January 7 Prayer
I woke up in the middle of night with a song lyric on my lip. “Draw near to me For I have drawn near to you.” In darkness we draw near to God. This is when Jesus appears to fulfill the word of God. ‘For the people who walk in darkness Will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness a light will shine.’ Is.9 When Jesus began his ministry of bringing light into the world he encountered darkness. His cousin and herald, John had been arrested and would soon be killed when he announced that the light had come. ‘The kingdom of God is near.’ Repent, change the way you think and your perception of the way things are.’ Jesus quotes from Isaiah ; ‘Nevertheless that time of darkness and despair in our land will not go on forever, the land will be humbled, but there will be a time when it will be filled with Glory.’ Matt.4:12-17 We do not deny that these are dark times but we have the light inside, a hope that will hold a torch to show the way forward. We turn from pride, ego and what we think must happen to others. May we surrender with humility and draw near to you, to your light in the darkness. We pray; ‘Draw near to me for I have drawn near to you ‘Pull on the strings of my heart for I long to respond to you… I’ve made a place for you here So Come on, come on All things are possible here So come on, come on All my love is for you All my love is yours..” (Jeremy Riddle) Lord of light we ask ; May we walk the blessed way to walk in your grace. To show your love-light in our world of darkness. Open eyes, change minds, redirect perceptions to see And follow your light and truth. Pull on our heart strings Lord And let us shine for you. We draw near to you In the deepest night clear as day The early morning sunrise will warm our hearts. All things are possible here. “In the middle of the night I awake and give thanks to you Because of all your revelation -light So right and true.” Ps.119:62 Shine upon us this day and show us the way to heal our land. We pray, Amen January 6 Prayer
‘Hail, Sacred infant, all divine What a tender Love was thine Thus to come from highest bliss Down to such a world as this” Caswell ….and they followed the star that went ahead of them… ...they opened their treasures to offer him… This is a mystery. That an infant God incarnate would reveal himself to the world. Reveal himself to not just those that believed and were waiting for the messiah but to all people, of all nations. They came from afar to follow the star, a sign was given to a world in darkness. Here we are, our world waiting for deliverance from the pandemic, the crisis to be over and the world as it was. Today is not much different than then. Let us not miss the star to follow, the signs that point the way to go. What do we, His followers have to offer Him? What treasures do we carry that we may give? To the king, the priest, the holy sacrifice for the world. The wise came seeking, not more knowledge but the One they knew to follow that was beyond themselves. May we do the same. ‘Lord, show us the blessed way to walk The signs to follow so we do not miss the star lighting The way Give us the ability to see beyond ourselves and perceive the heavenly realm revealed all around us, Where you are walking, let us walk too Within your authority, power and rule The way of sacrifice , the way of love. King and ruler of all souls Let us look afar To come and follow and find Jesus In the least expected places, in the humble and the needy, the poor and the lost In body, soul and mind. This is our world May we open our treasures and offer them to You in the world. This is the mystery. We offer up to you this day Lord, show us the blessed way~’ Amen Matt.2:1-8, 1Jn 4:18, Ps.72:1-2 January 5 Prayer
‘Favor and blessing belong to the poor and lowly in spirit.’ Matt 5:1-3 When we are in need, when we recognize our own lack then we are able to live in truth and walk in love. How do we know love and live in love? In truth and action. John tells us 1John 3:16-21. When our hearts condemn us, when we fall short and when we see our own darkness and lowness,He forgives us, ‘Whenever our hearts make us feel guilty and remind us of our failures, we know that God is much greater and more merciful than our conscience, and he knows everything about us.” He looks upon us with compassion and then tells us to “go and give them what they need.” ‘Feed my sheep’ Jesus in the first blessing that he gives to his followers starts out with ‘blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ So let’s start here, where we are real and true to ourselves and see our own needs so that we can be moved with compassion upon the world that lives in desolation, darkness and hopelessness. Let’s begin again and return to truth in action, live a life that is a love offering, like Jesus did, willing to die to our old selves and live for love in the new. Let us give away the gifts that have freely been given to us. With Jesus everything changes. When we give out of the little we have without scarcity, provision multiplies and we still have much more to give. As we live in ‘a day of our reason in which truth becomes known’ in our hearts we return as ‘creatures subject to the creator, servants serving the redeemer.’ Thus we are delivered, birthed forth as a new true reflection of Love. (St.Bernard of Clairvaux) Pause and let this truth settle in your soul to pray; “Sweet Jesus, we cry out; Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us in our condemning hearts. We are in great need of a redeemer so we return to Love and desire to live in this love. We ask for a fresh start to see others in the world the way that you see them, in need of you the only one that makes all things new. For you are great and created beauty out of the dust. We surrender to your way of love this day. May we be your surrendered creatures to reflect the face of Christ as love in the world .” Amen January 4 Prayer
“What are you looking for? Come follow me and see, ….you are to be called…” These are the words of Jesus to a pair of brothers that trailed behind him as he walked by. John 1:35-42 If you were to see Jesus walking by what would you want to do? What would you want to say to him and he to you? Bring all of your anticipation for the new year before him now. Hold your scattered questions and all that you are looking for and place them before Jesus. See every single piece of torn paper with all of your questions written on them as he takes each one to create a beautiful collage for you. There is no waste in the kingdom of God. Everything is useful, every pain, grief and sorrow, and every tear is precious in his sight. He sees your longings, what you are looking for . He calls you by a new name for a new season in your life. Pause to wait in silence. What is the word that you hear being spoken over you now? Let us pray with psalm 119:73 “It was your hands that made me and shaped me; Grant me insight to learn your ways, Breathe your wisdom over me so I can understand you. When others see me waiting for your Word, May they take heart and be glad. Help me to believe in You and know that I belong to You. I give to you every single bit and piece of me and let you make something beautiful. Open my eyes to see that even the spaces between are beautiful to you. And where the pieces overlap, may I see your love filling and calling me to participate in what you are creating. Let us all become a part of your artful collage in the world so others who do not understand you may be drawn to a beauty outside of themselves. Make something beautiful today! Amen January 3 Prayer -Epiphany Sunday
“The mystery is made known to me through revelation.” Eph.3 The wise men came to follow the star to Jesus and being warned in a dream they went back home by another way. Matt.2 “Arise and shine for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” Is.60:1-6 Follow the star that leads to Jesus and when you get there bow down your knee And when you rise let his light shine upon you And take the journey ahead. The way will be made known as you start walking Take nothing with you but faith, hope and love. You will only be lead where you want to go. So let these three lead you. And ask yourself where do you want to go? Where do you want to grow? Let the light of Christ arise in you, Drink it, eat it and consume all the hope you can get Until it will emanate from your very being like moonbeams shooting forth in a black, dark night. Let the mystery enfold you and empower you so you may be his light in the world. For All will be restored when we rise tighter together as one. We pray ,O Lord for you to go before us with you glorious light to shine the way. May we always be willing to enter into the mystery of Christ in us, To reveal your glory here on earth. In the epiphanies that you reveal to us, may we be open enough to follow and go another way no matter how hard it will be. We want to go where you want us to go and rebuild faith, hope and love in our families and community. May we have a clear sight to perceive with true affection the mystery in which you have called us to participate through Jesus Christ, our lord. Amen January 2 Prayer
It is the second day after the first day of the new year. We begin again and yet we are in the same season of winter. What better time is there to spend in reflection and preparation for the spring to arrive. The soil is beginning to soften from a few rains while the seeds lie beneath. Here the words of our faithful saving God from Isaiah 45; “I am the Lord and there is no other. I created the heavens and the earth, put everything in place. I made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos. I publicly proclaim bold promises. I, the Lord, speak only what is true and declare only what is right.” As you look back to look forward, what are the questions that arise within you? What place are you in now and where are you being asked to go? Breathe in the name of Jesus. Jesus, the holy name of Jesus. The one who saves’ The anointed One has come to anoint you this day with His presence, by His name, with the oil of His Holy Spirit. “We proclaim Christ, crucified. Christ the power of God, the wisdom of God.” “The Lord has made his salvation known, all the ends of the earth have seen it. His justice, His Kindness, His faithfulness.” This is where we may begin again. Let him anoint you with His calling to remain in Him. For God is with you, for you and dwells within you. This is His creative work in you that calls you forth into the new. Not of your own imagination but beyond what you have known. What does love look like in 2021? Begin to discover it within your very own self. What do you want it to look like for you? Be the person you have always wanted to have in your life. The one you needed when you were younger. You belong to Love and you are the beloved. ‘We breathe in your name, Jesus, the one who saves!’ Amen Is.45:18-19, Ps.98:1-4, 1Co.1:23-24, 1John 4:12 January 2021 Prayers
A Blessing for the New Year The first day of a new year, clear and bright outside my window light shines on the blue and white sea that calls come and see; Come and venture out into the vast open space where your soul has grown and your heart has shifted Spread out you arms expanse to live cruciform Allow your feet to take those new steps of an unknown dance Release your vocal chords to sing out a new melody never sung before Let your full humanity resonate with God’s divinity waiting to empower you from on high, to be a ‘Theotokos’ faith, hope and love, these three wrapped up into one One Father, One Son, One Holy Spirit Come and see and let the waves of the three wash over you Come and take a look at the treasures that you found tossed upon the shore from the passing storm Don’t be so rash in throwing it all away to enter something new for darkness and light are a part of it all even this past year of 2020 Lean into where your soul has grown and where you find yourself now wanting to go Hold them together for no matter how hard you try to leave your struggles behind they will travel with you So take the time and welcome them as treasures before the One that holds your future Walk boldly and humbly into the new year knowing that you are human, knowing that you are beloved of the Divine~ ‘Holy Spirit we ask you to be the one that fills us and empowers us and sends us out into the new year. May we see things both as they really are and also as they could be through your wisdom, may we grow even more into your image Through Jesus, the holy one we pray.’ Amen |