Rev. Joe Cherry: Spirit of Life and Love, we come together this evening to pause. To stop amidst all the chaos of a global pandemic of not only a virus, but of violence. We pause so that we can not be unintentionally caught up in the energy of the violence, to not beget violence with more violence. We gather tonight in order that we might stop this.

In the next few moments, please  reverently mention those who have already died.

Now please whisper into the winds the names of the people you would like to protect.

Together we will observe an 8 minute and 46 second stillness, reflecting the time that Mr. Floyd was pinned to the ground before he died.
(observed.)

Roschelle Ogbuji: A reading of the “Prayer of Reconciliation” by Anne Barker

 We gather with a hunger for reconciliation.

 What is done cannot be undone.
 What is done next must now be done with care.

 We gather because we are hopeful,
 Because we have visions and dreams of a brighter future.

 That there may be more than vision in this room,
 These are the wounds we must heal together—
 Grief and anger for all that has been lost,
 Guilt or fear in the reliving,
 Pain that has gone without sufficient comfort,
 Mistrust that was earned, that continues burning still,

 Every injury we may have named, and yet still carry,
 Those we haven’t, can’t, or dare not speak aloud,
 Those we are not ready to make public,
 Those still not recognized, accepted, understood.

 These are the wounds that seek replacement—
 Not cancellation or denial,
 Wounds we will tend cautiously,
 Applying the salve of understanding,
 Forming scars that mark our history,
 Without disfiguring the future we might share.

 This is not a time of quick solutions, fancy talking.
 This is a slow precision. This is a prayer for peace.

 We are new at this endeavor. New at listening, new at hearing.
 New at taking enough time to honestly receive one another’s stories.

 What is done cannot be undone.
 What is done next must now be done with care.

 We gather because we are hopeful,
 Because we have visions and dreams of a brighter future.

 May the strength of this time together help us to walk forward.
 May the wisdom of this experience help us to know our path.
 May we have the courage to return, as often as necessary, until our way is clear.
 May we have the perseverance, together, to see it through.

 May we cause it to be so. 

Rev. Joe Cherry: Let us leave this space that we’ve shared this evening with a re-commitment to the care of our fellow human beings. Let be unafraid to bear witness to injustice where it occurs. Let us commit ourselves to seeing the individual as an individual, and not as a representative of the whole.

Spirit of Love, known by some as God and by others as an un-namable force, remind us that each of us is responsible for the rest of humanity.

Remind us that we have a choice, always a choice, in every circumstance and at every moment, to do the next, right thing.

Let us be courageous enough,
Mindful enough
Aware enough
Brave enough
To always choose the next, right action.

May the people recommit themselves with an “Amen. “

Response: Amen