Good Evening Dear Beloved Community and Family !
Happy Advent IV and Merry Christmas! Yes we have a day where we have a split personality holiday-wise. This phenomenon only happens every 6 years or so. So what does this time of lopping off a few days in the season of Advent do to us? It gets us to pay attention and prepare a little more judiciously. Today I have come to #believe more and more strongly that sometimes when life and seasons are shortened that is a gift from God. We who live out our faith in a liturgical church find ourselves all in the same boat. Talk about starting Advent earlier because of not facing the reality of calendars isn't what we are about. We need to stay on course and learn to believe it is in our best interest to share these crazy times with each other. God calls us to faith and belief and this is what Advent was and is all about. We get to spend time in believing in miracles, stars, travelers from the East, and a truly amazing couple Mary and Joseph chosen by God to be Jesus' parents on Earth. God calls each of us to believe in and accept amazing and extraordinary calls to ministry and life's paths. So tonight let us #Believe, be, and celebrate the birth of God incarnate, man divine. Tonight we are going to use the lessons from the Daily Office for Christmas Eve! Tomorrow we get the Christmas Lessons! #Believe me on this one!
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Here is our final #AdventWord definition on #Believe:
be·lieve
[bəˈlēv]
VERB
believes (third person present) · believed (past tense) · believed (past participle) · believing (present participle)
accept (something) as true; feel sure of the truth of:
"the superintendent believed Lancaster's story" · "Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead"
synonyms: be convinced by · trust · have confidence in · consider honest · consider truthful · regard as true · accept · be convinced by · give credence to · credit · trust · put confidence in · swallow · buy · go for
accept the statement of (someone) as true:
"he didn't believe her or didn't want to know"
have faith, especially religious faith:
"there are those on the fringes of the Church who do not really believe"
(believe something of someone)
feel sure that (someone) is capable of a particular action:
"I wouldn't have believed it of Lois—what an extraordinary woman!"
hold (something) as an opinion; think or suppose:
"I believe we've already met" · "things were not as bad as the experts believed" · "humu-humu are, I believe, shrimp fritters" · "four men were believed to be trapped"
synonyms: think · be of the opinion that · have an idea that · imagine · suspect · suppose · assume· presume · take it · conjecture · surmise · conclude · deduce · understand · be given to understand · gather · fancy · guess · dare say · reckon · figure · ween
antonyms: doubt
ORIGIN
late Old English belȳfan, belēfan, alteration of gelēfan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch geloven and German glauben, also to lief.
#AdventWord Thesaurus Work: #Believe
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.
Psalm 89
Part I Misericordias Domini
1 Your love, O Lord, for ever will I sing; *
from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.
2 For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever; *
you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.
3 "I have made a covenant with my chosen one; *
I have sworn an oath to David my servant:
4 'I will establish your line for ever, *
and preserve your throne for all generations.'"
5 The heavens bear witness to your wonders, O Lord, *
and to your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones;
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? *
who is like the Lord among the gods?
7 God is much to be feared in the council of the holy ones, *
great and terrible to all those round about him.
8 Who is like you, Lord God of hosts? *
O mighty Lord, your faithfulness is all around you.
9 You rule the raging of the sea *
and still the surging of its waves.
10 You have crushed Rahab of the deep with a deadly wound; *
you have scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 Yours are the heavens; the earth also is yours; *
you laid the foundations of the world and all that is in it.
12 You have made the north and the south; *
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your Name.
13 You have a mighty arm; *
strong is your hand and high is your right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne; *
love and truth go before your face.
15 Happy are the people who know the festal shout! *
they walk, O Lord, in the light of your presence.
16 They rejoice daily in your Name; *
they are jubilant in your righteousness.
17 For you are the glory of their strength, *
and by your favor our might is exalted.
18 Truly, the Lord is our ruler; *
The Holy One of Israel is our King.
Isaiah 59:15-21
15 Truth is lacking,
and whoever turns from evil is despoiled.
The Lord saw it, and it displeased him
that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no one,
and was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm brought him victory,
and his righteousness upheld him.
17 He put on righteousness like a breastplate,
and a helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,
and wrapped himself in fury as in a mantle.
18 According to their deeds, so will he repay;
wrath to his adversaries, requital to his enemies;
to the coastlands he will render requital.
19 So those in the west shall fear the name of the Lord,
and those in the east, his glory;
for he will come like a pent-up stream
that the wind of the Lord drives on.
20 And he will come to Zion as Redeemer,
to those in Jacob who turn from transgression, says the Lord.
21And as for me, this is my covenant with them, says the Lord: my spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your children, or out of the mouths of your children’s children, says the Lord, from now on and for ever.
The Song of Mary Magnificat
Luke 1:46-55
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.
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.
Luke 1:46-55
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.
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.
Philippians 2:5-11
5Let the same mind be in you that was* in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
7 but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
8 he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
6 who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
7 but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
8 he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
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.
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.
| Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Affirmation of Faith
You, O God, are supreme and holy.
You create our world and give us life. Your purpose overarches everything we do. You have always been with us. You are God.
You, O God, are infinitely generous,
good beyond all measure. You came to us before we came to you. You have revealed and proved your love for us in Jesus Christ, who lived and died and rose again. You are with us now. You are God.
You, O God, are Holy Spirit.
You empower us to be your gospel in the world. You reconcile and heal; you overcome death.
You are our God. We worship you.
God help us when our belief in you falters and that we may seek you again. God we pray for a loving acceptance for all of God's children. God help us to do what is right in your sight and help the least of these. Give us strength to hold, believe and honor your commandments to love one another. Give us strength to "Be Still and Know that You are God" and also when we are stressed out to engage in "The Be Stills!" Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am. Be still and know. Be still. Be. God instill in us this night peace, hope, and joy, and love of others and shine your light into this fragile and broken world. Let us pray in the silence of our hearts for ___________________ We lift up these our prayers to you God. Amen. Or these.
God we pray that we may not only believe in you but the courage to believe in ourselves.
God we pray, for all of our family members who are feeling invisible right now. Help them to see how beautiful and loving we are.
God we pray, for the healing of all of our family members who are ill that their bodies, minds, and spirits may be returned to health and wholeness.
God we pray for peace in the world's war torn areas and that divisions may cease and that they may be united in heart and spirit.
God of our being help us to move from fear into faith as we tell our stories from our hearts. Help us to find the ways to be believed.
God of our being help us to listen to the stories of our family members without judgement and fear and listen with our heart's ears.
God of mercy help us to do justice, love, mercy and walk humbly with you and speak truth to power by sharing our stories of injustice, inequality, and invisibility.
God of all creation we pray for all living things in Your Cathedral of Life and that we begin to tell the story of the destruction of the resources on this Planet Earth Our Island Home.
God of all Goodness and love may we look into the mirror and see you with loving eyes, smiles, and tender glances. May we see your reflection in us and and in the eyes of our family members.
God help us when we waiver in our beliefs the courage to continue to seek you.
God we pray for ourselves and on behalf of our family members remembering especially________
Come Lord Jesus and accept our prayers in your most Holy Name. Amen.
Or these prayers may be said:
God of the lonely, lost, and disenfranchised we pray for all of our family members who are feeling invisible. May they be given courage to help effect change so that justice may roll down and everyone will have equality and human rights.
God of the lonely, lost, and disenfranchised, we pray for all of the least of these who will be spending the night in the cold and without shelter.
God of the lonely, lost, and disenfranchised, we pray for all people who are suffering with mental illness and those who care for them.
God of the lonely, lost , and disenfranchised, we pay that we may rise to help all of our family members who are in need.
God of the lonely, lost, and disenfranchised, take away all bitterness, strife, and division that infect our hearts that we may be loving, united, and steadfast in proclaiming liberty, justice, and peace to all.
God of the lonely, lost, and disenfranchised, we pray for all living things that they may be protected from harm and that we may become good stewards of God's Cathedral of life.
God of the lonely, lost, and disenfranchised, we pray that we all may have the courage to live authentically as our true selves without fear, violence, and abuse.
God of the lonely, lost, and disenfranchised, we pray for all refugees, undocumented immigrants, captives, political prisoners, victims of violence, abuse, terror, and human trafficking.
God of the lonely, lost, and disenfranchised, we pray for all children of the world that they may be protected from harm, abuse, and bullying. We pray for all of our orphaned family members may find loving and forever homes!
God of the lonely, lost, and disenfranchised, we pray for all of our LGBTQ family members that they may be afforded all human rights that that we may give them dignity and respect as Jesus did to all whom He came into contact with.
God of the lonely, lost, and disenfranchised, we offer our additional prayers and thanksgivings for ourselves and one behalf our all of our family members, remembering especially_____________
Jesus, our Redeemer, reconciler, healer and friend of the lonely, lost, and disenfranchised we pray these prayers in Your most Holy 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. enemy; let your holy angels dwell with us to preserve us in peace; and let your blessing be upon us always; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The almighty and merciful Lord, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless us and keep us. Amen. ++++ A Bonus Liturgy: Christmas Day Morning Prayer: Join me as we worship in two places. You will be receiving a compilation of the prayers for each #AdventWord In the coming days. Look for it. Good night all! Merry Christmas! I love you ! Love, hope, peace, and joy! Sara Resources: BCP On Line A New Zealand Prayer Book Walk With Me On Our Journey Satucket for Lectionary texts Quote Sites for Quotes |
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