On this Sunday, we focused on issues around rape and other sexual assaults as part of an effort initiated by Rev. Moira Finley and the Wisconsin Conference of the United Church of Christ. Erin Thornley Parisi, director of the Dane County Rape Crisis Center, joined Pastor Phil in a conversation during our reflection time.
You can see a video of that conversation from the 10 a.m. service here.
Below are some of the prayer resources we used, drawn from the Break the Silence Sunday web site and the Our Whole Lives program.
Call to Worship
We come this day
trusting in God’s grace,
confident of Jesus’ love,
and attentive to the Spirit’s presence.
We come this day
to listen
to hear,
and to speak out.
We come this day
to break the silence!
Hymn Holy and Good is the Gift of Desire
Gathering Prayer
O God, Life giver, Pain bearer, You know what our sisters and brothers hold in their hearts, and memories, the horrors they experienced, the things they are afraid to speak of, because they have been silenced, by their own shame, and by our discomfort and fear. Open us, Holy One. Open our hearts, our minds, and our spirits, to the stories of those who have survived the worst we do to one another. Open us, that together we may no longer be silent. Amen.
Scripture Readings
2 Samuel 13: 1-22 (The Rape of Tamar)
Genesis 1: 27, 31 (Made in God’ image)
Matthew 22: 36-39 (The greatest commandments)
1 Corinthians 13: 4-6 (Love does not demand its own way)
A Prayer for Healing
Every day, someone uses his or her power to exploit or harass another person. Hear us now, O God, as we lift up to you, silently as prayers of the heart, the names of those who have suffered through this at any time in their lives.
Extinguish candle
Heal them, O God.
Every 40 seconds, a woman is raped in this country. One in six boys and men has been molested. Hear us now, O God, as we lift up to you, silently as prayers of the heart, the names of those who have suffered through this at any time in their lives.
Extinguish candle
Heal them, O God.
At school, at work, on college campuses, at homes, people are coerced into sexual acts without their consent. Hear us now, O God, as we lift up to you, silently as prayers of the heart, the names of those who have suffered through this at any time in their lives.
Extinguish candle
Heal them, O God.
This single candle still burning is a reminder that each of us has the light of God inside us. We have the responsibility and the power to shed light on the darkness of exploitation, harassment and sexual violence. Let us pray: God give us the strength to speak out against the violence and to begin the healing of those in pain.
Let us sing together “God is Holding Your Life.”
Prayer of Dedication
Generous God, we are grateful for all that you have given to us. We bring you these gifts, signs and symbols of our gratitude. We entrust them to you in the faithful hope that the work Christ began – the work of listening to the stories of God’s people, of healing the brokenness of the world, and of restoring creation – might continue in us and through us. Grant us the courage, and the blessing, to listen, to pray, and to speak out. In faith we pray, Amen.
Committing Ourselves To Change
In the presence of one another, we pledge ourselves to ending the violence of rape and sexual assault, working towards a vision of a healed community where all can live in dignity and peace. We acknowledge the reality of rape and sexual violence, a plague that brings hopelessness and fear to our sisters and brothers.
We stand in solidarity with those who have been victims. We promise to be open to their stories, and with the grace of God, to listen without judgment.
We know the promise of wholeness and hope that Jesus came to bring to the world.
We affirm the promise of God’s love for all the survivors in our world, those whose stories are known to us, and those whose stories are still shrouded in silence and fear.
We recognize that we cannot do this alone. We know we must learn to depend on each other, and on God, in the struggle to end sexual violence, and create justice.
Gracious God, help us to be aware of your loving disruption of our lives. Give us the courage to work with you, and with each other, to transform our hurting world. Empower us with your Spirit that we might break the silence of sexual violence. Help us listen, and move together from fear and pain towards your realm of peace and justice. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Closing Hymn We Shall Overcome
Benediction
May the God of all comfort grant us peace.
May the God of New Life grant us hope.
May the God of Unfailing Love follow us all the days of our lives.