Good Evening Dear Family!
Happy Being Thoughtful and Thankful Thursday! I'm blessed to have you here and I give God thanks for you daily. Part of De-Cluttering is the part when we see Thank you, sympathy, Birthday, Anniversary, Thinking of you Cards and numerous letters. These may not have been written by you but they give an insight into the lives of our family members. I found one letter my Grandmother Lorena Searl wrote my mom when she was attending Pomona College. It was a questionnaire ! My mother was at Pomona from 1942 to 1946! Mom was a chatty soul in these letters. My Grandmother Lorena Searl also wrote about her day to day life and what she called Bizzing the Rags which meant that she was going to wash the rags in Biz detergent ! Bizzing the rags reminded me of how important we must work at doing this in our spiritual lives. We must be active in confessing our sins to God and asking forgiveness, actively smudge the gunk from our spiritual lives, and keep reconnecting with God by acts of atonement and repentance. Yes folks we are talking about cleansing our hearts, minds and souls to make a straighter pathway to God and each other. When we biz the rags we are actively practicing reconciliation and finding holy resilience. If we don't we will keep seeing the gunk on the rags and on our own hearts. In a blog 3 years ago I talked about Spiritual Chemotherapy while I was undergoing cancer treatment. We are going to visit this blog in parts tonight along with the smudging prayer we use often.
Bizzing the Rags instructions!
Tonight as part of preparation for tomorrow's retreat time and worship I would like to suggest that everyone spends time in reflection and writing down your worries,things that needs to be let go of so that when we come together tomorrow our bodies, minds and spirits may be ready to hear and receive all the goodies God has in store for us. Don't forget to make forgiving and asking for forgiveness part of this.
Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Thanks be to God.
For those of you who wish to pray the Jesus Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Hear the Word of God to all who truly turn to him.
Come unto me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and
I will refresh you. Matthew 11:28
God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son,
to the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. John 3:16
This is a true saying, and worthy of all men to be received,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
1 Timothy 1:15
If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous; and he is the perfect offering for our
sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole
world. 1 John 2:1-
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
Inhale
Hold
Exhale
Pause
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
Inhale
Hold
Exhale
Pause
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
Inhale
Hold
Exhale
Pause
Close your eyes and breathe deeply and repeat.
Let's take time now and listen to this piece of music:
Samuel Barber -Adagio For Strings or Lighten our Darkness-Rutter
Almighty God, we give you thanks for surrounding us, as
daylight fades, with the brightness of the vesper light; and we
implore you of your great mercy that, as you enfold us with
the radiance of this light, so you would shine into our hearts
the brightness of your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
O Gracious Light Phos hilaron
O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.
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.
Psalm 119: 113-120
Samekh Iniquos odio habui
113 I hate those who have a divided heart, *
but your law do I love.
114 You are my refuge and shield; *
my hope is in your word.
115 Away from me, you wicked! *
I will keep the commandments of my God.
116 Sustain me according to your promise, that I may live, *
and let me not be disappointed in my hope.
117 Hold me up, and I shall be safe, *
and my delight shall be ever in your statutes.
118 You spurn all who stray from your statutes; *
their deceitfulness is in vain.
119 In your sight all the wicked of the earth are but dross; *
therefore I love your decrees.
120 My flesh trembles with dread of you; *
I am afraid of your judgments.
Job 22:21-30
21 ‘Agree with God,* and be at peace;
in this way good will come to you.
22 Receive instruction from his mouth,
and lay up his words in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty,* you will be restored,
if you remove unrighteousness from your tents,
24 if you treat gold like dust,
and gold of Ophir like the stones of the torrent-bed,
25 and if the Almighty* is your gold
and your precious silver,
26 then you will delight in the Almighty,*
and lift up your face to God.
27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you,
and you will pay your vows.
28 You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,
and light will shine on your ways.
29 When others are humiliated, you say it is pride;
for he saves the humble.
30 He will deliver even those who are guilty;
they will escape because of the cleanness of your hands.’*
The Third Song of Isaiah Surge, illuminare
Isaiah 60:1-3, 11a, 14c, 18-19
Arise, shine, for your light has come, *
and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.
For behold, darkness covers the land; *
deep gloom enshrouds the peoples.
But over you the Lord will rise, *
and his glory will appear upon you.
Nations Will stream to your light, *
and kings to the brightness of your dawning.
Your gates will always be open; *
by day or night they will never be shut.
They will call you, The City of the Lord, *
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Violence will no more be heard in your land, *
ruin or destruction within your borders.
You will call your walls, Salvation, *
and all your portals, Praise.
The sun will no more be your light by day; *
by night you will not need the brightness of the moon.
The Lord will be your everlasting light, *
and your God will be your glory.
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.
Revelation 3:1-6
3‘And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars:
‘I know your works; you have a name for being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is at the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. 3 Remember then what you received and heard; obey it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. 4 Yet you have still a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes; they will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 If you conquer, you will be clothed like them in white robes, and I will not blot your name out of the book of life; I will confess your name before my Father and before his angels. 6 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
The Song of the Redeemed Magna et mirabilia
Revelation 15:3-4
O ruler of the universe, Lord God,
great deeds are they that you have done, *
surpassing human understanding.
Your ways are ways of righteousness and truth, *
O King of all the ages.
Who can fail to do you homage, Lord,
and sing the praises of your Name? *
for you only are the holy One.
All nations will draw near and fall down before you, *
because your just and holy works have been revealed.
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
Matthew 23:34-39
34 Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, 35 so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation.
37 ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you, desolate.* 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” ’
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.
The Collect for the Feast Day of Jan Hus (Click on his name to find out more about him)
Faithful God, you gave Jan Hus the courage to confess your truth and recall your Church to the image of Christ: Enable us, inspired by his example, to bear witness against corruption and never cease to pray for our enemies, that we may prove faithful followers of our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Heavenly and most gracious God we pray for this night:
We pray for forgiveness of anything we have done amiss and that we may be the loving and forgiving children of God that you have made us to be.
For the peace of Your world and especially in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and in particular that there may be a peaceful resolution to the violence between Israel and Hamas. We pray that all of our family members may remember that we are Children of God first and of Abraham, Sarah , and Hagar second and that we are brothers and sisters too.
We pray for all the 51 million refugees throughout the world that they may receive aid and comfort.
We pray that we may offer hospitality and welcome and be places and people of sanctuary.
For the least of these and those who may feel invisible and outcast.
For the homeless and hungry who haven't any access to shelter or food on the weekends. We pray for generous hearts that will help.L
We pray for all those who are ill and hospitalized on the weekends that good medical care may be made available.
We pray for all caregivers and those who take their places on weekends.
We pray for all who travel and are on pilgrimage throughout the world.
We pray for all who mourn losses of loved ones and employment.
We pray for all who are discerning vocations to the ordained ministry and new life paths.
We pray especially for all of our family members who have asked us for prayer especially______________
We give thanks for everything that you O God have given us today especially____________
We lay these our prayers at the feet of your Son Jesus. 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.
Almighty, everlasting God, let our prayer in your sight be as
incense, the lifting up of our hands as the evening sacrifice.
Give us grace to behold you, present in your Word and
Sacraments, and to recognize you in the lives of those around
us. Stir up in us the flame of that love which burned in the
heart of your Son as he bore his passion, and let it burn in us
to eternal life and to the ages of ages. Amen.
O God, you manifest in your servants the signs of your
presence: Send forth upon us the Spirit of love, that in
companionship with one another your abounding grace may
increase among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord bless you and keep us. Amen.
The Lord make his face to shine upon us
and be gracious to us. Amen.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon us
and give us peace. Amen.
Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely
more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from
generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus
for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20, 21
+++++++
Good Night Dear Ones, I love you hope you all find rest for your souls this night and always. Remember forgiveness and repentance are part of the ways in which we de-clutter our souls so that we may be connected to God without a lot of gunk.
De-cluttering suggestion find out who takes chemical waste, mattresses, old textiles, appliances etc. Find out what's acceptable at the landfills.
Here are the original blogs tonight's blog is based upon:
Spiritual Chemotherapy : Forgiveness as part of healing one's body, mind, and spirit.
Let's Celebrate Life ! Even when you have chemo!
With love and blessings,
Sara
Resources:
Book of Common Prayer
Metis Ministries
Smudging as a Christian Aboriginal Ceremony: A Brief Summary
Walk With Me On Our Journey
Satucket Lectionary
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