Christmas

When God takes something from your grasp, he's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. Concentrate on this sentence. "The will of God  will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you."  Prayer:  'God our Father, walk through my house and take away all my worries  and illnesses and please watch over and heal my family in your name, Amen.'

MERRY CHRISTMAS

May God's gracious presence wrap around and protect you. May the promise of the holy Christ child forever rest in the curve of your life. May the sweet, fearless song of the Holy Spirit sing you to sleep and waken you in Advent dawns. May you, and those you love and serve,expect the good news, Immanuel, God-With-Us. Amen. - Pamela C. Hawkins Behold!

Advent THoughts

Christmas Shopping Jesus, I think I hear you coming. I think I hear a sound that says you’ve cared your way into my life again. I think I see a light more lasting than the ones we hang on trees. I think I see a world that’s splashed with God again so gospelled with his presence so covered with his love yet, lonely still. . . O shoppers, dear shoppers put your carts away. Please put your carts away and search deep down within your hearts for gifts that will not rust or fade O look into your God-splashed, gospelled hearts and see! See Christmas standing there waiting to be, not bought but given free. Sister Macrina Wiederkehr, Seasons of Your Heart

Thought for the Day

Help me, dear God, to see my brother with the eyes of Christ, to hear my sister with the ears of Christ, to taste my neighbor’s hunger with the mouth of Christ, to smell creation’s beauty with the nose of Christ, to touch the world’s pain with the hands of Christ and to love life, each life, every life, with the heart of Christ. - Sam Hamilton-Poore Earth Gospel: A Guide to Prayer for God’s Creation

Thought for the Day

A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher law.

Thought for the Day

God knows us and calls us by name. We are not strangers or aliens to God. We are each and all God’s beloved. We have as our lover the Creator and Master of all that exists. The One who calls us beloved is also the one who know us so intimately and well that even the number of hairs on our head is known. - Norman Shawchuck and Rueben P. Job A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God

Thoughts for Today

What you have to offer is enough. Hold nothing back. The blessing is not in the treasure but in the letting go. In your simplest offering God finds delight. Reach into the small pocket of your heart: there is all the treasure in heaven. -Steve Garnaas-Holmes Unfolding Light

All Saints 2012

We bless your holy name, O God, for all your servants who, having finished their course, now rest from their labors. Give us grace to follow the example of their steadfastness and faithfulness, to your honor and glory; through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Prayer for All Saints Day, 20th Century England

BLESSINGS

May the Spirit of Life move you from apathy to action, from observing to doing, from despair to hope. May the Spirit of life bless you with both the pain and the joy of change— the change the world needs, the change for which you pray, the change you are becoming through Jesus Christ.” - Sam Hamilton-Poore Earth Gospel: A Guide to Prayer for God’s Creation

Our Tears

The risen Christ, who meets us in our tears, calls us to embody his presence in a deeply wounded world. He calls us always to follow him to those places where people are struggling and in need and to share in his ministry of wiping away their tears. One way to accomplish this task is to weep with those who weep. -Trevor Hudson Hope Beyond Your Tears

FRIENDS

“Friends are those rare people who ask who we are and then wait to hear an anwer.”

Fall

THE PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS   Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; To be understood, as to understand; To be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen.   ("The Prayer of St. Francis" was not actually written by St. Francis. In fact, the prayer is generally believed to be only about 100 years old, a creative and sincere prayer penned by an anonymous French writer. Over time this anonymously drafted prayer became linked with the spirit of the 13th-century friar whose continual striving to follow more closely the Gospel of Jesus Christ led to a renewal in the church at many levels.)

Re-Creation

Taylor Burton-Edwards       Director of Worship Resources,  UMC General Board of Discipleship       "By spending time each year in a more focused way on God's many gifts in creation, we are not seeking to compartmentalize creation to just a few weeks a year, but rather deepen our appreciation for creation as an integral part of our worship and discipleship throughout the year and throughout our lives."

Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that, although the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place. ~Kurt Vonnegut

Sins ??

Seven Deadly Social Sins

  Politics without principle

    Wealth without work

Commerce without morality

Pleasure without conscience

Education without character

 Science without humanity

 Worship without sacrifice.

Gandhi

A Beautiful World

Be soft. 

Do not let the world make you hard. 

Do not let the pain make you hate.

Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. 

Take pride that, although the rest of the world may disagree, 

you still believe it to be a beautiful place. 

~Kurt Vonnegut

God of All

God of great and God of small, God of one and God of all, God of weak and God of strong, God to whom all things belong.

            Alleluia!

God of land and sky and sea, God of life and destiny, God of never ending power, yet beside me every hour.

            Alleluia!

God of silence, God of sound, God by whom the lost are found, God of day and darkest night, God whose love turns wrong to right.

            Alleluia!

God of heaven and God of earth, God of death and God of birth, God of now and days before, God who reigns forevermore.

            Alleluia!

Natalie Sleeth

When the World Rushes On...

In clamor and confusion the world rushes around seeking meaning —
scheduled, over-scheduled breathless quest.

We remember Jesus after the crowds — “…he would withdraw

to deserted places and pray.”  (Luke 5:16)

How he must have been strengthened,comforted and fed by this time alone with God.

What we long for is some quiet, some time of rest to hear God’s word for us
in the solitude, to trust God’s grace in our midst — so we might be saved,
so we might be strengthened.

— Roberta Porter    Alive Now, July/August 2012

Thank God for Each Day

 Thank  God for Today

For cool mornings and rumbling afternoon storms,

for amazing days and even more ordinary evenings,

for deep friendships and shallow wading pools:

we give thanks to God!

For the laughing God who tickles us with joy,

for the broken-hearted Love who joins in our struggles:

we give thanks to God at all times!

For the Bread of heaven who feeds us hope,

for the Spirit of grace who teaches us to dance:

we give thanks to God at all times and for everything!

-Thom Shuman

www.lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.com

Living in the Present

There is an intimate relationship between joy and hope. While optimism makes us live as if someday soon things will go better for us, hope frees us from the need to predict the future and allows us to live in the present, with the deep trust that God will never leave us alone but will fulfill the deepest desires of our heart. Joy in this perspective is the fruit of hope.

 

 -Henri Nouwen

Here and Now

You ARE Loved!

The glorious message of Scripture is that we do not have to be perfect for our Maker to love us.  All through the great stories, heavenly love is lavished on visibly imperfect people.  We are asked to look at Jacob as he really is, to look at ourselves as we really are, and then realize that this is who God loves.

Madeleine  L’Engle    Glimpses of Grace

Take Time to Rest

It's Friday afternoon, and you cannot wait for the weekend. You are mentally exhausted, burned out from a week of dealing with other people’s deadlines, expectations, needs, and the ubiquitous insanity that passes for life in the post-modern world. You just want to go home, take a bath or shower, slip into something comfortable and breathe. But instead, what do you do?

While the specifics may differ, chances are you race home, and jump from one set of imposed obligations to another. … You run from one exhaustive life to another and wonder why you are so tired on Monday morning. What you need is Shabbos: a day to play. …

For me Shabbosis a day set aside to breathe freely; a day when we reject the delusion that we must earn our living and realize that we must celebrate it. …

Shabbos was a revolutionary idea when first invented thousands of years ago. Over time it became Shabbat (Jewish) and Sabbath (Christian. I urge you to reclaim one of the most revolutionary things people can do: play.

- Rami Shapiro

Alive Now, July/August 2012

Helping Others

Worship is a physical act.  Just as some folks see lifting their hands to God as a sign of worship, we also see lifting our hands out to a neighbor as an act of worship. Homeless friends, who sometimes smell a little, have told us the only hugs they get during the week are in Mass on Sunday.  Hopefully we have a church that is living a life of worship outside of Sunday, passing the peace on the streets and giving hugs away during the week, especially to those who smell a little.

From Common Prayer,  Shane Claiborne, primary contributor

Days of Summer ..

Every moment, we have the chance
to breathe in your goodness and grace;
every hour, we have opportunities
to share your love and hope;
every day, we have occasions
to rest in the comfort of your heart.
In you, we discover the fullness of time,
Delight of the Ages.

In every challenge we face,
we can find the strength to persevere;
in every person we meet,
we can find the blessing you have sent;
in every need we encounter,
we can find the help you would have us offer.
In you, we discover the fullness of life,
Companion of our days.

In every conflict of our lives,
there is your healing we can offer;
in every brokenness we experience,
there is that reconciliation we can receive;
in every difficulty which makes us stumble,
there is that dance of hope you would teach us.
In you, we discover the fullness of faith,
Promised Spirit.

 

-Thom Shuman

www.lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.com

What kind of life does my heart want?
I find no easy answers to that question,
but I know the answer means
giving up the fantasy of always moving forward
and allowing instead for seasons of dormancy.
And it is always time to listen.
Perhaps the heart’s single greatest desire
is to listen attentively to the voice of God
speaking through scripture, nature, daily events,
and the kind of reflection that leads to expanding self-knowledge. …
My heart wants the kind of life that leaves room for God.

- Elizabeth J. Canham
Heart Whispers

Leave me alone with God as much as may be.

As the tide draws the waters close in upon the shore,

Make me an island, set apart, alone with you, God, holy to you.

Then with the turning of the tide prepare me to carry your presence to

the busy world beyond, the world that rushes in on me

till the waters come again and fold me back to you.

- - St. Aidan of Lindisfarne

Summer Greetings

God of eye and ear,

of taste and touch,

of smell and of every sense

and source of knowing,

bless me not

with sight alone

but bless me also

with ears to hear

your voice

and tongue to taste

your essence

and nose to breathe

your fragrance

and fingertips to touch

your nearness

and heart to open

that door

which is wisdom,

which is wonder,

which is all.

 

-Jan Richardson

In Wisdom's Path

Blessings to you

Deep peace of the running wave to you, Deep peace of the flowing air to you, Deep peace of the quiet earth to you, Deep peace of the shining stars to you, Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you, for ever. —Early Scottish blessing - Sam Hamilton-Poore Earth Gospel

God is Good!

DOING GOOD

Mother Theresa said we don't need to do great things. Instead she urged us to do small things with great love. I don't know what you are going to be doing with the rest of your day. But, I know this: that you and I can make a decision right now to amplify the love we bring into the things we are doing. The true nature of yourself is all love. It's yours. Claim it. Walk in this love and come from this love today. We don't have to do great things. Do small things with great love.   -Mary Morrissey www.marymorrissey.com

God, may the eyes of my heart be enlightened.
May I see today not with the eyes of my fears and desires,
but with the eyes of heaven.
May I see with the eyes of your hope, and your tender love.
May I see your loving presence in all things,
supreme and yet hidden.
May I see the power of resurrection
radiant in every moment.
May I truly see,
with the eyes of my heart
full of your light.
Amen.

 

-Steve Garnaas-HolmesUnfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

          A prayer for nonviolence

  Gentle companion, shepherd me today,
       beyond my fears and wants.
        Make me let go and rest
   in the green pasture of your grace.
         Lead me along still waters.
          Breathe life into my soul.
    Lead me in the path of loving kindness
for the sake of your delight for the world.

          Even in my darkest valleys,
              shadowed by death,
              in my fear of evil,
             you will be with me;
       your presence and guidance
           are my only security.

    Bring me to the table you set
           with my enemies.
   Drench me in your gentleness.
 May I overflow with your grace.
May kindness and mercy be with me
              all this day;
may I live in your eternal presence
             each moment.
                 Amen.

-Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Lightwww.unfoldinglight.net

The spiritual life is about 

becoming more at home

in your own skin.

- - Parker J. Palmer

Post Easter Tide

In your compassion, gracious God,
you hear the cry of the poor, the needy, and the lonely ones.
May we also hear the cries of our brothers and sisters,
responding in love as you have shown us in your Son,
our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

- Elise Eslinger,The Upper Room Worshipbook

“Psalm Prayer” (Psalm 34, adapted)

EASTER TIDE

The Risen Christ is with us and therefore we need not fear the events of this day or any day that lies in our future. We know that each day will be lived in companionship with the only One who is able to rescue, redeem, save, keep, and companion us through every experience of this life and the next.

This realization does not take away the pain or uncertainty that life holds. But it does give us strength, wisdom, guidance, and most of all, a Companion to travel through each of these experiences with us.

- Rueben P. Job
A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God

HOLY WEEK

In the dark night of my soul
I long for someone’s comfort and no one comes.
There is no one to call.
I imagine Jesus in the Garden praying
Until sweat became blood
And even the disciples would not wake.
This night is my garden.
When will help come?
Where is grace?
Will I be able to take one more step?
The dark night passes and no one came.
Or, perhaps Christ was here all along
Leading me into the dawn.

— Naomi Faw

Alive Now, March/April 2012

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday - beginning of Passion Week

Palm Sunday, and also Passion Sunday... With populist fanfare Jesus descends from the Mount of Olives into the valley of the shadows of his death. And we too, following, make our own sharp descent into the maelstrom of the week’s intrigue. …

It is hard work, the work before us this week. If Jesus’ first followers found themselves wishing to go back to the good days before the unpleasantness began or, like us, jumping ahead to the glory they might have imagined lay ahead, like them we have to remain here for a while. For this hour, to this place, this coming trouble — this is where Jesus journeys, and all his disciples, like it or not, must journey with him.

- Thomas R. Steagald
Shadows, Darkness, and Dawn

Lenten Thoughts

May Christ open your eyes
that you may see the light of creation.
May Christ open your ears
that you may hear the song of the earth.
May Christ open your heart
that you may give and receive love.

- Sam Hamilton-Poore
Earth Gospel: A Guide to Prayer for God’s Creation

Lenten Thoughts

Each day is a gift from God,
each moment is that opportunity
to reach out in service to all creation.
Each day is a reminder of the new covenant:
not written on stone tablets easily broken,
but inscribed on our hearts filled with joy and hope.
Each day we draw closer to God:
who has forgotten more than we ever learn;
who has forgiven us more than we ever acknowledge.

-Thom Shuman

www.lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.com

Journey thru Lent

Self-denial means knowing only Christ,

and no longer oneself.

It means seeing only Christ,

who goes ahead of us,

and no longer the path

that is too difficult for us.

Again, self-denial is saying only:

He goes ahead of us; hold fast to him.

- - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Lenten Journey

God of wilderness and water,

your Son was baptized and tempted as we are.

Guide us through this season,

that we may not avoid struggle,

but open ourselves to blessing,

through the cleansing depths of repentance

and the heaven-rending words of the Spirit.

Lenten Thoughts

In a culture built on consumption -- especially of food -- it is easy to forget the poor that Jesus cared so much about. We get caught up in the acquiring, buying and eating. Yet as wierd as it sounds, the more stuff we consume, the more our spirits wither and starve.

Each time anyone comes in contact with us

they must become different

and better people because of having met us.

We must radiate God’s love.

We must know that we have been created

for greater things not just to be a number

in the world, not just to go for diplomas

and degrees, this work and that work.

We have been created in order to love

and be loved.

Love does not measure, it just gives!

Mother Theresa

LOVE

We touch that very holy part of ourselves when we extend God’s love to anyone in need, touching God’s spirit within others. We distance ourselves from God when we withhold love. …

Treating others with compassion and mercy is our expression of love for God.

- Christopher Maricle
The Jesus Priorities

Our Spiritual Journey

The spiritual life is a life that is guided by God’s Spirit, the same Spirit that guided the life of Jesus. So how can we be in touch with the Spirit, hear the voice of the Spirit, and allow ourselves to be guided by the Spirit? This is not easy in a world where there are so many things going on and so many voices calling for our attention.

Can we create some space for God where we can hear, feel, experience the Spirit of God, and where it becomes possible for us to respond?…

I believe we can look at solitude, community, and ministry as three disciplines by which we create space for God. If we create space in which God can act and speak, something surprising will happen. You and I are called to these disciplines if we want to be disciples.

- Henri J. M. Nouwen
A Spirituality of Living

Sundays - a day of Rest

Sabbath observance invites us to stop.

It invites us to rest. It asks us to notice that while we rest,

the world continues without our help.

It invites us to delight in the world’s beauty and abundance.

-Wendell Berry

Foreword to Living the Sabbath by Norman Wirzba

Sundays - a day of Rest

Sabbath observance invites us to stop.

It invites us to rest. It asks us to notice that while we rest,

the world continues without our help.

It invites us to delight in the world’s beauty and abundance.

-Wendell Berry

Foreword to Living the Sabbath by Norman Wirzba

With Others

Compassionate God,
help me not to walk behind others
or to walk in front of them
but to walk beside them with kindness. Amen.

- Richard Morgan
Settling In

Trust the past to God's mercy,

the present to God's love, and

the future to God's providence.

- - - Augustine of Hippo

New Thoughts

In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the human spirit.

-Albert Schweitzer

NEW YEAR Thoughts

Loving God, journey with me this year
so that I may feel your presence,
abide in your forgiveness, grow in your strength,
and dwell in your love.
Give me an open heart,
an open mind,
and open eyes
so that I may sing your praise
and follow your path always and everywhere. Amen.

- Larry James Peacock
Openings

HAPPY NEW YEAR

God, in this new year, may I no longer be my own but yours. Put me to what you will; rank me with whom you will. Put me to doing; put me to suffering. Let me be employed for you or laid aside for you, exalted for you or brought low for you. Let me be full; let me be empty. Let me have all things; let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God — Creator, Redeemer, and Inspirer — you are mine, and I am yours. May this promise that I hereby make on earth be ratified in heaven. Amen.
[An adaptation by W. Paul Jones of Wesley's Watchnight vows.]

- W. Paul Jones
An Eclectic Almanac for the Faithful