Healing Voices Found

Voices Found  offers musical resources to support our inclusive  new Episcopal  lectionary, A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church, by Wilda C. Gafney.    It appoints Acts 5:12-16    for the Third Sunday of Easter which tells us that shortly after the Resurrection, Jesus's disciples  cured the sick and healed the wounded.  Peter is the only disciple named here, but in  notes to the Lectionary,  Gafney, points out that un-named women disciples have also received  gifts of healing.  One such  nameless healer is celebrated as the "Woman with the Ointment Jar," in Voices Found #1.

The Women's Lectionary  is a much needed spiritual resource  that guides us through the liturgical year lifting up   feminine leadership and perspectives.  I will be following this lectionary to suggest Voices Found songs and hymns that support prayer and worship with this new, resource.  "God, creator, source of healing,"  is appropriate for Easter III as the opening hymn.

 Voices Found #93

God, creator, source of healing

here we pray for wholeness and health.

Guide our work, our thoughts and feeling, guide the sharing of our wealth.

Give discernment in our decisions give compassion to our care,

reconcile our strife and divisions as we search for means to share.

Jesus, known to friend and seeker exercising healing art,

may the strong support the weaker showing love with head and heart;

give fresh energy and purpose when unreason blocks your grace,

spare us harm, in danger alert us,

show the radiance of your face.

Holy Spirit, bring us wholeness, come with your transforming love;

give us freedom, hope and boldness, raise our eyes to see from above;

shape our systems, institutions, clarify our blinded sight,

as we seek God-given  solutions, help us greet the just and right.

Trinity of awe and wonder yours the glory, yours the praise.

Strike our binding chains asunder, liberate our cramping ways.

May our lives reflect your splendor, in abundance Lord we ask. 

God, our guide and our befriender, give new meaning to our task.

Words: Bridgid Pailthorpe

 Music: Abbots Leigh, Cyril Vincent Taylor (1907-1991)

Reflection:

Voices Found #92 ( meditative chant, repeat as needed)

Be still and know that I am God

In thee O God do I put my trust

I am the God that health thee.

Words and music: Ana Hernandez

For performance suggestions, see the Leader's Guide to Voices Found

                        

                                                               

                                                                              

www.churchpublishing.org