Rev. Diane Rollert, January 12, 2020

Freezing rain dusted by snow,
the city trucks rumble by.
The crashing sound of their shovels,
scraping the surface of the streets
caked with ice.

Sand and salt,
plans for the day set aside
Lift up a prayer of healing
for the ones who are ill,
for the broken,
for the angry,
for those who mourn.

Lift up a prayer for healing
for the places on this earth,
at the brink of destruction,
at the brink of war,
lives lost —
humans displaced and missing,
hundreds of species gone,
animals unable to flee the fires.

Lift up a prayer for the children
who will inherit this earth
who will search for home
when home is gone.

A new decade
calls for more hope,
the cleansing of the eagle’s wing,
the courage to slide on the slippery slopes,
the honesty to speak,
the willingness to look
beyond our disappointments,
the grace to forgive imperfection.

Cry for this earth,
cry for all of creation.
The healing begins with the tears.

Give thanks for the first people of this earth,
for the keepers of the Eastern Door,
for the wise ones who can lead us back,
to a place of understanding,
that none of this belongs to us,
and to all of it
we are responsible.

Hold hands;
hold onto to what you can;
support each other,
on the treacherous streets.

Give thanks for the generosity
of those who surround you,
open, vulnerable,
willing to continue on the journey,
no matter how much it hurts,
no matter how long it takes,
to bind up the wounds,
and find wholeness.

Amen.