Service of Wholeness Bulletin

Note: On the page that follows, after the Prelude, the Welcome and Opening Prayer is spoken by our two Pastors:

Welcome and Opening Prayer                         (Brant)

            We come this evening to address an excruciatingly difficult subject.  Sexual wounding, in most cases, is devastating for its victims, and for all who love those victims.  This kind of violation strikes at the very core of who a person is, and so recovery is not so much an event as it is a process.  Healing is possible, but it usually takes a very long time, together with a lot of support and understanding. 

            It also takes God, because sexual wounds are deep wounds of the human spirit that require the deep and sensitive work of God’s Holy Spirit to heal.  Tonight we claim no human power, no ability in ourselves to heal, but instead we claim the promise of God, that where two or three are gathered, God is there, and that when we hold one another up in prayer, when we call upon the elders of the church, when we anoint with oil, that in all of that the healing power of God can begin to flow. 

            Let us pray…

Brant:            God of Life,

Lois:            you are as near to us as our breath.

Brant:            Touch our eyes

Lois:            that we may see you;

Brant:            Open our ears

Lois:            that we may hear your voice;

Brant:            Enter our hearts

Lois:            that we may know your love.

Brant:            Grace our souls and bodies with your presence,

Lois:            that we might feel your strength and your healing touch.

BOTH:            Come, God of breath and wholeness, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

On the page that follows, before the readings, the Pastor and the Victim speak:

BRANT:                                                                                            

Most people, when subject to great pain, whether physical or emotional, look for ways to check out. We begin to sink, we run out of energy, and we often look for escape, and that escape can take many forms: emotional withdrawal, self-destructive behaviors, dangerous addictions… And in seeking ways to numb our pain we often die a slow death. 

It doesn’t have to be this way.  There can be healing from abuse, and while that process is different for every survivor there is at least one constant: that God is the amazing source of life and love. 

The brief readings that follow are taken from a devotional book specially written for survivors of sexual abuse.  I will share these readings with my friend Ellen, and each new reading will be denoted with the sound of a bell.  Each reading includes a verse from scripture, a reflection, and a brief prayer.

ELLEN:

I speak for the abused, for I am one of you… hoping I can at long last lay down the burdens of abuse that I carry with me every day. Yes…I am a victim. I will speak out for the abused.