As headlines and news media reporting roiled with news of the rioting in Ferguson, Missouri following the announcement of the grand jury decision not to indicate Office Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown, Rev. Terry Davis, minister at Northwest Unitarian Universalist Congregation, called for a candlelight vigil of “Prayers for Peace” on the evening of November 25, 2014.
Rev. Davis noted, “The strife and grief in Missouri are the strife and grief of a nation that still suffers from the open wounds of racism and racial inequality. We cannot forget that, as people of a liberal faith, we are first and foremost people who are called to remain committed to our highest ideals – including compassion, justice, and peace.”
“But perhaps, most especially, we must have high resolve. Even as we once again feel helpless and even a little hopeless in the aftermath of another young black man’s death and another time of intense racial tension, we must keep moving forward. We must keep at the task of joining together to dismantle fear and oppression and build bridges of trust. And, we must be persistently peaceful.”
The candlelight vigil included the singing of hymns including There is More Love Somewhere and Amazing Grace. Rev. Davis offered her hopes for peace with the congregation responding, singing the refrain “When I breathe in, I breathe in peace. When I breathe out, I breathe out love.”
The vigil also included a reading from a poem by Hafiz the Great Sufi Master entitled “Bring the Man to Me” including this short excerpt:
“The million candles in the sky are lit and singing. Every particle of existence is a dancing altar that some mysterious force worships. The earth is a church floor.”
Rev. Davis added, “The future is what we do today.”
A responsive reading from Lao-Tse, a mystic philosopher of ancient China, provided a foundation for our own personal resolve to make a better future.
“If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.”