Prayers by Caroline Lu

As we continue to digest news, social media, and larger social change around race in the United States, may these simple yet powerful prayers be balm for you.


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“Prayer”

O Divine Lord,

Calm my clamoring thoughts

Of grief, and anger,

That in the quiet,

I may abide with them

And come to abide in You.

May the ins and outs of my breath

Connect me to the Holy Spirit,

Dwelling deep in my soul

In the very still place

Where lives Your wisdom,

peace and comfort.

So the deep pain, in and around me.

May be etched on my very heart,

That You divinely crafted

As you have All Your children, in Your creation;

Your Beloved, whom You know by the hairs of our heads.

Bind us together, Lord, in You.

“Creator Divine”

How you weep with us

Show us the way to lament,

The pain in our hearts.

Show us how to breathe

That your indwelling Spirit

Be felt in our bones.

Your reassurance

That we’re worthy of your love,

Humbled on our knees.

Whisper from our hearts

That our minds may awaken

To your Divine love

That belongs to All

Prayers of the People: June 14th, 2020

Selasi Dankwa led us in this prayer on 2nd Sunday:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the gift of life. Thank you for the opportunity to gather today in worship and for the blessing of hearing from each other. Thank you for each person that makes up this Union community and for how you’re working in our lives and in the church.

Help us to love you more and to love each other well. May we extend that love to our neighbors outside this community as we are reminded of the ways in which you love us perfectly and continually pour out your grace and mercy upon us. Let us respond to your invitation to follow you as you show us how to be peacemakers, and agents of healing and reconciliation. Let us not be indifferent to the suffering of others. Where we are fearful give us courage. Where we are tempted to be prideful, may we follow the example of Christ. In our weariness, strengthen us. And in all things, may our actions point to God.

Dear Heavenly Father, we pray for an end to the COVID pandemic. You who are able to do all things in your mighty power, have mercy on us. But while we wait in hope and trust for the pandemic to end, we pray for your continued protection against COVID, especially for our frontline workers. Renew their strength, encourage them, help them to persevere. We pray for those who’ve been furloughed or lost jobs, please continue to provide for their daily needs and bring along just the right job. For those who grieve the loss of something else or someone, may we know your comfort.

Dear God, we lift up JoJo before you. He’s been in the detention center for so long. We know that you have strengthened his faith and used him to be a blessing to other detainees, but we still pray for his release and for everything he needs to live life meaningfully outside the detention center.

God our healer, we lift up the sick before you. Please restore them fully to good health. Bring comfort and encouragement and peace. We extend these prayers to any who are feeling discouraged or lonely or isolated. Remind them that they do not walk alone. May they have a tangible sense of your presence.

Father, thank you for seeing our students, parents and teachers through a challenging end to the school year. Thank you especially for our graduates, for faithfully walking with them to the end. We pray for guidance and for jobs where those are needed and for good preparation for the next season of their lives. For the younger students who are preparing for a different kind of summer, we pray for a summer of fun and creativity but also rest.

And for all other needs God, you know them, you know our hearts. Please provide.

May we be a church that trusts in your goodness always. In Jesus Name.

T&J Edition 5: Pressing Towards Justice

Dear Union Community,

Yesterday, Renée and James B led us in a time of reflection around Matthew 7:28-8:4, and sent us into small groups to discuss what stood out to us in these passages. The part of the scripture that initially stood out to me (Nichelle) was the first two verses:

"When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazing at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law." Matthew 7:28-29

As I have reflected on this over the last day, I am struck that Jesus did not have the earthly credentials that would have given him the same status or "authority" as the teachers of the law. Those that typically would assert their authority, the teachers of the law, in this passage seem to be seen as a bit phony by the people when compared to the love, and compassion, and actions that Jesus conveyed in alignment with the words that he spoke. My interpretation here is that Jesus spoke with authority because he was authentic: his words, heart, and actions were completely aligned. And by contrast, the teachers of the law spoke of ideas and laws, yet their heart and actions did not match up and so the crowd was able to see that disparity, which undermined the message of God. 

How do we, as the church and specifically Union, respond in this time of social reckoning and change and pandemic? How do we emulate Jesus, rather than the teachers of the law that seem to miss the mark? The second half of the passage seems to show us how. Jesus met the man on the margins, the man with leprosy who was ostracized from the community. Jesus listened to him, acted in his best interest, and attended to his spiritual and physical and social conditions. Just as Christ did, may we do the same!

For a predominantly white community, there is a lot to reckon with, as many of us are learning for the first time or are deepening our awareness of the depth of racism in our country. Be strong in your discomfort, lean in to the questions. This is the work of the Gospel that Christ called us to in Luke 4:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, 

because he has anointed me

to proclaim the good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Listen and believe the stories and lives of our black and brown brothers and sisters. Learn about white privilege and how to be anti-racist. And find ways, each day, to be an ally for those in our country that are marginalized and ostracized. May our words, heart, and actions be aligned as Jesus shows us how.

Below are some ways that you can start, or continue, this work in your life. Please reach out to this community if you have questions, need resources, or just want to talk. We are in the beginning phases of trying to find ways that we can facilitate more conversation around these topics, more information will be coming soon. 

Pressing towards justice.

LEARN

  • What does "Defund the Police" mean? Watch this video produced by the LA TimesPick a book, article, podcast, or video from this list of resources to better understand the history of what is happening in our country

  • Watch Michelle Lang's "A Chat with White Folks" (Michelle came to Union a couple years ago, she directed "The Guitar Section: A sound check on justice"). This is an opportunity to listen to the deep pain of the black community. It is long, so watch in parts!

  • Join Kitchen Table Conversations on Tuesday evenings @7:30PM to discuss Indigenous Rights and Environmental Justice, and how this intersects with racism for the Black community.

ADVOCATE

  • This City of Seattle Action Guide is a very thorough and dynamic document that provides detailed information about advocating for various issues including police reform & response to protestors being met with excessive force in Seattle. This document includes scripts and contact information, organizations to support, petitions, donations, etc.

  • Spend some time with it, get familiar with the issues, and contact your local officials so your voice is heard.

  • Call and write local, state, and national elected officials in support of the 10 demands outlined by Seattle's youth at the Seattle Children's March 

ACT

  • If you are interested in a time of prayer devoted to these issues, please contact Renée for more details. 

  • Join the virtual Poor People's Campaign Protest on June 20

  • Volunteer with FEEST - purchase and deliver groceries for families in the Seattle/White Center/Burien/Rainier Beach neighborhoods

  • Volunteer at Calvary the Hill during the protests - be a loving presence in the midst of the unrest. Contact Melissa Schoch to learn more about this opportunity and sign up for a shift on the Doodle Poll.

  • Donate to Northwest Harvest. Their shelves are quite empty as the pandemic persists and our nation's economic system continues to leave many families without jobs, homes, and reliable access to food.

--

Truth & Justice Studio MISSION STATEMENT :: Truth & Justice creates space to educate and mobilize people by lifting up marginalized voices as catalyst for social change. We are a community within Union Church in Seattle, WA. 

Eco-Act 006: Let Nothing Be Wasted

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Again we encourage you to center, learn from, and support Black environmentalists. Here are a few more to add to our list from last week’s post:

@marandas_world [Low-Waste, Sustainability Parent]
@greengirlmagic [Climate/ Environmental Justice Lawyer]
@rasheena.fountain [Environmental Educator / Writer]
@climatediva [Climate Advocate / Writer]
@climateincolour [Climate Conversation Bridge]

reduce food waste

(this outranks electric vehicles & solar farms!!)

News about climate change and our environment seems overwhelmingly negative these days, doesn't it? It leaves us feeling anxious, guilty, angry, resigned … or thinking in panic "we've got to DO SOMETHING!" But what? Well, here's a positive step to consider.

According to Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming, the #3 most powerful environmental action we can take is to REDUCE FOOD WASTE. Think about it: shrinking food waste outranks electric vehicles and solar farms in potential environmental benefit. And each of us can act on this TODAY.

The USDA estimates that 1/3 of available food is wasted each year in our country. And greenhouse gases are released in producing, transporting, storing, and disposing of this food in landfills.

Clearly, what we produce must be better aligned with what we consume. But this adjustment will take time. Positive steps we can take RIGHT NOW are available. We can align our family shopping more closely to our actual eating patterns, for example. Here’s a list of 20 steps that start there and then go on. You can also send some of your food scraps to a worm bin to create nice compost for your garden.

We can also make and donate meals to put our unneeded food to excellent use. Union offers several ways to do this.

The bottom line is that we CAN DO SOMETHING. And in so doing, maybe we can relax a bit, knowing that we’re following the guidance of Jesus after he had fed 5000: “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” (John 6:12)

Eco-Act 005: Center Black EJ activists

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center Black EJ* activists

Black Lives Matter. *Environmental Justice

This week as we continue to lament, reflect, and act on police brutality and white supremacy in our communities and country, we want to amplify and share Black voices in the environmental justice field. We invite you to read “A Little Patch of Something” by Imani Perry (written 6/3/20), where she talks about the long history of Black planting and tending alongside racialized atrocity and grief. Closer to home, you can also read more about Seattle’s Black womxn farmers and support some of their work.

Here are other people to learn from and support in the Black environmental justice community

In Seattle:

  • Black Farmers Collective: Seattle-based YES Farm!! BFC is a group of urban food system activists dedicated to providing opportunities to improve the health of [Black] communities through all aspects of the food system. Donate!!

  • FEEST: is an organization led by youth of color in South Seattle and South King County working to improve health in our schools. Youth leaders celebrate food and culture at community dinners and build power to win policy changes that increase food access for all students. Donate & volunteer!

  • Feed The People: Chef Tarrik Abdullah & others in the Seattle Kitchen Collective have been providing AMAZING free meals in Seattle to any who need it.

  • Nurturing Roots Farm: is a community farming program focused on educating youth & community members on healthy food choices. Creating community through gardening.

Elsewhere:

  • Natl. Black Food & Justice Alliance: NBFJA organizes for Black food and land, by increasing the visibility of visionary Black leadership, advancing Black people’s struggle for just and sustainable communities, and building power in our food systems and land stewardship. On their Support page, you can donate and support other actions; check their resources on the Info page.

  • Soul Fire Farm: Soul Fire Farm is committed to ending racism and injustice in the food system.

  • Aja Barber: is a writer and fashion consultant. “[Her] expertise is in race, intersectional feminism and ... fashion (focusing mostly on sustainable and ethical fashion)”. (Patreon)

  • Amber Tamm: farmer, horticulturalist, floral designer

  • Black With Plants: D’Real learns from plants and works in concert with communities to make strategic gains towards Indigenous Sovereignty and Black Liberation. Donate (Venmo, Paypal, Patreon, Cash App) @blackwithplants.

  • Leah Thomas: intersectional environmentalist, activist, eco-communicator. She has a helpful article on the Good Trade, created the text graphics shared in this post, and is the subject of the other illustration by Alja Horvat. She also has a great list of other intersectional environmentalists on her Instagram feed!

These are a few of MANY Black folks doing this work (and admittedly, many here are young)! Who else do you follow and support? Drop their info in the comments below! To close, we share this list from Leah Thomas and commit to a more intersectional environmental justice. #blacklivesmatter


A Prayer from David Owens

Lord, my heart aches from the news of George Floyd's death and murder.

I struggle to find words that capture my prayers to you:

  • Lord, enter into this long history of brokenness and racism in America.

  • Lord, start with me -- put in me a new and right spirit.

  • Lord, don't stop there -- be at work within and through your people to stand and speak up against racism and injustice.

  • Lord, don't stop there -- be a work in and through faith, community, political, judicial and law enforcement leaders to change and heal our culture and our country.

Lord, help me and others to pray, to stand up, and to speak for JUSTICE for all and HEALING from hate and fear in America.

Amen.

The Moving Walkway of Racism

Because racism is ingrained in the fabric of American institutions, it is easily self-perpetuating. All that is required to maintain it is business as usual.

I sometimes visualize the ongoing cycle of racism as a moving walkway at the airport.
Active racist behavior is equivalent to walking fast on the conveyor belt. The person engaged in active racist behavior has identified with the ideology of white supremacy and is moving with it. Passive racist behavior is equivalent to standing still on the walkway. No overt effort is being made, but the conveyor belt moves the bystanders along to the same destination as those who are actively walking. Some of the bystanders may feel the motion of the conveyor belt, see the active racists ahead of them, and choose to turn around, unwilling to go in the same destination as the White supremacists. But unless they are walking actively in the opposite direction at a speed faster than the conveyor belt—unless they are actively antiracist—they will find themselves carried along with the others.

~ Tatum, Beverly Daniel. “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? and Other Conversations About Race.” New York: Basic Books, 199

You can find more about Anti-Racism at Union on our Truth & Justice and Lament & Response pages.

Below are statements from the Presbyterian Church (USA) & our local Seattle Presbytery:

PCUSA VIDEO | SEATTLE PRESBYTERY DOCUMENT OF LAMENT & RESOLVE

Union Church belongs to the PCUSA church, is locally a part of the Seattle Presbytery and actively involved in their Race & Equity Task Force.