Thursday, May 25, 2017

Ascension Day and the Venerable Bede What a combination !






Good Evening Dear Ones!

Happy Ascension Day and Being Thoughtful and Thankful Thursday! I can't believe that it has been 40 days since Easter and we have 10 more until we complete the Great 50 and Celebrate Go Red for the Holy Spirit Day a.k.a. Pentecost. Today is also the feast day of the Venerable Bede and he was an important figure for all of us. He was the first person to pen the phrase "Anno Domini" In the Year of Our Lord. This separated  B.C. from the A.D. This is your trivia piece for the day. Remember Christ is alive even though he ascended into Heaven.  Tonight we are going to combine the two sets of lessons and see what we come up with along with prayer time. Let us be at prayer.


Psalm 141:1-3,8ab Domine, clamavi

O LORD, I call to you; come to me quickly; *
hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, *
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Set a watch before my mouth, O LORD,
and guard the door of my lips; *
let not my heart incline to any evil thing.
My eyes are turned to you, Lord GOD; *
in you I take refuge.



Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that as we believe your only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into heaven, so we may also in heart and mind there ascend, and with him continually dwell; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


Acts 1:1-11

1In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning 2until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over the course of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4While staying* with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. ‘This’, he said, ‘is what you have heard from me;5for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with* the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ 7He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ 9When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.10While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’



47 Omnes gentes, plaudite

1 Clap your hands, all you peoples; *
shout to God with a cry of joy.

2 For the Lord Most High is to be feared; *
he is the great King over all the earth.

3 He subdues the peoples under us, *
and the nations under our feet.

4 He chooses our inheritance for us, *
the pride of Jacob whom he loves.

5 God has gone up with a shout, *
the Lord with the sound of the ram's-horn.

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; *
sing praises to our King, sing praises.

7 For God is King of all the earth; *
sing praises with all your skill.

8 God reigns over the nations; *
God sits upon his holy throne.

9 The nobles of the peoples have gathered together *
with the people of the God of Abraham.

10 The rulers of the earth belong to God, *
and he is highly exalted.


Ephesians 1:15-23

15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love* towards all the saints, and for this reason 16I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20God* put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.



Psalm 93


1 The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty;
   the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength.
He has established the world; it shall never be moved; 
2   your throne is established from of old;
   you are from everlasting. 


3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
   the floods have lifted up their voice;
   the floods lift up their roaring. 
4 More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters,
   more majestic than the waves* of the sea,
   majestic on high is the Lord! 


5 Your decrees are very sure;
   holiness befits your house,
   O Lord, for evermore.


Luke 24:44-53

44 Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah* is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses* of these things. 49 And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’
50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.* 52 And they worshipped him, and* returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 53 and they were continually in the temple blessing God.*

Hymn for Ascension by the Venerable Bede



  A hymn of glory let us sing; 
   New songs throughout the world shall ring: 
   Christ, by a road before untrod, 
   Now rises to the throne of God.

   The holy apostolic band 
   Upon the Mount of Olives stand; 
   And with his followers they see 
   Their Lord's ascending majesty.

   To them the angels drawing nigh, 
   "Why stand and gaze upon the sky? 
   This is the Savior," thus they say; 
   "This is his glorious triumph day.

   "Again shall ye behold him so 
   As ye today have seen him go, 
   In glorious pomp ascending high, 
   Up to the portals of the sky."

   O risen Christ, ascended Lord, 
   All praise to thee let earth accord, 
   Who art, while endless ages run, 
   With Father and with Spirit one.

78

Part I Attendite, popule

1 Hear my teaching, O my people; *
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in a parable; *
I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.

3 That which we have heard and known,
and what our forefathers have told us, *
we will not hide from their children.

4 We will recount to generations to come
the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the Lord, *
and the wonderful works he has done.


1 Corinthians 15:1-8

15 Now I should remind you, brothers and sisters,* of the good news* that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, 2 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.

3 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, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters* at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.* 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me


Wisdom 7:15-22


15 May God grant me to speak with judgement,
and to have thoughts worthy of what I have received;
for he is the guide even of wisdom
and the corrector of the wise. 
16 For both we and our words are in his hand,
as are all understanding and skill in crafts. 
17 For it is he who gave me unerring knowledge of what exists,
to know the structure of the world and the activity of the elements; 
18 the beginning and end and middle of times,
the alternations of the solstices and the changes of the seasons, 
19 the cycles of the year and the constellations of the stars, 
20 the natures of animals and the tempers of wild animals,
the powers of spirits* and the thoughts of human beings,
the varieties of plants and the virtues of roots; 
21 I learned both what is secret and what is manifest, 
22 for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me. 


There is in her a spirit that is intelligent, holy,
unique, manifold, subtle,
mobile, clear, unpolluted,
distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen,
irresistible,


Matthew 13:47-52

47 ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 ‘Have you understood all this?’ They answered, ‘Yes.’ 52 And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’

Almighty God, who hast enriched thy Church with the learning and holiness of thy servant Bede: Grant us to find in Scripture and disciplined prayer the image of thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and to fashion our lives according to his likeness, to the glory of thy great Name and the benefit of thy holy Church; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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.



Always ask yourselves if  your attitudes of love, gratitude, and thanksgiving are bearing fruit.

Now let us be at prayer but first let us listen to this piece from Godspell- All Good Gifts 

God we thank you for all that you have brought into our lives this day. 

God we thank you for all our family members that help us to know and feel that we are never alone or invisible.

God we thank you for all those things that we may forget to be thankful for.

God we thank you for your Cathedral of  Life that sustains us and breathes life into our bodies, minds, and spirits. Help us to be good stewards and practice conservation of  all  your natural resources. We pray for an end to poaching and animal destruction. We pray for clean water and  solutions to climate change and global warming.

God we thank you for your healing of  all who are ill in body, mind, and spirit. Help us to lovingly respond to their needs. We pray especially for______________________

God we thank you for Jesus and our family members who have gone before us into Eternal Joy, and their many gifts that they brought to this world and in our lives. 

God we thank you for making us peacemakers help us to walk in the ways of peace and become your children. May those who do not know how to make peace may be shown that peace and love are better than violence, fear, and terror.

God we thank you for the least of these our family members who remind us everyday not to be complacent and look away. We pray this night for warm shelter, nourishing food, and warm clothing for our brothers and sisters who do not have access to these.

God we thank you for our voices to speak for the voiceless ones,  speak truth to power, and feet to march in peaceful non-violent protests in support of full inclusion, equality, universal human rights, and justice.

God we thank you for your son Jesus who called us to love all and not some and we lift up our prayers and thanksgivings in Jesus' name. 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.



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.

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.


+++++
Good Night Dearly Loved Ones! I love you! Let us travel gently throughout the remainder of the week, loving each other, bearing each other's burdens, and being each other's soft place to fall. Let us continue to welcome and give thanks to God for each other to God for bringing us  into the  beautiful and loving family of God. Let our lives radiate gratitude, welcome, love, and hope. Don't forget to practice being CALM (Compassionate Accepting, Loving, and Merciful)! 

With love and blessings,

Sara




Resources:
Lectionarypage.net
Book of Common Prayer
Enriching Our Worship 1997



Image result for ascension day



Icon of St. Bede the Venerable

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