Tuesday, December 26, 2017

A time to be gentle with one another and know that love is the key. Holding sacred vigil !





Good Evening Beloved Community.

Today has been rough for many of our family members who are newly grieving the deaths of loved ones, those sitting vigil while their loved ones transition into this life into Eternal joy and light, and those of us who walk in grief's long journey as we continue our grieving process without skipping steps. This is a time to be gentle with one another and know that love is the key. How do I know this? Today as I was giving out lunches one of our guests gave me this item (please see the picture below). I was touched and teary eyed. This is what God's love is all about. It is not the present but the presence. Tonight let us be present as we come together and hold sacred and holy space for each of us in a healing circle of love and comfort.  At the end of this blog there is a link to the compilation of all the prayers from the #AdventWord #HashTagsWithMeaning2017 season. So let us be at prayer.

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Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.

 Let us hold vigil  and light a candle of hope, love, comfort and in memoriam for________
and remember and say this as we do so "

"IF YOU SPEAK MY NAME, I WILL LIVE FOREVER." Whose names do you speak tonight? I speak the name of Adrian Ulises, Zelda, Harvey, Leann, Jennifer, Margaret, Deborah, Pat, Sandie, Gerald, Steve, Eileen, Alphonso, and Mom and Dad and all who are precious to you O God of Love and Light!


Image result for vigil candle


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.


IN LAK’ECH

Tú eres mi otro yo.
You are my other me.
Si te hago daño a ti,
If I do harm to you,
Me hago daño a mi mismo.
I do harm to myself.
Si te amo y respeto,
If I love and respect you,
Me amo y respeto yo.
I love and respect myself.
Luis Valdez

Beside the Still Waters
Beside the still waters we come  to seek you  God  in the quietness of our being.

Beside the still waters we come to pray for peace in this fragile and broken world of  yours

Beside the still waters we pray for and end to all anxiety, fear, and worry that our minds and spirits may be still.

Beside the still waters we pray for our neighbors all over the world that we may find unity and learn to love one another as dearly loved family members of Yours.

Beside the still waters we come for respite, relaxation, rest, and renewal. We pray for calmness as we rest in your arms and never ending love and mercy.

Beside the still waters we come to ask prayers for all our family members who are in need of healing and strength remembering___________________

Beside the still waters we come seeking solace for those of us who are living through the long journey of mourning and grief.

Beside the still waters we come praying for all the least of these and all who are affected by violence, terror, abuse, and everyone who is struggling through the world's calamities.

Beside the still waters we give thanks for the lives who have entered eternal joy today and those who are in the midst of transitioning from this earthly life into a heavenly one.

Beside the still waters we pray for all who are lost, lonely, alone and seeking companionship. We pray that our hearts may be stilled as we wait. We pray that we may not lose heart and live boldly,yet gently alone.

Beside the still waters we pray for _____________________

Beside the still waters we give thanks for _______________

Beside the still waters may we journey over to the other side of the lake and offer our prayers in the quietness to Jesus . Amen.


 For the Departed
O eternal Lord God, who holdest all souls in life: Give, we
beseech thee, to thy whole Church in paradise and on earth
thy light and thy peace; and grant that we, following the
good examples of those who have served thee here and are
now at rest, may at the last enter with them into thine
unending joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and
reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever. Amen.

For a Person in Trouble or Bereavement

O merciful Father, who hast taught us in thy holy Word that
thou dost not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men:
Look with pity upon the sorrows of thy servant for whom
our prayers are offered. Remember him, O Lord, in mercy,
nourish his soul with patience, comfort him with a sense of
thy goodness, lift up thy countenance upon him, and give
him peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 For the Human Family

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.


 For Peace

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn
but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the
strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that
all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of
Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and
glory, now and for ever. Amen.

For those we Love

Almighty God, we entrust all who are dear to us to thy
never-failing care and love, for this life and the life to come,
knowing that thou art doing for them better things than we
can desire or pray for; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


The Good News of Deliverance
Isaiah 61
61 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and release to the prisoners;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.

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.


Everything Has Its Time

Ecclesiastes 3


3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

I am Resurrection and I am Life, says the Lord.
Whoever has faith in me shall have life,
even though he die.
And everyone who has life,
and has committed himself to me in faith,
shall not die for ever.
 
As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives
and that at the last he will stand upon the earth. 
After my awaking, he will raise me up;
and in my body I shall see God.
I myself shall see, and my eyes behold him
who is my friend and not a stranger.
 
For none of us has life in himself,
and none becomes his own master when he dies. 
For if we have life, we are alive in the Lord, 
and if we die, we die in the Lord.
So, then, whether we live or die,
we are the Lord's possession.

 Happy from now on
are those who die in the Lord!
So it is, says the Spirit,
for they rest from their labors.


 

1 John 3:2-3New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he[a] is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.


121 Levavi oculos

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills; *
from where is my help to come?

2 My help comes from the LORD, *
the maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved *
and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.

4 Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel *
shall neither slumber nor sleep;

5 The LORD himself watches over you; *
the LORD is your shade at your right hand,

6 So that the sun shall not strike you by day, *
nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; *
it is he who shall keep you safe.

8 The LORD shall watch over your going out and
your coming in, *
from this time forth for evermore.


John 10:11-16New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.



23 Dominus regit me


1 The LORD is my shepherd; *

I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures *

and leads me beside still waters.

3 He revives my soul *

and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I shall fear no evil; *

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those

who trouble me; *

you have anointed my head with oil,

and my cup is running over.

6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days

of my life, *

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.



Psalm 23 -McFerrin

Christ has no Body


Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks. Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world. - Teresa of Avila

Let us pray the Alternative form of the Lord's Prayer as found in the New Zealand Prayer Book
Eternal Spirit,
Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples
of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and for ever. Amen.

The Beatitudes Matthew 5:3–12 


Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. (5:3)


Blessed are those who mourn: for they will be comforted. (5:4)


Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth. (5:5)


Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be filled. (5:6)


Blessed are the merciful: for they will be shown mercy. (5:7)


Blessed are the pure in heart: for they will see God. (5:8)


Blessed are the peacemakers: for they will be called children of God. (5:9)


Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (5:10



May the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our
Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of
the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you 
may do his will, working in you that which is pleasing in his 
sight; through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and
ever.    Hebrews 13:20-21


Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or
weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who
sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless 
the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the 
joyous; and all for your love's sake. 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.


I believe only and alone in the service of Jesus Christ. In him is all refuge and solace.
Johannes Kepler


The Wisdom of God
the Love of God
and the Grace of God
strengthen you
to be Christ’s hands and heart in this world,
in the name of the Holy Trinity. Amen.
(source: Celtic)


By your Saints Still Striving -Kings Lynn

+++++++

Good Night Dear Ones ! May we hold our loved ones in love and gentleness this night and always.

I love you all,

Sara



Resources:
Bible Gateway
In Lak "Ech - Luis Valdez
BCPONLINE
Enriching Our Worship
A to Z quotes
New Zealand Prayer Book.
YouTube

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