May you welcome this day with a reverence of spirit.
May you begin this day with a grounded sense of your own being.
Do not begin without knowing that you are beloved, Beloved. Stop…and take a breath…
As you venture forth, take notice of the sun’s gaze as it meets you for the first time.
Feel the wind, the air upon your skin. Taste the atmosphere of the day and allow your presence to join the senses of the natural and invisible world before the rally cry.
May you know that you are held by the Cloud of Witnesses who have come before you.
This firmament of mighty truth tellers and rabble rousers and poets and storytellers and peacemakers and dreamers whose epitaphs of truths and courage you now speak - they remain with you. Even now. Feel their blessing whispered upon your heart. Feel their spirits surround you in protective light. Feel the current of their legacy carrying you forward.
May your purpose not be thwarted.
May you be met by unexpected companions.
May strange graces join you along the journey. And, may help always find you.
May this day be marked not simply by radical movement,
but may it infuse you with radical hope.
May the Source of life uphold you, protect you, and guide you.
Credit: Naisa Wong
Source of Life, Creator, God: Bless these your people; Bless the hands, the feet, the hearts, and the spirits that gather for such a time as this. May they know their belovedness before you. May we feel your presence palpably. May your provisional grace and your mercy meet us at every turn. May your protective hand be upon us. May you create passageways and estuaries where justice and truth prevail. Sharpen our senses toward the unexpected and give us strength to endure. Help us to be fortified by the mighty cloud of witnesses who have gone before us. May your power be evident and available, today. May the glory of freedom come. May it be so. Amen.
Credit: Naisa Wong
Holy Spirit, remind me today that I am here, in a situation of unsafety, to pray. Help my body move with “a cadence of peace” that I might provide a different fulcrum between the armed and the unarmed. May I be swift in discerning dynamics, clear in taking action, courageous in preventing harm. If I should die today in the service of nonviolence, grant forgiveness to my killers, healing to the wounded, and comfort to my companions. If I should live today in my service of nonviolence, then deepen in me Your Energy for Life; and when I wake tomorrow, fit my feet once again “with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Amen.
Credit: Rose Marie Berger