7/21/09

Scripture:  James 2: 14-18    What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Reflections:  "Apart from its context, this verse might seem to contradict the Biblical teaching that people are saved by faith and not by good deeds.  But James means only that righteous action is evidence of genuine faith- not that it saves...As Paul wrote, 'The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.' "   NIV Study Bible

"Therefore, as you profess the name of Christ, good Christian people, let no such fantasy and imagination of faith at any time beguile you; but be sure of your faith, try it by your living, look upon the fruits that come of it, mark the increase of love and charity by it towards God and your neighbor, and so shall you perceive it to be a true, lively faith."  (Thomas Cranmer, 1489-1556) from Readings in Christian Thought, Hugh Kerr

Prayer:   Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
 

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.

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.

 

4/5/09

Scripture:  John 12:  27-28    [Jesus said] "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.  My Father will honor the one who serves me.  Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'?  No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.  Father, glorify your name!" 

 

Reflections:  "Before the cross of Jesus, the opposite of sin was being good, and the world bumbled along trying to be good enough, hoping to escape the judgment.  The rules would now forever change.  The opposite of sin would become faith in Jesus, not righteousness by works. If we are condemned, it will not be for our sin, which He has already paid for, but for refusing to have faith in Him."  Michael Card, Parable of Joy

 

"Let us all meditate, brothers, on the Good Shepherd who bore the suffering of the cross for the salvation of his sheep.  The Lord's sheep have followed him in tribulation, in persecution, in shame, in hunger and in thirst, in weakness, in temptations and in other trials.  For this faithfulness they have received eternal life from the Lord."  St. Francis of Assisi, Writings

 

Prayer:  O, Lord, wherever your glory be best served, whenever, however, there, then, and in that state let me your servant be.  Only hide not from me your divine love.  Help me to trust you to the uttermost.  Teach me to serve you as you deserve: to give, and not count the cost; to fight, and not to heed the wounds; to toil, and not to look for rest; to labor, and not ask for any reward, save that of knowing that I am doing your will."  St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits

 

3/29/09

Scripture:  Ephesians 2:  7-10     But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Reflection: "If we are called by God to holiness of life, and if holiness is beyond our natural power to achieve (which it certainly is), then it follows that God himself must give us the light, the strength, and the courage to fulfill the task he requires of us.  He will certainly give us the grace we need.  If we do not become saints it is because we do not avail ourselves of his gift."  Thomas Merton, Life and Holiness
   
Prayer:  Oh Lord, in this time of repentance, search our hearts and reveal to us those areas in our lives where we have pride in our goodness.  Show us our deepest sins, and help us to understand your gift of grace. Lead us by your Spirit into those good works which you have prepared for us, and give us your grace to do them all in the spirit of love. Amen

 

3/22/09

Scripture:  Romans 7: 16-25  For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do- this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.  So I find this law at work: when I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.  What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord.  So, then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Reflections:  "Sanctification means being made one with Jesus so that the nature that controlled Him will control us.  Are we really prepared for what that will cost?  It will cost absolutely everything in us which is not of God. Are we prepared to say, "Lord, make me, a sinner saved by grace, as holy as You can'? The resounding evidence of the Holy Spirit in a person's life is the unmistakable family likeness to Jesus Christ, and the freedom from everything which is not like Him."  Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

"Repentance means to lament the sins one has committed and not to commit any more the sins one has lamented."  Soren Kierkegaard, Provocations

Prayer: Oh God, my God, your undeserved mercy to me in my unfaithfulness overwhelms me. I thank you that you continually forgive my sins through the sacrifice of your Son, Jesus, my Savior. I praise your holy name for the grace you have given me, and I vow, before you, in this moment, to endeavor to be worthy of that grace, with your help. I pray this in the name of the most holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen

 

3/15/09

Scripture:  Mark 1:  9-13    At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven:  "You are my Son, whom I love; with  you I am well pleased."  At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan.  He was with wild animals, and angels attended him."

Reflection: "There is no place so holy or so remote where you will not meet with temptation, nor is there anyone completely free from it in this life; therefore, we should always be on our guard against temptations, always praying that our enemy, the devil, who never sleeps but constantly seeks our destruction, will not catch us off guard."  Thomas á Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

Prayer: Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing that you have made, and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent.  Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that, lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, we may receive from you, the God of all mercy, perfect forgiveness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. Book of Common Prayer

Prayer:  Lord, lead us into silence, and let us hear you. Lead us to repentance, and let us know you.  Lead us into the heart of your Son, and let us love you.  Amen

 

3/9/09

Scripture:  1 Kings 19: 11-13   And the word of the LORD came to him:  " What are you doing here, Elijah?"  He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty.  The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword.  I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."  The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."  Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind.  After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.  And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

 

Reflections:  "It is in silence that God comes.  When God spoke to Elijah on the mountainside, it was not amid the noise of the earthquake or the sound of the mighty wind or in the roar of the burning fire; it was in the calmness of a gentle breeze.  The noise of the world must be in some way stilled if we are to hear God's voice." 

-Maurice Nassan, The Prayer of Silence

 

"The Father uttered one word; that word is his Son, and he utters him forever in everlasting silence, and in silence the soul has to hear it." 

-St. John of the Cross

 

"Where shall the word be found,

where will the word resound?

Not here, there is not enough silence-

no place of grace for those who avoid the face,

no time to rejoice for those who

walk among noise and deny the voice."  

-T. S. Eliot, "Ash Wednesday 1930"

 

Prayer:  Lord, lead us into silence, and let us hear you. Lead us to repentance, and let us know you.  Lead us into the heart of your Son, and let us love you.  Amen

 

2/28/09

Scripture:  Matthew 6: 16-21    "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting.  I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

   

Reflections:  "It is very sobering to realize that the very first statement Jesus made about fasting dealt with the question of motive....How easy it is to take something like fasting and try to use it to get God to do what we want.  Fasting reminds us that we are sustained 'by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt4:4).' We are told not to act miserable when fasting because, in point of fact, we are not miserable.  We are feeding on God."  Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline

 

Prayer: The Litany of Penitence from the Book of Common Prayer

Most holy and merciful Father: We confess to you and to one another, and to the whole communion of saints in heaven and on earth, that we have sinned by our own fault in thought, word and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength.  We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.  We have not forgiven others as we have been forgiven. Have mercy on us, Lord.We have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us.  We have not been true to the mind of Christ.  We have grieved your Holy Spirit. Have mercy on us, Lord.

We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness; the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives, we confess to you, Lord. Our self indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people, we confess to you, Lord. Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves, we confess to you, Lord.  Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and our dishonesty in daily life and work, we confess to you, Lord.  Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to commend the faith that is in us, we confess to you, Lord .  Accept our repentance, Lord, for the wrongs we have done: for our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty, accept our repentance, Lord.  For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us, accept our repentance, Lord .  For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us, accept our repentance, Lord.  Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us; favorably hear us, for your mercy is great.  Accomplish in us the work of your salvation, that we may show forth your glory in the world.  By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord, bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.  Amen

 

 

2/21/09

Scripture:  2 Cor.1: 18-20 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been "Yes and No."  For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not "Yes and No"  ; but in him it is always "Yes."  For in him every one of God's promises is a "Yes." 

 

Reflections:  "It seemed to me to be impossible that all manner of things should be well, as our Lord had revealed to me.  But the only answer God gave me in this Revelation was this:  'What is impossible to you is not impossible to me.  I will keep my word in every detail, and I shall make all things well.'"  Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love

 

"What a joy it is to know that in Christ there are no inconsistencies.  Can you imagine getting up one morning and, while in prayer, being told from Heaven that they are not taking prayer requests any more?  Or maybe asking for forgiveness and hearing from God that He has changed His mind about forgiving all sins?  Thanks be to God, it is nothing like that.  In Him all promises are yes, yes, yes!  God is reliable and consistent.  He has given us His anointing and has built us in Christ.  He has done so in order that we express our love to Him by loving humanity.  Be willing to serve the needy in spite of the obstacles.  Ignore the mockery of those who don't believe, and wait on Him.  If you do, not only will you receive refreshment for your soul, but also for your body.

Brother Antonio-Manuel+, OHS

 

2/15/09

Scripture:  1 Corinthians 9: 16-23   "Yet, when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach.  Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!  If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.  What then is my reward?  Just this:  that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.  Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.  To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.  To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.  To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law.  To the weak I become weak, to win the weak.  I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.  I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."

 

Reflections:  "Sometimes, even if he has to do it alone, and his conduct seems to be crazy, a man must set an example, and so draw people's souls out of their solitude, and spur them to some act of brotherly love, that the great idea may not die."  Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

 

"The motive is love of brother, and we are commanded to love our brothers.  If religion has so neglected the needs of the poor and of the great mass of workers, and permitted them to live in the most horrible destitution while comforting them with the solace of a promise of a life after death when all tears shall be wiped away, then that religion is suspect.  Who would believe such Job's comforters?  On the other hand, if those professing religion shared the life of the poor and worked to better their lot, and risked their lives as revolutionists do, and trade union organizers have done in the past, then there is a ring of truth about the promises of the glory to come.  The cross is followed by the resurrection."  Dorothy Day

 

Prayer:  Merciful Lord, Savior, embolden us to bring your message of love and grace and forgiveness to everyone we meet that they may come to share the blessings of the good news. Amen

 

 

2/7/09

Scripture: And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Col 4:17

 

Reflection:  "[The novice Buddhist monk] learns to be present in whatever he or she is doing.  While closing the door you learn to be present while closing the door.  While cooking you are truly present in the cooking...The practice is for the mind and the body to be present in one place and in one time...to be aware of what one is doing. Thus, after meeting Thich Nhat Hanh in 1966, the Trappist monk Thomas Merton remarked that he could recognize that [Nhat Hanh] was a real monk simply by watching him close the door." Thich NHat Hanh, Essential Writings, Sister Annabel Laity

 

Prayer:  Lord, make us mindful of all our actions and thoughts, that they may be pure and holy.  Help us to not waste our precious days in trivial and meaningless things, so that we may treasure every moment you have given us and thus make our lives sacred. Amen

 

 

2/1/09

Scripture:  1 Cor. 8: 1b-3    "We know that we all possess knowledge.  Knowledge puffs us, but love builds up.  The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God."

 

Reflections:  (Henri Nouwen, Dutch priest, spent 7 months in a Trappist monastery.  The Genessee Diary is his reflection on that experience.)  "The monastic life is indeed very unsensational.  I keep catching myself with the desire to do something special, to make a contribution, to add something new, and  have to remind myself constantly that the less I am noticed, the less special attention I require, the less I am different, the more I am living the monastic life.  Maybe- when you have become fully aware that you have nothing to say that has not already been said- maybe then a monk might be interested in listening to you...When we have given up the desire to be different and experienced ourselves as sinners without any right to special attention, only then is there space to encounter our God who calls us by our own name and invites us into his intimacy."  Henri Nouwen, The Genessee Diary

 

" No one can fully comprehend the uncreated God with his knowledge, but each one, in a different way, can grasp him fully through love.  Truly this is the unending miracle of love: that one loving person, through his love, can embrace God, whose being fills and transcends the entire creation."  from The Cloud of Unknowing, anonymous, 14th century

 

Prayers:  "Lord, when we are wrong, make us willing to change: and when we are right, make us easy to live with."  Peter Marshall

Lord, lead us in the path of humility.  Remind us that we will not find you in books and knowledge, but in loving our fellow man.  Remind us that to the degree in which we place ourselves above others,  we place ourselves farther from you, and help us be willing to be insignificant so that we may be found by you. Amen

 

1/25/09

Scripture:  Isaiah 42: 1-9
"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.  He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.  A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.  In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth.  In his law the islands will put their hope."  This is what God the LORD says- he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand.  I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.  I am the LORD; that is my name!  I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.  See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declared; before they spring into being I announce them to you."

Reflection:  "This covenant is a bonding that is not created, but acknowledged as having in fact taken place.  It is a work of God that is announced as a witness to what God is doing through Jesus.  All creation is called to unity with God in and through Jesus, whose whole being is bonded in love to his divine Father."  Henri Nouwen, The Road to Daybreak

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, help us, through your Spirit, to be a light to those who don't know you, to spread your gospel of healing and forgiveness to a dark and suffering world.  As you have promised, take our hands and work in us to bring about your kingdom on earth.   Make us vessels, Lord, to pour out your love on this world.  Amen.

 

1/18/09

Scripture:  Matthew 25: 31-40   "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.  All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.  Then  the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'  Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' "

Reflections:
"This is one of the most vivid parables which Jesus ever spoke, and the lesson if it is crystal clear.  The lesson is this- that God will judge us in accordance with our reaction to human need.  God's judgment does not depend on the knowledge we have amassed, or the fame that we have acquired, or the fortune that we have gained, but on the help that we have given." William Barclay

"Non-Christians and Christians both do social work, but non-Christians do it for something while we do it for Someone.  This accounts for the respect, the love and devotion, because we do it for God.  That is why we try to do it as beautifully as possible, because we are in continual contact with Christ in His work."  Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Prayer: "Teach us to be generous, good Lord; teach us to serve You as You deserve; to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for any reward save that of knowing we do Your will."  St. Ignatius of Loyola

 

 

1/10/09

Scripture:  Matthew 25: 14-30
"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.  To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability.  Then he went on his journey.  The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.  So also, the one with the two talents gained two more.  But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.  After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.  The man who had received the five talents brought the other five.  'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'  His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master's happiness!'  The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'  His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'  Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master," he said, "I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'  His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.  Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.  For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.  And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

Reflections:
"As the holiness of Christianity consecrates all states and employments of life unto God, requiring us to do and use everything as the servants of God, so are we more specially obliged to observe this religious exactness in the use of our estates and fortunes.  The reason for this would appear very plain if we were only to consider that our estates are as much the gift of God as our eyes and our hands."  William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life

"This is what we are about: we plant the seeds that one day will grow.  We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.  We lay foundations that will need further development. We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. It enables us to do something small, and to try and do it well.  It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along  the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest." Oscar Romero

Prayer:  Lord, we are grateful for all you have given us.  Encourage us to use our resources and talents for your glory, and sanctify our work, no matter how small, that it may bring abundant blessings to all your creation.  In your name we pray, amen.

 

 

1/2/09

Scripture:  Col 3:12-17 As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.  Bear with one another, and if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Reflection:  What a profound description of what a holy life is meant to be- forgiving, patient, humble, compassionate, thankful, and intentional.  Let us all approach the new year with these verses deep in our hearts.

Prayer:  Lord, we are indeed your chosen people, set apart for holy use.   Let your Spirit transform us in the new year so that we may become all that you have created us to be.  Amen.

 

 

12/28/08

Scripture: And there were in the same country shepherds, keeping watch over their flocks by night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.  Today, in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ, the Lord."

Reflection:  "As a Christian I believe that we live in parallel worlds.  One world consists of hills and lakes and barns and politicians and shepherds watching their flocks by night.  The other consists of angels and sinister forces and somewhere out there places called heaven and hell.  One night in the cold, in the dark, among the wrinkled hills of Bethlehem, those two worlds came together at a dramatic point of intersection.  God, who knows no before or after, entered time and space...Never again need we wonder whether what happens on this dirty little tennis ball of a planet matters to the rest of the universe.  Little wonder a choir of angels broke out in spontaneous song, disturbing not only a few shepherds but the entire universe."  Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, we celebrate your birth with wonder in the miracle of the incarnation, with joy in the knowledge of our salvation, and with love for the grace we receive from your hands.  May this season be holy and blessed for all of us.  In your name we pray, amen.

 

 

12/20/08

Scripture:  Zephaniah 3: 15-17   The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy.  The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.  On that day they will say to Jerusalem, 'Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.  The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Reflection:  In Advent, we celebrate that the Lord has come among us. He has "pitched his tent" with us (John 1:14). Emmanuel, emmanu (with us)-el (God), has come.   God took such great delight in us, "so loved the world," that He sent Jesus.  Through Him, we can live our lives in confidence and hope.  He is the Light who will save us from our sins and lead us into His perfect peace.

Prayer:  "Lord Jesus, Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.  We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.  We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.  We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.  We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.  We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.  To you we say, 'Come, Lord Jesus!' "  Mark Neilson, Christmas Blessings

 

 

12/13/08

Scripture:  Isaiah 61: 1-3   The Spirit of the LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

Reflection:  Christ quoted this ancient scripture while preaching in the temple, and he was referring to himself- He is the one who has come to "bind up the brokenhearted," to "proclaim freedom," and offer "release from darkness."  He is the one who comforts all who mourn and provides for those who grieve.  He has come to turn our despair into praise.  He has come to bring us joy. Are we allowing him to work in our lives?  Are we ready to have Him release us from our own darkness and give us the freedom that only He can give? Have we heard the "good news" in the poverty of our lives, and are we ready to share that with others?

Prayer:  Lord, you are indeed the Anointed One.  Your coming into the world brings us salvation, and your coming into our lives brings up hope.  Thank you, Lord Christ, for your presence here.  Help us to turn our lives over to your care and your molding, so that we may know your healing.  Come, Lord Jesus. Amen

 

 

12/6/2008

Scripture:  Luke 21:25-27 "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.  People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory.  Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

Reflection: There are always those who claim to know a lot about the end times.  They gather disciples around themselves, convinced that they have the day and hour of Christ's second coming, and their group waits in vain.  Another year goes by, and still the Messiah doesn't come.  Jesus said that even he didn't know the timetable.  Still, we Christians believe that He will return, and we wait for His advent.  How do we stand up and raise our heads and not cower in fear and despair for the future of this world?  What does our Lord say?  Be vigilant, be ready, repent, do good, believe.

Prayer:  Come, Lord Jesus, into our hearts and into our world. Help us find peace and joy as we begin the season of waiting.
In your name we pray, Amen.