It's time to give of ourselves and find our way back to ourselves, each other, and God.

Good Evening Dear Ones!

I know this is a little early but I wanted to begin our second part of the blog on giving of ourselves.

Lately I have found that we have become a gimme, gimme, gimme, me, me, me, I,I,I society. I don't like what I'm seeing because that makes us less of who we need to be as people of faith. We need to start giving of ourselves by taking time to straighten out who we are, whose we are, and why we are. When we give, serve, sacrifice, and stop being so ego focused we just might begin to find our way back to who we really are, each other, and God. A return home is needed now more than ever because I keep seeing selfishness not selflessness. I may be wrong but this election has been fraught with the need for some not all of us to focus on what we can get for ourselves and not for the least of these. So how do we do this? We do this  by practicing random acts of kindness, having attitudes of gratitude, simply serving God by using the gifts God has given you. We all must take time to find our way back to God by prayer, meditation, and discernment. That is where giving ourselves the gift of silence so that we may listen to what God is calling us to do. 

So dear ones listen and pray is what we must do everyday and in the silence of  our hearts and rooms. Let us make our rooms ready for silence and then make a list of projects we can do tho help others and  by doing so making our way back to God. 

Today I donated blood plasma and it felt good to do something so easy that will help to save someone's life. Let us take time to make out our lists and keep them simple. 

Take your time!

If you need to have inspiration light a candle and pray. 

God of all love we come together tonight to accept your call to light our candles and pray. We pray this night to be loving towards one another. We pray this night for guidance in how we can best serve you in the world. We pray that we may be more giving of ourselves to others. We pray that we may be able to be hopeful and hope-filled to this fragile and broken world. We pray that we may shine your light and help people out of the dark places they find themselves in. We pray that we may be supportive in what ever decisions people make,  We pray for the least of these who struggle with the day to day issues of living. We pray that everyone will be lovingly included and not excluded and invisible. We pray that we may be peacemakers and children of God. We pray that we may "Strive for justice, and respect the dignity of every human being"* We pray that we may build bridges and tear down walls. We pray for the courage to speak truth to power. We pray for an end to hatred, violence and terror. We pray that we may use our voices not to hurt but to heal. We pray this night that we all may be one and that we may continue to pray for Istanbul, Orlando, Nigeria, Mexico, and all places where terror and violence have occurred even when the media fails to report it. May we all be one with those who mourn and stand vigil for the peace of the world and in the places where there is danger. God we lift up these prayers to you with hurting hearts, open hands up lifted, with loving care and voices. Amen.



God help me find the gifts in me that you want me to share with the world.

God make me aware of what is needed so that I may give of myself.

God may I be the gift of listening ears and an open heart.

God may the ways I serve you be outwardly and freely given.

God help me to seek ways to use the gifts you have given for good and not for harm.

God we pray that we may be giving to our family members who need it the most.

God bring us out into the world without fear but with courage.

God help us to live as your living gifts to You, each other, and each other.

God may we seek to be living and breathing examples of the Gospel message.

God may our  works of service be acceptable to you.

God may we give of ourselves in service to others and find our way back to You, each other, and our true selves.

God show us how to be Compassionate, Accepting Loving and Merciful.


Tonight let us also pray for the least of these and our family members who are feeling lost and alone.

Jesus, we come to you this night asking you to lift up the lonely, lost, and those who feel unloved and outcast. Help us to draw them into  your circle of love and fellowship where they will find peace and a loving family waiting for them.

Jesus, we pray for peace in the holy places where you walked, preached, healed, were there for those who  were outcast, blind, and not welcome in any town. We pray for peace in all of the Holy Land  and a return to holiness and we pray for the leaders of  Israel, Palestine, Syria,  Turkey, and Iraq that they may remember that they are all family members under Abraham and the awesome responsibility that comes with that.

Jesus, help us to be there for our family members even when it seems difficult to do so. 

Jesus, heal all  of our family members who are ill and we name them now before you with love________________

Jesus, help us to grow in the Fruits of the Spirit and reap abundantly the harvest that you have planted.

Jesus, help us to sow seeds of faith, hope, and love and that we may may show these throughout our lives and  in our daily living.

Jesus, help us to be good stewards of God's Cathedral of Life.

Jesus, we pray for all refugees, strangers, immigrants of any kind and especially the unaccompanied children who have been set on a dangerous road to freedom.

Jesus, help us to be lights to this broken world and to each other.

Jesus, be with those who mourn  and we pray that we may follow your example of compassion, love, and yes even weep as you wept at the tomb of Lazarus.

Jesus, may we rest gentle in your arms this night and always .

We lift up these our prayers to in Jesus' Name . Amen.


We also remember this Day St. James of Jerusalem

Grant, O God, that, following the example of your servant James the Just, brother of our Lord, your Church may give itself continually to prayer and to the reconciliation of all who are at variance and enmity; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The First Reading
Acts 15:12-22a

All the apostles and elders kept silence, and listened to Barnabas and Paul as they told of all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, “My brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first looked favorably on the Gentiles, to take from among them a people for his name. This agrees with the words of the prophets, as it is written,

‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen;
from its ruins I will rebuild it, and I will set it up,
so that all other peoples may seek the Lord--
even all the Gentiles over whom my name has been called.
Thus says the Lord, who has been making these things known from long ago.’
Therefore I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God, but we should write to them to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from whatever has been strangled and from blood. For in every city, for generations past, Moses has had those who proclaim him, for he has been read aloud every sabbath in the synagogues.”

Then the apostles and the elders, with the consent of the whole church, decided to choose men from among their members and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.

Psalm 1

Beatus vir qui non abiit

1 Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, *
nor lingered in the way of sinners,
nor sat in the seats of the scornful!

2 Their delight is in the law of the Lord, *
and they meditate on his law day and night.

3 They are like trees planted by streams of water,
bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; *
everything they do shall prosper.

4 It is not so with the wicked; *
they are like chaff which the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes, *
nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, *
but the way of the wicked is doomed.

The Epistle
1 Corinthians 15:1-11

I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you--unless you have come to believe in vain.


For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them--though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.

The Gospel
Matthew 13:54-58


Jesus came to his hometown and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house.” And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.

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Good Night All! Have a blessed and restful night! I love you and give God thanks for you this night and always.

Love and blessings!

Sara