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A Post​-​Election Liturgy

by St. Andrew Evensong

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1.
When the lines are drawn When you’re in or out When it’s us or them And we shame the doubt It is all a lie All we ever really need is love There’s no need to shed more blood Look upon the cross Look upon the cross See the face of Christ See the mercy in His eyes Every valley shall be lifted high Now our enemies are blessed The heavy laden rest For His judgement is love His judgement is love There is no more guilt There is no more shame All our darkest sin All our deepest pain Blessed are the poor All the lonely broken lost and torn See a kingdom comes to us A war that’s fought with love Our only war is love Prepare the way of the Lord Wielding mercy like a sword Every mountaintop will be made low Know, He holds the earth like dust And His judgement comes to us And His judgement is love His judgement is love We will not fight their wars We will not fall in line Cause if it’s us or them It’s us for them It’s us for them We reject the either or They can’t define us anymore Cause if it’s us or them It’s us for them It’s us for them Cause if it’s us or them It’s us for them It’s us for them Prepare the way of the Lord Wielding mercy like a sword Every mountaintop will be made low Know, He holds the earth like dust And His judgement comes to us And His judgement is love May our judgement be love
2.
IF WE WERE ONLY ONE WE COULD SEE MUCH CLEARER BUT IT'S SO SIMPLE TO SEE THE NEEDY FACE LOOKING IN THE MIRROR IF WE WERE ONLY ONE WE COULD BE TOGETHER INTIMACY'S A LONELY WORD WITHOUT EACH OTHER AND THE ONLY THING THAT STANDS BETWEEN US IS THE COMFORT OF OUR FEAR BROKEN DOWN AND BLOWN APART INSIDE US LIE THE CRIES NO ONE CAN HEAR "I CAN DO THIS ALONE! AND FORGET THE PAST THE FIRST THE LAST THE BURST AND THE BLAST! I CAN DO THIS ALONE! AND BE TUCKED AWAY ALL SAFE AND SANE NO GREATER PAIN!" A KINDLED INCONSISTENT UNDENIABLY PERSISTENT HOPE I THOUGHT I HAD DISCARDED GOD I NEED TO BE REMINDED OF IT
3.
When I look into the face Of my enemy I see my brother I see my brother When I look into the face Of my enemy I see my brother I see my brother Hey man I guess I just needed to understand myself much better Fight the right get that vision much clearer and the things I can't stand they keep landing me in predicaments that would make me be a hypocrite If I was to stand in jugdement I know our melanins might vary the variance of great radiance that this planet of ours carry and its such a wonderful picture a colorful concoction that them tell em' I woulda missed it it ain't a prison its a prism and imma stand with ya' when they trippin' in your town and I know all lives matter but I'm focused on yours now they hirin' these pitchforks boy I start a sign cuz' whats going through your veins is the same as mine When I look into the face Of my enemy I see my brother I see my brother When I look into the face Of my enemy I see my brother I see my brother Forgiveness is the garment Of our courage The power to make the peace We long to know Open up our eyes To see the wounds that bind All of humankind May our shutter hearts Greet the dawn of life With charity and love When I look into the face Of my enemy I see my brother I see my brother When I look into the face Of my enemy I see my brother I see my brother When I look into the face Of my enemy I see my brother I see my brother When I look into the face Of my enemy I see my brother I see my brother When I look into the face Of my enemy I see my brother I see my brother
4.
There is a balm in Gilead It comes like a wisdom but speaks like children it’s a sight to the blind a strength to my weakness something for soul, body, mind There is a balm in Gilead its a rest for the weary a balm to the sore its like a dew to my dryness that fills me with joy when I had none There is a balm in Gilead its a spring in the desert for the withered of soul it’s a strength and a power that keeps making you whole its the question your asking and the answers you need it’s the face you’ve been seeking the one you’ve been begging to see There is a balm in Gilead the trash and the remnants of all my train wrecks coming together and still heading out west like a blank paycheck paying off the back rent taking me further to whatever’s supposed happen next There is a balm in Gilead the light of the dawn the scales without measure it’s the bread of a baker the blood of a maker The water I long for and the story on fire sweeter than candy but softer than sugar its the breath and the magic Its something to die for and the laying down of the shepherd at night There is a balm in Gilead There is a balm in Gilead There is a balm in Gilead

about

This collection of music is meant to be a liturgy. Below are guided prayers and meditations to be a companion to your listening.

I. God is God

Take a moment to reflect on this: God is God of the nations... There is not a rogue atom in the universe beyond God's domain. Our loving God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow and is guiding this world towards the Kingdom more and more every and in every generation.

“O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.”
II Chronicles 20:6

As you reflect on this listen to "Us for Them" by Gungor.


II. Praying for Who I Don't Understand

We are taught by Christ to pray for both our loved ones and enemies, showcasing that the broad spectrum of humanity should be lifted by us in prayer. Did this election cause you to feel as though you don't know the other half of the country?
Pray for them.
End this prayer time by praying for both Secretary Clinton and President Elect Donald Trump.

Listen to "If We Were Only One" by Agents of Future


III. Recommitment to Compassion

Late in the evening of the election people on Facebook began posting variations of this sentiment:
"The sun will rise tomorrow. I will stand with marginalized people. I will stand with LGBT people.
I will stand with our Muslim Brothers and Sisters.
I will stand with the differently abled.
I will stand with non-documented immigrants.
I will stand with you if they come for you.

This is a great time for folks to come together and seek truth, seek love and to seek justice.
May we not let fear drive us.
May we choose love first.
May we never lose hope and always move forward.
Lord have mercy on our souls. Amen"

Offer yourself to God's Kingdom,
committing your life to help the "least of these".

Listen to "Brother" by The Brilliance featuring Propaganda

When finished, read this poem by Joel McKerrow:

A Blessing for the Politically Despondent.

There shall come a time,
When the way we hope it could be feels so very far away.
When the system shows itself for what it is.
When the politicians spend more time bitching than leading,
stabbing backs
than backing those who truly need their support.

When the truth seems too hard to decipher through the lies.
When the ballot paper seems…empty of good choices.
When it doesn’t seem to even matter
which party is in power,
for they shall all wield the same.

When we are told we have the power to change our society
and yet out voting
feels like it means nothing. An appeasement of the masses
more than a piece of societal changing history.

There shall come a time,
and in that time
and in that sense of frustration
and despondency
and the draw towards apathy,
may you find a higher something to hold onto.

Something above political ideals.
Something above the hollow notion of failed political promise.
Something to remind you.
Something to instil hope within you.

May you take the discouragement
and find courage somewhere within it. The courage to believe that
regardless of politics,
regardless of our leaders pandering to powerful people,
regardless of our faltered political ideals,
that there is still a way to change the world around us.
And it begins with you. And it begins with me.
And it is more than just numbering boxes on ballot paper.

For I have met the real ones. The ones who give themselves again and again to the bettering of our world. I have seen their dirty fingernails, their tired eyes, their patient sitting beside, the way they look you in the eye, the way they listen, the way they teach our high schools, the way they fight for the homeless, the way they resist the rat-race trappings of the western dream, the way they sew seeds into the community, the way they bring people together from all sides of every spectrum, the people who deserve to be politicians. And indeed some of them are.

I have seen those who refuse to give in to the disappointment,
who choose to look around them and say,
“This is what I can do. Here. Now. This is what I can do regardless.”

So may that be you. May that be me. And maybe politics wont even matter if we all chose to live like this. So lets keep voting till we get there, regardless of how empty it can feel, lets not trick ourselves into thinking this will change things even if we do nothing else. Lets keep doing more in the everydayness of our lives. I have met the real ones and what strikes me about every one of them is this…they are just normal people who choose to do something. And isn’t it always a small group of normal people making decisions like this that bring about the change we so desire.

So when the time comes may you be one of these…a real person. Doing real things to bring about real change. Even if it is just to those around you.

IV. God is God

Close with this reflection: That God is the God of the future. We hold on to hope. And we take courage and we dare to hope that "the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice". We believe, again, that God is guiding this Kingdom as Heaven crashes into Earth.

Listen to "There is a Balm in Gilead" by Giants & Pilgrims
for your benediction.

credits

released November 9, 2016

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