The Light of God's Love Empowers us to be the change we want to see in the world.

Good Evening Dear Ones!

I hope everyone had a blessed day of Sabbath rest and enjoyed the Super Bowl. Now it is time to turn our attention towards being the change we want to see in the world. How do we do this? Well it has to do with turning on the light that God gave us. Remember Jesus told us that we are the light of the world. Where does this light come from? It comes from God and the Love Energy that resides in our heart homes. Yes ,Love turns on the Light. The Light is powered by Love! The light empowers us to be Compassionate, Accepting, Loving, and Merciful. The Light enables us to light the way for those who have found themselves in dark pathways. We as Children of the Light must walk holy paths in the footsteps of Jesus with courage, resiliency, love, and without having hardness of heart. How many of you remember the Christian Folk Song "I want to walk as a child of the light?"  If you don't  here are the lyrics and I think this is a good place to start our meditation for this evening.

 I want to walk as a child of the light

Full Text

1 I want to walk as a child of the light; 
I want to follow Jesus. 
God set the stars to give light to the world; 
The star of my life is Jesus.

Refrain:
In him there is no darkness at all; 
The night and the day are both alike. 
The Lamb is the light of the city of God. 
Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.

2 I want to see the brightness of God; 
I want to look at Jesus. 
Clear Sun of Righteousness, shine on my path 
And show me the way to the Father. [Refrain]

3 I’m looking for the coming of Christ; 
I want to be with Jesus. 
When we have run with patience the race, 
We shall know the joy of Jesus. [Refrain]

Words by Katherine Thomerson


So dear ones are you ready to turn on God's Light of Love in your bodies, minds, and spirits to be the change you want to see in the world? I hope you are! What is our next step? Remember our baptismal vows? They help us set our feet back on the right path. Let us pray them now and then join with me in the Smudging Prayer.


The Renewal of Baptismal Vows

Do you reaffirm your renunciation of evil and
renew your commitment to Jesus Christ?

 I do.

Do you believe in God the Father?

 I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.

Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and
fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the
prayers?
I will, with God’s help.

Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever
you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
 I will, with God’s help.

 Will you proclaim by word and example the Good
News of God in Christ?
 I will, with God’s help.


Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving
your neighbor as yourself?
I will, with God’s help.

 Will you strive for justice and peace among all people,
and respect the dignity of every human being?
 I will, with God’s help


May Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and
bestowed upon us the forgiveness of sins, keep us in eternal
life by his grace, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

A Smudging Prayer

Creator, our Father in heaven,
we come to you as your children.
We confess that we are weak and broken images of you.
We pray for the forgiveness and healing you give in Jesus Christ.
May his Spirit clean our spirits, minds, hearts, and bodies.
We pray that your Holy Spirit
 will help us to worship in spirit and truth.
We pray in the name of Jesus,
so that his Spirit will carry our prayers to you.
Amen.

Light of the World Phos hilaron

Light of the world, in grace and beauty,

Mirror of God’s eternal face,

Transparent flame of love’s free duty,

You bring salvation to our race.

Now, as we see the lights of evening,

We raise our voice in hymns of praise;

Worthy are you of endless blessing,

Sun of our night, lamp of our days

Psalm 112:1-9, [10]

Beatus vir

1 Hallelujah!

Happy are they who fear the Lord *

and have great delight in his commandments!

2 Their descendants will be mighty in the land; *

the generation of the upright will be blessed.

3 Wealth and riches will be in their house, *

and their righteousness will last for ever.

4 Light shines in the darkness for the upright; *

the righteous are merciful and full of compassion.

5 It is good for them to be generous in lending *

and to manage their affairs with justice.

6 For they will never be shaken; *

the righteous will be kept in everlasting remembrance.

7 They will not be afraid of any evil rumors; *

their heart is right;

they put their trust in the Lord.

8 Their heart is established and will not shrink, *

until they see their desire upon their enemies.

9 They have given freely to the poor, *

and their righteousness stands fast for ever;

they will hold up their head with honor.

[10 The wicked will see it and be angry;

they will gnash their teeth and pine away; *

the desires of the wicked will perish.]

Isaiah 58:1-9a, [9b-12]

Shout out, do not hold back!

Lift up your voice like a trumpet!

Announce to my people their rebellion,

to the house of Jacob their sins.

Yet day after day they seek me

and delight to know my ways,

as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness

and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;

they ask of me righteous judgments,

they delight to draw near to God.

“Why do we fast, but you do not see?

Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?”

Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day,

and oppress all your workers.

Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight

and to strike with a wicked fist.

Such fasting as you do today

will not make your voice heard on high.

Is such the fast that I choose,

a day to humble oneself?

Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,

and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?

Will you call this a fast,

a day acceptable to the Lord?

Is not this the fast that I choose:

to loose the bonds of injustice,

to undo the thongs of the yoke,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

and bring the homeless poor into your house;

when you see the naked, to cover them,

and not to hide yourself from your own kin?

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,

and your healing shall spring up quickly;

your vindicator shall go before you,

the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;

you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

[If you remove the yoke from among you,

the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,

if you offer your food to the hungry

and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,

then your light shall rise in the darkness

and your gloom be like the noonday.

The Lord will guide you continually,

and satisfy your needs in parched places, 

and make your bones strong;

and you shall be like a watered garden,

like a spring of water, 

whose waters never fail.

Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;

you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

you shall be called the repairer of the breach,

the restorer of streets to live in.]

Canticle 15

The Song of Mary Magnificat

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in you, O God my Savior, *

for you have looked with favor on your lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed: *

you, the Almighty, have done great things for me,

and holy is your name.

You have mercy on those who fear you *

from generation to generation.

You have shown strength with your arm *

and scattered the proud in their conceit,

Casting down the mighty from their thrones *

and lifting up the lowly.

You have filled the hungry with good things *

and sent the rich away empty.

You have come to the help of your servant Israel, *

for you have remembered your promise of mercy,

The promise made to our forebears, *

to Abraham and his children for ever.

1 Corinthians 2:1-12, [13-16]

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, 

nor the human heart conceived,

what God has prepared for those who love him”—

these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. [And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.

Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.

“For who has known the mind of the Lord 

so as to instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.]

Canticle M

A Song of Faith

1 Peter 1:3-4,18-21

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, *

by divine mercy we have a new birth into a living hope;

Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, *

we have an inheritance that is imperishable in heaven.

The ransom that was paid to free us *

was not paid in silver or gold,

But in the precious blood of Christ, *

the Lamb without spot or stain.

God raised Jesus from the dead and gave him glory *

so that we might have faith and hope in God.

Matthew 5:13-20

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Canticle O

A Song of the Heavenly City

Revelation 21:22-26, 22:1-4

I saw no temple in the city, *

for its temple is the God of surpassing strength and the Lamb.

And the city has no need of sun or moon to light it, *

for the glory of God shines on it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

By its light the nations shall walk, *

and the rulers of the world lay their honor and glory there.

Its gates shall never be shut by day, nor shall there be any night; *

into it they will bring the honor and glory of nations.

I saw the clean river of the water of life, bright as crystal, *

flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

The tree of life spanned the river, giving fruit every month, *

and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of nations.

All curses cease where the throne of God and the Lamb stands,

and all servants give worship there; *

there they will see God’s face, whose Name shall be on their foreheads.

The Light of Christ In Me Recognizes the Light of Christ in You!

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a
hill cannot be hid. No one lights a lamp to put it under a
bucket, but on a lamp-stand where it gives light for everyone
in the house. And you, like the lamp, must shed light among
your fellow men, so that they may see the good you do, and
give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-

It is not ourselves that we proclaim; we proclaim Christ
Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants, for Jesus’ sake.
For the same God who said, “Out of darkness let light shine,”
has caused his light to shine within us, to give the light of
revelation––the revelation of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:5-6


If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light
around me turn to night,” darkness is not dark to you, O
Lord; the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light to
you are both alike. Psalm 139:10-11


Grant us, Lord, the lamp of charity which never fails, that it
may burn in us and shed its light on those around us, and
that by its brightness we may have a vision of that holy City,
where dwells the true and never-failing Light, Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.

Collect for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany.

Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

God  who loves and protects us ,from harm we pray for all who are victims of domestic violence and abuse that they may be relieved of all suffering and trauma and that they may find safe shelters away form their abusers.

God who loves us, may we never seek to be judge and jury of others with whom we differ and let go and let you be God.

God who loves us, we pray for all who are ill in body, mind and spirit we pray that they may be healed.

God who loves us, we pray for peace in this world. May we with you shower all of our family members with love and blessings and yes, God we know that this means our enemies and those who hate us and wish us harm.

God who loves us, we pray for all faiths where extremism has hijacked the true tenets of their beliefs for their own gain and violent intentions. God help all of us take back our faiths and practice what you modeled for us in the loving name of Jesus .

God who loves us, we pray for all who have died remembering especially and we remember all who mourn their loss. 

God who loves us, let us lay down our burdens tonight and prepare for You Matter Monday tomorrow. God help us to place our worries, anxieties, fears, and anything else that separates us from you in our Worry/ Sabbath box so that we may be completely focused on you!

God who loves us, we lift up our additional prayers and thanksgivings in the Name of your Son Jesus. Amen.  

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Today's wish is that you all may be showered with blessings and love this day!

Matthew 5 J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)

Jesus proclaims the new values of the kingdom

5 When Jesus saw the vast crowds he went up the hill-side and after he had sat down his disciples came to him.

2-12 Then he began his teaching by saying to them, “How happy are the humble-minded, for the kingdom of Heaven is theirs! “How happy are those who know what sorrow means for they will be given courage and comfort! “Happy are those who claim nothing, for the whole earth will belong to them! “Happy are those who are hungry and thirsty for goodness, for they will be fully satisfied! “Happy are the merciful, for they will have mercy shown to them! “Happy are the utterly sincere, for they will see God! “Happy are those who make peace, for they will be sons of God! “Happy are those who have suffered persecution for the cause of goodness, for the kingdom of Heaven is theirs! “And what happiness will be yours when people blame you and ill-treat you and say all kinds of slanderous things against you for my sake! Be glad then, yes, be tremendously glad—for your reward in Heaven is magnificent. They persecuted the prophets before your time in exactly the same way.

Intercessory prayers for light!

God you gave us lights in the sky to help us light our way. Help us to follow the light of Christ and lead us away from darkness and into a new dawn of being.

God you gave us light to help plants grow. Help us be good stewards of all living things and in your Cathedral of life.

God give all of your servants who preach the Word on Sunday that they may be given your holy light to shine the words that they will say and make the "Words become Flesh" Inspire our ears as we hear old and familiar texts.

God give us the warmth of your light to comfort all who are ill in body, mind, and spirit.

God give us the warmth of your light to comfort all who mourn and are pre-grieving.

God show us how to Follow Christ's Light and love, Be the lights of love, and give the lights of love to all of our family members who are feeling invisible and marginalized. Help us to be lights of comfort to the least of these.

God show us how to pray when we feel like we are losing your Light. Help us to learn to live as the the living Word your Son Jesus, and ask ourselves what He would do when he was faced with self doubt.

God bring to light in us those things we need to pray for ourselves and on behalf of our family members remembering especially_________________

God we pray these prayers in the name of your Son Jesus the Christ who brought light to a darkened world. Amen.

A Prayer attributed to St. Francis

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is

hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where

there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where

there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where

there is sadness, joy. Grant that we 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 Song of Simeon

 Nunc dimittis

Luke 2:29-32

Lord, you now have set your servant free *

to go in peace as you have promised;

For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *

whom you have prepared for all the world to see:

A Light to enlighten the nations, *

and the glory of your people Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Apache Blessing

May the sun bring you new energy by day, 

may the moon softly restore you by night, 

may the rain wash away your worries, 

may the breeze blow new strength into your being, 

may you walk gently through the world and 

know it's beauty all the days of your life.

 - Apache Blessing

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Good Night Light Shiners! Take time to shine your light to God, yourself, your neighbor and world wide family this week. A smile on one's face is a good place to start.  I love you and give thanks to God for you this day and always.

Love and light!

Sara

Resources:

Book Of Common Prayer

Lectionary Page

Indian Metis Christian Fellowship- Smudging Prayer

Enriching our Worship.