by Barbara
Lund
Gather
together,
sisters in
Christ, to
celebrate the
community God
creates. Fill
small baskets
with coffee
beans and
grounds, light
candles,
surround with
coffee cups
and pour a pot
of delicious
brew.
Read and
reflect
This cup
holds grief
and balm in
equal measure,
light,
darkness.
Who drinks
from it must
change.
(May Sarton)
Perhaps
Sarton knew
the goodness
of
conversation
shared over
coffee.
Fellowship and
coffee renders
space for
listening and
supporting,
serving,
inviting,
healing one
another in
grief and
balm. Through
your
commitment to
purchase fair
trade coffee,
your
fellowship
expands and
you are
connected to
traditional
coffee
growers; their
families and
communities.
Read
together
Psalm 116:
12–13
What shall
I return to
God for all
God’s bounty
to me?
I will lift
up the Cup of
Salvation and
call on the
name of God.
One:
Women of
Faith, Action
and Discerners
of good taste,
lift up your
cups in
thanksgiving,
for your
commitment,
challenge, and
call to create
trade
relationships
for fair trade
coffee.
All: We
lift our cups,
thanks be to
God!
Drink
slowly,
aware of
the
blessings
in the
giving of
thanks.
One:
The earth is
the Lord’s and
the fullness
thereof, we
give thanks
for the earth:
water, soil,
sun and seed.
For the forest
canopy that
supports the
diversity of
life sustained
alongside the
traditional
shade grown
coffee
plantations of
fair trade
farmers — birds,
plants,
insects,
watershed, and
rich soils.
All: We
lift our cups
for the
sanctuary of
creation,
thanks be to
God.
Drink
and savor
the taste,
remembering
all good
gifts.
One:
Coffee growing
communities
are at the
heart of fair
trade. We
imagine their
faces of life
and labor from
the slopes of
Mt.
Kilimanjaro to
the islands of
Indonesia,
from the
fincas of
Costa Rica to
the foothills
of Kenya, from
the terraced
coffee gardens
of Arabia to
the rugged
landscape of
Columbia, from
the ambient
climate of
Brazil to the
wild coffee
forests of
Ethiopia, from
the small
plantations in
Vietnam to the
vast
plantations of
Nicaragua,
from the small
farms in
Mexico to the
volcanic rich
soil of
Guatemala,
along the
Ivory Coast of
West Africa to
the shaded
canopies of El
Salvador — fair
trade ensures
producers of a
living wage
that puts
people and
planet before
corporate
greed.
All: We
touch the
beans in the
baskets; we
sift the
grounds
through our
fingers; we
see signs of
life and hope
in the midst
of struggle.
We lift our
cups and
commit to
paying a fair
price that
supports the
dignity of the
coffee
farmer’s basic
human needs
for food,
shelter,
education and
healthcare.
Drink
deeply
knowing
justice
informed
by faith
is hard,
yet never
tasted so
good.
One:
Women gathered
here in this
circle linked
with circles
of sisters
around the
globe, your
uniting for a
greater good
has made a
difference.
Lift your cups
in celebration
for the 90 Ton
Challenge you
have met.
All:
Yes, we did it
together,
thanks be to
God.
Drink
well
knowing
fair trade
is good
news.
One: We
will continue
to drink
together,
remembering we
share God’s
vision of
abundant life
for all.
All:
What shall we
return to God
for all God’s
bounty?
Individual
voices from
the circle
call out:
- Farmers’
hope is fair
trade; we will
continue to
learn about
the realities
of trade.
- We value
human life and
labor; we will
actively
support
trading
fairly.
- One cup
at a time, we
will drink to
justice.
- We pour
coffee to the
brim; we will
learn to pour
from our life
of abundance.
- We will
live and work
together,
seeking
economic
solidarity for
all.
All:
Justice never
tasted so
good!
One: We
pray to the
Giver of Life
and Hope,
All:
You call us, O
God of
Blessing, to
bless others
with the cup
of life and
salvation.
Your presence
is the power
we need to
evoke change.
Your blessing
of love
enables us to
commit
ourselves to
the unending
struggle for
justice. How
grateful we
are for your
generous love.
How glad we
are for one
another and
the coffee
time we share
from field to
table. In Christ
we pray, AMEN!
