Resources for Right Now- Vigil of Witness and Lament

Written By Rev. Emmy Kegler

This vigil is designed for use in the aftermath of an abduction or murder by immigration enforcement. Our hope was to make this vigil simple and accessible, offering words to a community that may be too stunned to speak or act.

Suggested leadership:

  • A song leader with instrument (piano, guitar, or other instrument useful for leading congregational song)

  • A liturgy leader, either ordained or lay

Suggested supplies:

  • Table, sandbox, or other receptacle to hold unlit and lit candles

  • Candles for lighting and setting on a table, in a sandbox, or other flat space

  • Dimmed lights

  • Printed order of service

Prelude 

We enter in silence.

Welcome

The leader offers a greeting and introduction to the space and liturgy.

Opening Song: I Want Jesus to Walk With Me

I want Jesus to walk with me.

I want Jesus to walk with me.

All along my pilgrim journey,

I want Jesus to walk with me.

In my trials, walk with me.

In my trials, walk with me.

When the shades of life are falling,

I want Jesus to walk with me.

In my sorrows, walk with me.

In my sorrows, walk with me.

When my heart within is aching.

I want Jesus to walk with me.

 

Opening Prayer

Leader: God of steadfast love, be with us in our gathering, our grief, and our fear. Soften our hearts to receive your love, and strengthen our bodies to act with justice. Out of the depths we cry to you; fill us with the peace that passes all human understanding. 

All: Amen. 

Psalm

Sing (with a tune appropriate to your context and permissions) or speak responsively. 

A bell chime or silence may take place between the psalm and psalm prayer.

Psalm 10

Leader: Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

All: In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor—

let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

Leader: For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart;

those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord.

All: In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, “God will not seek it out”;

all their thoughts are, “There is no God.”

Leader: Their ways prosper at all times;

your judgments are on high, out of their sight;

as for their foes, they scoff at them.

All: They think in their heart, “We shall not be moved;

throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.”

Leader: Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;

under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.

All: They sit in ambush in the villages;

in hiding places they murder the innocent.

Leader: Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;

they lurk in secret like a lion in its den;

All: they lurk that they may seize the poor;

they seize the poor and drag them off in their net.

Leader: They stoop, they crouch,

and the helpless fall by their might.

All: They think in their heart, “God has forgotten;

he has hidden his face; he will never see it.”

Leader: Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;

do not forget the oppressed.

All: Why do the wicked renounce God

and say in their hearts, “You will not call us to account”?

Leader: But you do see! Indeed, you note trouble and grief,

that you may take it into your hands;

All: the helpless commit themselves to you;

you have been the helper of the orphan.

Leader: Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers;

seek out their wickedness until you find none.

All: The Lord is king forever and ever;

the nations shall perish from his land.

Leader: O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek;

you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

All: to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed,

so that those from earth may strike terror no more.

Psalm Prayer

Leader: O God, let your face shine upon us, even in our deepest grief. Do not let our hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid. Protect the vulnerable and weave together the fabric of human community. Out of cruelty and violence, may your gentle, life-giving, self-giving love arise. Give us confidence in your hope, that we may walk in the way of your justice and peace; through Jesus Christ, our comfort and our life. 

All: Amen.

Song: Abide With Me

Abide with me: fast falls the eventide;

the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.

When other helpers fail and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;

earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away.

Change and decay in all around I see.

O thou who changest not, abide with me.

Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes.

Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.

Heaven's morning breaks and earth's vain shadows flee;

in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Intercessory Prayer 

Leader: As we bring our grief, fear, and worries to God, let us pray for all of God’s creation, and all those in need. 

Leader: God of love, we grieve the ways we have torn asunder the bonds of human connection that you have given us. Where there is violence, let us sow peace. Where there is dehumanization, let us see the holy in one another. Where systems of power are abused, let us name violations of power and human dignity. We cry to you for compassion, justice, and peace.

Lord, in your mercy, 

All: Hear our prayer.

Leader: God of clarity, help us to call a thing what it is, speaking with life and truth. Give us clear minds to recognize and renounce all the evil forces that draw us from your grace. Help us to live a life filled with the vulnerability, care, and compassion that you first showed us. 

Lord, in your mercy, 

All: Hear our prayer.

Leader: God of resurrection, when we are surrounded by the death-dealing forces of power hoarding, force, and abuse, let us proclaim instead your vision of abundant life for all. Plant in us a desire for all living things to flourish, and reassure us that in your abundance, there is enough for all to thrive. 

Lord, in your mercy,

All: Hear our prayer.

Leader: God of reconciliation, transform those who are enthralled by the evil of power and violence. Heal their pain so that they might repent and proclaim your peace. Where hearts are closed, open and soften them. Where minds are clouded by fear, bring clarity and peace. Let us all turn toward your way of compassion and care for one another, and may we be bound together in your truth-telling, life-giving love.

Lord, in our mercy,

All: Hear our prayer.

Other petitions may be offered, including the remembering of those who have died in the midst of power abuse. 

Leader: God of comfort, be with all who need your presence. Surround the vulnerable with your protection, surround the fearful with your hope. We place our trust in your gentleness, peace, and radical welcome. We commend our prayers to you, in the name of Jesus Christ, our savior.

All: Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer 

Leader: Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us: 

All: 

Our Father in heaven, 

hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, 

your will be done, on earth as in heaven. 

Give us today our daily bread. 

Forgive us our sins  

as we forgive those who sin against us. 

Save us from the time of trial 

and deliver us from evil. 

For the kingdom, the power, 

and the glory are yours, now and forever.  

Amen.

Sung Prayer and Candle Lighting 

During this time, the lights will dim and songs will be introduced and led without music. As you learn them, join in the singing. At any time, come forward to light a candle as a sign of your prayer.  

Song: Jesus, Remember Me

Jesus, remember me

when you come into your kingdom.

Jesus, remember me

when you come in to your kingdom.

Prayer

Leader: We raise our prayers to you, O God, trusting that you hear our cries and weep alongside us. As these candles shine, strengthen us to go into the world to bring warmth and care to your whole creation. In Jesus’ name we pray. 

All: Amen. 

Benediction

Leader: 

Go forth into the world to serve God with gladness; 

be of good courage; 

hold fast to that which is good; 

render to no one evil for evil; 

strengthen the fainthearted; 

support the weak; 

help the afflicted; 

honor all people; 

love and serve God, 

rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

All:
Thanks be to God. 

The Blessing of Grace 

Leader: May God give you the grace never to sell yourself short;

Grace to risk something big for something good; and

Grace to remember the world is now

too dangerous for anything but the truth and

too small for anything but love.

All: Amen.

Peace

Leader: The peace of the Lord be with you always.

All: And also with you.

As you leave, please greet one another with a sign of God’s peace.

Opening Prayer, Psalm Prayer, Prayers of the People, and Sung Prayer with Candle Lighting written by Rev. Miriam Samuelson-Roberts. Benediction from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church. Blessing of Grace by Rev. William Sloane Coffin. Scripture: New Revised Standard Version Bible Updated Edition, copyright 2021, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

Rev. Emmy Kegler

Emmy Kegler is a queer Christian mom, author, pastor, and speaker called to ministry at the margins of the church.

Emmy has a Master’s in Divinity from Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minn., and is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. She was raised in the Episcopal Church and spent some time in evangelical and non-denominational traditions before finding her home in the ELCA. For six years she served as the pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Northeast Minneapolis, a small servant-hearted neighborhood congregation focused on feeding the hungry and community outreach, where she co-founded the Queer Grace Community, a group of LGBTQIA+ Christians in the Twin Cities meeting for worship, Bible study, and fellowship.

Emmy’s first book, One Coin Found: How God’s Love Stretches to the Margins, tells her story as a queer Christian called to ordained ministry and how it formed her relationship with Scripture. Her second book, All Who Are Weary: Easing the Burden on the Walk with Mental Illness, offers a pastoral and Scriptural accompaniment to those facing symptoms and diagnoses of mental illness along with the families, friends, communities, pastors, and therapists who care for them.

When her son was born, Emmy transitioned out of called ministry. She now serves as the Editor of the Church Anew blog, where she helps curate an amazing collection of new and long-time authors that share a fresh, bold, and faithful witness for the church.

As a preacher and writer, she is passionate about curating worship and theological practices that dismantle barriers to those historically marginalized by Christian practice. She believes in and works for a church rooted in accessibility, intentionality, integrity, and transformation, knowing that God is already out ahead of us creating expansive space for those most hungry for the good and liberating news of Jesus.

Emmy lives in Minneapolis and has a life full of preschooler-chasing alongside her wife Michelle.

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