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INTROIT:听 CHRIST IS THE MORNING STAR (Jakob)

惭础搁驰尝贰贰听 Welcome

A very warm welcome to Kings College Chapel at the heart of the University of Aberdeen, where joys and sorrows have been shared for over 500 years.

My name is Marylee Anderson, and I am Chaplain to the University of Aberdeen.听

Today, we join our global community at the start of the annual 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.听 A sad reality present in all our different communities and faith communities as we join the many voices who work to prevent and end gender-based violence.听 Our music and hymns this morning reflect this theme.

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 As we join together in worship, we cannot but reflect on the appalling violence we听 witness as a result of conflict in our world, where gender-based violence has become almost a routine weapon.

So today we gather, those of us with faith and no faith, those with hope and no hope, those who have been heard and those who have been silenced.听 But we all gather, in the presence of a loving God who is at work in our world bringing comfort and possibility.

MUSIC:听 COME DOWN, O LOVE DIVINE (Tune: Down Ampney)

惭础搁驰尝贰贰听

Let us pray.

God of compassion and Grace,听

We come together from many different places and situations, carrying questions and doubts.听 May we know your presence with us.

God of all creation and wisdom,

As we move towards St Andrew鈥檚 day and remember how he witnessed the life of Jesus - May we also witness God鈥檚 love today.

God of light and love,

As we gather may we know your calming presence, the quiet whisper of your voice and spirit of peace in our hearts.听 May we know your love surrounds us.听

God of gentleness and kindness,

Be with us throughout our time together, enlighten us, challenge us, and comfort us.听 May we know your compassion for us.

Amen.

MARYLEE:

The 16 Days of Activism is an annual international campaign that begins on the 25th of November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until the 10th of December, Human Rights Day.听 Individuals and organisations use this time to emphasise their calls for the prevention and elimination of all violence against women and girls.

Many today struggle to have their voices heard, to share sorrows or loss. 听Our first reading, Psalm 13 reflects the many questions, the pain, and the longing to hear God鈥檚 voice in the midst of silence, that many of us feel.听听

READER:听 Scripture reading 鈥� Psalm 13.

How long, YHWH?听 Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my anguish,

and wallow in despair all day long?

How long will my enemy win over me?

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Look at me?听 Answer me, YHWH, my God!

Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

lest my enemy say, 鈥淚 have prevailed,鈥�

lest my foes rejoice when I fall.

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I trust in your love;

my heart rejoices

in the deliverance you bring.

I鈥檒l sing to you, YHWH,

for being so good to me.听

MUSIC:听 KYRIE (Nicholas Palmer)

MARYLEE

We are joined this morning by Dr Katie Cross.听 As part of her work in Practical Theology here at the University of Aberdeen, she has been conducting research in trauma theology and hearing experiences of gender-based violence.

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KATIE听 Part 1: Silence

In Psalm 13 a voice cries out to God: how long will you forget me? How long will you hide from me? God鈥檚 apparent silence is unnerving. The psalmist continues: 鈥渓ook at me, God, answer me.鈥� Their words are intended to hold God to account.

Here, at the beginning of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, the words of Psalm 13 stand as a challenge to us all: how long will we forget those who are suffering in silence? Throughout history, in every country, and across all walks of life, women, girls, trans and non-binary people have faced the horrific and at times lethal consequences of gender-based violence in our societies. Gender is not the only indicator of violence: this is an intersectional issue, and there are men who suffer too. It is the structures of power and patriarchal systems we live in that allow gender-based violence to continue, and its victims to be silenced.

The church can be complicit in this. In my work, I have spent time with people who have experienced domestic abuse. They described to me experiences which showed that the practices, language, and power structures of the church can all combine to create spaces in which those who suffer are silenced.

Some strands of belief see the purpose of the violent death of Jesus being to appease God鈥檚 anger. 听It would be too easy to slip from that idea towards the idea that we can use violence to exact what we see as justice.

These ideas are not harmless or inconsequential.

In fact, I witnessed some interpretations of divine wrath and Christ鈥檚 torture and suffering being used to force people to submit to gender-based violence.

I spoke with one woman, who I will call Jean. She told me that her husband was violent towards her throughout their relationship, and that she lived in silence for years, too afraid to tell anyone about what was happening to her. Jean was afraid that she would not be shown grace and understanding, or that she would not be heard.听听

When she finally came forward and sought help from her church leader, he told her that the violence she was experiencing was a result of God鈥檚 anger. He asked Jean, was she attending church? Was she praying? If not, this must be her own fault.

He insisted that because God had allowed Jesus to be beaten and tortured to pay the price for human sin, Jean鈥檚 suffering would serve the same purpose 鈥� a complete misapplication of theology.
He justified her sufferings, and in doing so, silenced her story.

Jean鈥檚 experiences are not an isolated incident. I have heard countless similar stories in my research from others who have lived through domestic abuse. That they have been forced to stay quiet because of the stigma and shame that surrounds gender-based violence. That structures of power in some parts of the church were held over them 鈥� a disturbing and tragic contrast to the loving support offered by many church people.

That stories of Christ鈥檚 suffering were manipulated into evidence of a God who thirsted for revenge, rather than a God whose heart broke with love for humanity.

That they were silenced until they could only cry out to God - and that even God at times remained silent in response.

But God鈥檚 response comes through our listening, our caring, our actions.

It is the silence that surrounds gender-based violence across the whole of our society that we must come together to challenge.

HYMN:听 I HEARD THE VOICE OF JESUS SAY (Tune: Rowan Tree)

MARYLEE:
Our second reading tells a story that will be well-known to many people. Describing a time when Jesus listened and was a witness to two disciples on the well-travelled road to Emmaus.听听

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READER:听 Scripture reading 鈥� Luke 24

Jesus approached and began to walk along with them, though they were kept from recognising Jesus, who asked them, 鈥淲hat are you two discussing as you go your way?鈥�

They stopped and looked sad.听 One of them, Cleopas by name, asked him, 鈥淎re you the only one visiting Jerusalem who doesn鈥檛 know the things that have happened these past few days?鈥�

Jesus said to them, 鈥渨hat things?鈥�

The said, 鈥淎bout Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet powerful in word and deed in the eyes of God and all the people 鈥� how our chief priests and leaders delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him.听 We were hoping that he was the One who would set Israel free.听 Besides all this, today 鈥� the third day since these things happened 鈥� some women of our group have just brought us some astonishing news.听 They were at the tomb before dawn and didn鈥檛 find the body; they returned and informed us that they had seen a vision of angels, who declared that Jesus was alive.听 Some of our number went to the tomb and found it to be just as the women said, but they didn鈥檛 find Jesus.鈥�

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Then Jesus said to them, 鈥淲hat little sense you have!听 How slow you are to believe all that the prophets have announced!听 Didn鈥檛 the Messiah have to undergo all this to enter into glory?听 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, Jesus interpreted for them every passage of scripture which referred to the Messiah.听 By now there were near the village they were going to, and Jesus appeared to be going further.听 But they said eagerly, 鈥淪tay with us.听 Its nearly evening 鈥� the day is practically over.鈥澨� So the saviour went in and stayed with them.

After sitting down with them to eat, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, then broke the bread and began to distribute it to them.听 With that their eyes were opened and they recognised Jesus, who immediately vanished from their sight.

They said to one another, 鈥淲eren鈥檛 our hearts burning inside us as the one talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?鈥澨� They got up immediately and returned to Jerusalem, where they found the Eleven and the rest of the company assembled.听 They were greeted with, 鈥淐hrist has risen!听 It鈥檚 true!听 Jesus has appeared to Simon!鈥澨� Then the travellers recounted what had happened on the road, and how they had come to know Jesus in the breaking of bread.

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MUSIC:听 GOD BE IN MY HEAD (Wilby)

KATIE听 Part 2: Bearing witness

In the book Dust Tracks on a Road, the African-American author Zora Neale Hurston captures something of the power of witnessing. She writes that: 鈥楾here is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.鈥� In responding to gender-based violence, we must begin by bearing witness to it.

All of us bear witness every day to one another鈥檚 stories and experiences, whether we鈥檙e listening, reading, or watching the news.听 Bearing witness is about hearing and holding space for others to talk about what has happened to them.

Witnessing is a term and concept used in psychology, but it is also deeply rooted in the origins of the Christian faith. Those who first encountered the resurrected Christ 鈥� those first sharers of the Good News 鈥� were themselves witnesses.

In Luke鈥檚 gospel, we meet the disciples on the road to Emmaus. As they walk, they continue to process the violent events that they witnessed on Good Friday. The presence of Jesus amongst them interrupts their frantic speech. This is a fragmented encounter, shaped by the horrors that the disciples have seen. They don鈥檛 even have the capacity to recognise Jesus at first. He stays with them, listens to them, and gives them space to tell their stories. He eats with them, making sure that their physical needs are met. In doing so, he bears witness to their experience. Jesus remains present even in the midst of his friends' processing, where their stories are still fragmentary, still unfolding.

When we bear witness to one another鈥檚 experiences, the 鈥榰ntold stories鈥� are brought to voice. 听The act of listening and providing validation and acceptance can be potent, allowing those who have lived through gender-based violence to gain empathy and catharsis in the sharing of their stories, and support on their road to remaking. The #MeToo movement has not been perfect, but it has shown that the act of consciousness raising through shared experiences can be exceptionally powerful. The more we speak out, the more we can help those experiencing gender-based violence to overcome the oppressive silence that surrounds them.

Bearing witness is not always easy, but it is simple- any of us can do it. It awakens our sense of injustice and creates spaces for truth to be told. It challenges dangerous silences. It points us to the realities of gender-based violence, to the experiences of those who have survived it, and those who remain trapped by it. It begins the dismantling of power structures that perpetuate violence. It draws us into an understanding of both the presence and absence of God at the same time.

Listening, bearing witness, isn鈥檛 the end of our challenge to gender-based violence; there is other activism to be done, and laws to be changed. This is a global issue: there will be different cultural and contextual responses to consider. This is an affliction greater than any one of us, and yet- here we are today, bearing witness together as we listen, during this 16 days of activism. Here we are together, representing our different walks of life, different possibilities for summoning our courage, and challenging the structures of power and silence that may confront us.

This is how we can begin to act against gender-based violence, challenging the way that it is so often silenced. We witness, so that we can name it, so that we can all do our part to change it.

MUSIC:听 PRAYER OF ST FRANCIS 鈥� LORD, MAKE US INSTRUMENTS OF YOUR PEACE (Sanders)

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Prayers 鈥� Marylee + student voices

惭础搁驰尝贰贰听 Loving God, we thank you that you know each one of us and love us completely.

Sometimes our world can seem overwhelming, and we feel that particularly at this time of deep trauma and suffering in Ukraine and the Middle East.

And so we thank you for your promises that you will never leave us, and your unconditional love is freely available for all.听

MALE STUDENT听 Loving God, we pray that survivors of gender-based violence would know safe spaces where they can find a listening ear, freedom from stigma and shame and hope for a better future.听 That there would be understanding about the dignity, value and gifting of each other as women and men, girls and boys made in God鈥檚 image.

Loving God hear our prayers:听All:听 May we be witnesses of your love.

FEMALE STUDENT听 Loving God, we pray that there would be transformation of harmful patterns and practices within our societies and faith communities.听 That all leaders and communities of faith would shape positive values about the worth of women and girls and equitable leadership.听

MALE STUDENT听 Loving God, we pray that our workplaces, education institutions and governments would lead the way with boldness to ensure the safety of all.听听 That they would work together to end all violence against women and girls.

Loving God hear our prayers:听All:听 May we be witnesses of your love.

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FEMALE STUDENT听 Loving God, we pray that you would bless the many workers and activists who speak up and advocate for those who feel silenced and voiceless.听 Who work tirelessly to support survivors remaking and healing, and share their story.听 May these campaigners and champions have the energy and resources to continue their work.

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惭础搁驰尝贰贰听 Loving God, we pray that you would help us all to listen and bear witness to the stories of gender-based violence held in silence within our own communities.听 May we look for and hold space for painful stories to be heard and may we all be advocates of a better world where all are treated equally, and fairly, and can live without fear.听

Loving God hear our prayers:听All:听 May we be witnesses of your love.

MUSIC:听 SING FOR GOD鈥橲 GLORY (Tune:听 Lobe den Herren, Words: Kathy Galloway)

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惭础搁驰尝贰贰听 Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind always be at your back
May the sun shine warmly upon your face

May the rains fall softly upon your fields

And until we meet again, may you be held in the palm of God鈥檚 hands.

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SUNG AMEN

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MUSIC:听 ORGAN VOLUNTARY听 Bach: St Anne Fugue BWV 552