Prayer for Longest Night:
A National Memorial Day for those Who Died on the Street
By Wayne Martin Mellinger
Spirit of Life
Transcending Mystery and Wonder
Ground of our Being
That Which Proceeds All Naming
Be present with us now as we gather to remember
our neighbors and our loved ones
Who died while unhoused.
May we be inspired us with a vision of the Beloved Community,
borne of compassion,
Where strangers are welcomed,,,,
Where no one goes hungry or unhoused,
Where the weak are protected
and the innocent are safeguarded,
And where all of our neighbors are loved.
This is the longest night of the year,
A time normally set aside to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness.
For many of our neighbors this may also be the coldest night
and for some perhaps the loneliest.
No one should die on the streets neglected by their community.
No one should die unhoused forgotten by the world.
That so many continue to die like this leads us to see our shortcomings.
We all must do so much more to prevent this from happening again.
For light to triumph over darkness
we must work together to bring people inside out of the cold.
May we no longer step blindly past the stranger
who huddles in the cold outside the door.
May we no longer pretend not to the the woman
crawling out of her wheelchair to sleep in the door well.
Let no one continue to walk past the elderly man, riddled with dazed confusion, begging for food in front of the grocery store, because we are in such a hurry
.
May we come to see each of these people as sacred.
For when we have learned their names we know they are our neighbor.
For when we have heard their stories
we know they will remain forever in our hearts;
For when we become their friends we know that we can sing together.
For when we share our gifts with them
we know we have gotten so much more in return
Let compassion prevail.
Let the beauty of each person’s gifts be seen
May our scarce resources be lift up and multiplied.
May it be so. Blessed be and Amen.
23 December 2018
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