How shall I plumb your memory, O God, I that am fleeting as the dew of morning? How shall I acclaim your compassion? For you remember your people. When they wander pleading in the wilderness, When they are cast low beneath the earth, You do not forget them. By your hand the nations are shaken, […]
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This liturgy, in a ready-to-print format, with additional resources can be found in full on the UK Transgender Day of Remembrance website. Call to Worship [Substitute terms with which you are not comfortable.] Be with us in all of our journeys From near and from far and histories unknown Be with us in strength and […]
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Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on 20 November honouring the memory of those whose lives have been lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. Find more TDOR resources here. Set up: Place numerous ‘gems’ (plastic or glass) on the central table, more than enough for each person to take two. The […]
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Across the turmoil, amidst the snares Though all the darkest days, weighed down by care When it feels like no-one is even there Carry me home When burdens are heavy and getting worse When others mock, and spit & curse When failure breaks the plans I’d rehearsed Carry me home When the world is fragile […]
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I am a child of God – As you are. In my face is reflected the likeness of God – As in yours. Why then do you despise the colour of my skin, The shape of my features, Or the texture of my hair? Why do you think that I must think Like you, Act […]
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God, in whose likeness all are made, teach us to see each other as you see us – each individual, nation and people – beautiful. Beloved. Valued beyond measure. Enable us to see as you see. God, who is love, teach us to love each other as you love us – from the very heart […]
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31 March Transgender Day of Visibility Creator-God, mother and father of us all, you delight in all that you have made. We rejoice in the glorious diversity of your creation. You have room to hold us all inside your love. Rebel Christ, at home on the margins, you rejected the names and labels others imposed […]
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Ready-to-print music: God, The Soaring Eagle, music God, the soaring eagle, God, the mother hen, Architect and potter, shelter, shield and sun, Comforting the people others have condemned: You of many names, you nameless one: All our words of praise have just begun. God the gentle shepherd, God the mighty king, Crying out in […]
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Mirrors are liars. They do not show us ourselves, We are invisible, and this is pain, To be forced to go unseen. To hide, hide, hide, For safety or for someone else’s sake, And not show face, Until we know what face you want to see. But there is One who watched us grow, Since […]
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Eternal One. You are the God in whom we live and move and have our being. We give you thanks for the diversity of life inherent in your creation and within each and every last one us, wonderfully made in your image. Today we particularly give you thanks for your Rainbow Children, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, […]
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A responsive reading originally written for a gathering of welcoming LGBTQ+ Christians. Psalm 139 arises in the Common Revised Lectionary on Epiphany 2B; Pentecost 7A, 2B and 13C. Ready-to-download Word document and rainbow PowerPoint to project in worship: Psalm 139 – Responsive Acclamation, Ana Gobledale Psalm 139 Responsive Acclamations PPT – Ana Gobledale I praise […]
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Inspired by 1 Corinthians 4:3-6 (Eighth Sunday after Epiphany, Year A) This prayer arises from a homily given at Morning Chapel, United Church of Zambia University. Wellingtone’s words have been adapted as a prayer by Ana Gobledale. My parents, sisters and brothers in Christ, join me in prayer. Creator God, how wonderful it is that […]
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We were wrong: We were wrong when we closed the door and you needed us most. The people who claimed to follow a man who never closed doors appeared to slam ours when you were despairing confused hurt hopeless broken hungry thirsty for more. We were wrong when we pretended we couldn’t see didn’t know […]
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Originally written for and shared in a Transgender Remembrance Service in Salisbury, UK We Will Remember Them Falling into the depths of negativity once more, The dreaded bleakness of a mind overcome with grief. The time, it seems, was taken much too quickly, By some great faceless nameless thief. Their path was short, their footsteps […]
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God of all ages God of all peoples God of all hopes and dreams Today we remember those among us who are transgender: We grieve the murders of those killed for the sake of hate, We celebrate the lives of each and every transgender individual; Those who are able to live into their fullest selves […]
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These words opened a Sunday church service recognizing Transgender Day of Remembrance in Lafayette, Colorado. Today there is much to grieve in our world. I would be remiss not to mention [mention of current events of violence in the news]. Today, on our Transgender Day of Awareness Sunday, we grieve in particular the murders of […]
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Inside hopelessness darkness Nothing more, impossible to be less silence, deafening Only fears and despair Echoing off cavern walls I’ve been there, lived there Have you? A hole so deep, so cold No one to hear the screams Hopeless Alone Exhausted longer the stay deeper it becomes The darkness becomes thick Suffocating hopes Choking out […]
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Call and Response One: Humans of God’s creation, we are diverse. Many: We are beautiful. We are unique. We judge each other’s differences, yet our diversity is an illustration of the infinite mystery of God. All: The God in me sees the God in you. One: Humans of God’s creation, we are political. Many: We […]
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I made you myself, carefully and lovingly. I gathered your molecules together, Scooping them out of the dust, warming them into clay. I formed you, deftly With the skill and vision of an artist Into a unique creation. A tiny masterpiece. Your contours bear the imprint of my fingers. Your imperfections and irregularities are a […]
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God, you are not distant from us You came to us in vulnerability You offered yourself as a gift of love. We pray today for those who are in the midst of darkness The darkness of poverty The darkness of loneliness The darkness of grief The darkness of despair Wherever shadows threaten to overwhelm Wherever […]
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