21

Cynthia — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:10:17 +0000

CALL TO WORSHIP

Leader: When all seems right in our lives