June 11, 2019

Family,
Greetings this week after Pentecost Sunday. Though the celebration of the Spirit passes, the presence and promise of the Spirit continue. Thus, I share with you a prayer that Carole Lee shared with me. It is written by Justin Cannon, the rector of the church she attends in San Leandro.
An Invocation of the Holy Spirit, for Pentecost
by the Rev. Justin R. Cannon
Bewildering Spirit, Scorch from our hearts the selfishness that infects us, the plague of ego that reinforces delusions that we are each the center of this cosmic unfolding.
Bewildering Spirit, Burn the walls we create within that divide us one from another and the walls that we build with our hands, manifesting our fear of sharing, that there won’t be enough.
Bewildering Spirit, Blaze from our souls the illusion of independence, of self-dependence, and any barriers to interdependence.
Bewildering Spirit, Char from our minds the grandeur we give our own thoughts, our own ideas, our own perceptions of what is right and good that we may be open to correction, to learning, to changing, to growing.
Amazing Spirit, Break us open that we might see our seams, our frailty, our already brokenness and weakness, so that we might rely on your power and not fantasies of our own power.
Amazing Spirit, Tear at the binding that holds together our holy of holies that we might learn to not confine you, that we might not be surprised when we find you in the ragged, the worn, the tired and the torn.
Amazing Spirit, Rip out our hearts from any calloused protection, from our fears, from any protection so that we might feel the pain of the world, the suffering of the lowly, that we might feel the agony of the daily crucifixion of our sisters and brothers, earth, sky, and waters, and not turn away from the cross of our own infliction, but tenderly tend to the wounds.
Amazing Spirit, Burst the marionette strings of anxiety that tightly tie us back from trust, from seeing the grand mural created by you in the cosmic unwrapping of day, week, month, year, decade, century, eon. Burst the strings that we may trust your hands at work, even in and through the muck and mire and mess of our own creation.
Perplexing Spirit, Shake us from our certainties and complacencies, that we might be vulnerable and seek counsel, advice, and discover new ways to walk gently with one another and on this earth.
Perplexing Spirit, Stir and spin us, wildly disorient us from thinking we know the way, from having to be right, from talking to much, from being silent too little, and from not making enough room for one another or your still small voice to be heard.
Perplexing Spirit, Shatter our complacencies that we might live each day, each step, each word fully alive, fresh, and invigorated.

Prayers of the Congregation

Alice Butler for her family (Jill, Ricky, Fletcher D., Raul J.); Marian Ott (health); Mary Karne for Maryla; Pat Hughes for Mary Ann; Larry Sims as he mourns his friend Jerrell; Al Johnson and Roy Browner; Peggy Rogers-Tamayo for her family; Zondra Martin for her family; Peter Yuichi Clark (health); Edna Dorenzo (hospice care); Those who struggle with the heat;The Bresso family (grieving); Margaret Oladoja;  Joan Patten for Sierra; Thanksgiving with Dale Edmondson for good news; Thanksgiving for the ministry of Katie Choy Wong ; Thanksgiving for our graduates and their families; Marian McKillop (health); Lola Alfoyan; Our nation as we honor the Stonewall Riots of 1969 (Justice for the LGBTQ community); Our city leaders as the develop the next two-year budget; All the health-care providers of LABC
Thanks to Sandra Lee for forwarding the message below:
This message is brought to you by the Senior Information & Assistance Department of the Alameda County Area Agency on Aging (AAA). The AAA provides services and support to seniors and their caregivers in Alameda County. For more information, please contact us at seniorinfo@acgov.org or 510-577-3530.
Alameda County Cooling Centers
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat advisory for Alameda County lasting through tonight. Be aware of symptoms of heat illness. For a list of cooling centers click here:
https://www.achch.org/uploads/7/2/5/4/72547769/alameda_county_cooling_centers_list_6-10-2019.pdf
My sermon this Sunday (Father’s Day) will be “On Not Weaponizing Our Masculinity.” The central text will be Romans 5:1-5.