Thursday, December 14, 2017

#AdventWord Week 2 Day 12 #HashTagsWithMeaning2017 An old familiar word: #Wilderness : A MidAdvent Retreat





Good Evening Dear Beloved Community!

Happy Being Thoughtful and Thankful Thursday! We have reached the midpoint in our Advent Journey and we all know that this is our day when we go back into the #Wilderness and as luck would have it the feast day of St. John of the Cross ( San Juan de La Cruz). Times in the #wilderness are very important for our inner beings, heart homes, and necessary nourishment for our heart roots. We must make friends with solitude, areas where there aren't mod-cons, and where there isn't the glitz and glamour of the bright lights and big city. The #wilderness is a place of beauty. Here in California our #wilderness areas are on fire and the fires keep moving close to cities, towns, and homes. We have forgotten that places where there was a vast #Wilderness area is now being taken over by developers and homeowners who like to have breathtaking vistas abutting the #Wilderness. This isn't healthy for anyone and especially wildlife and environment. Have you seen the stories where animals (mountain lions, and bears, Oh Myyy!) have entered into homes? We have violated their property and the closer we use up our wilderness the less respect we have for the conservation of God's creation. #Wilderness is one of our last surviving place where we can find ourselves, be at one with nature, and seek to find God and our sick attachment to things. So tonight let us journey once again into the #Wilderness.  

wil·der·ness
[ˈwildərnəs]
NOUN
wildernesses (plural noun)
an uncultivated, uninhabited, and inhospitable region.
synonyms: wilds · wastes · bush · bush country · bushland · inhospitable region · desert · backcountry · outback · great outdoors · boondocks · boonies
a neglected or abandoned area of a garden or town.
synonyms: wasteland · no man's land · wilds
a position of disfavor, especially in a political context:
"the man who led the Green Party out of the wilderness" · "his wilderness years"
ORIGIN
Old English wildēornes ‘land inhabited only by wild animals,’ from wild dēor ‘wild deer’ + -ness.

#AdventWord Thesaurus : #Wilderness

Let us open with these pieces of music

#Wilderness hymn

Every Valley

Our opening sentences come form St. John of the Cross and Izaak Walton


God has two dwellings; one in heaven, and the other in a meek and thankful heart.
Izaak Walton

Silence is God's first language.
John of the Cross






Image result for Winter Solstice Candles




A Prayer When Lighting A Candle

O Blessed Lord, accept this burning candle as a sign of my faith and love for you.
Like this candle, I am ready to be used in your service, without asking why and to what purpose.
Even as this candle, I wish to stand in your presence to be consumed in the light and warmth of
your love.
Please hear my prayer and, if it be your will, grant my petition.
Above all, make me loyal and faithful to you in all circumstances of my life.
Amen.

(www.stanthonysparish.com)
 
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. 



Prayer Over The Advent Candle

O God, as light comes from this candle,
May the blessing of Jesus Christ come to us,
Warming our hearts and brightening our way.
May Christ our Savior
Bring life into the darkness of this world,
And to us, as we wait for his coming.
Amen.

(www.catholicnewsagency.com)




Image result for Winter Solstice Candles




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.


See the source image




If you look throughout human history ... the central epiphany of every religious tradition always occurs in the wilderness.
John F. Kennedy

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.

Song 3:1-4

3Upon my bed at night
   I sought him whom my soul loves;
I sought him, but found him not;
   I called him, but he gave no answer.* 
2 ‘I will rise now and go about the city,
   in the streets and in the squares;
I will seek him whom my soul loves.’
   I sought him, but found him not. 
3 The sentinels found me,
   as they went about in the city.
‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?’ 
4 Scarcely had I passed them,
   when I found him whom my soul loves.
I held him, and would not let him go
   until I brought him into my mother’s house,
   and into the chamber of her that conceived me.

A Song of the Wilderness
Isaiah 35:1-7,10

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, *
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
It shall blossom abundantly, *
and rejoice with joy and singing.
They shall see the glory of the Lord, *
the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weary hands, *
and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to the anxious, “Be strong, do not fear! *
Here is your God, coming with judgment to save you.”
Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, *
and the ears of the deaf be unstopped.
Then shall the lame leap like a deer, *
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness *
and streams in the desert;
The burning sand shall become a pool *
and the thirsty ground, springs of water.
The ransomed of God shall return with singing, *
with everlasting joy upon their heads.
Joy and gladness shall be theirs, *
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.



Colossians 4:2-6

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. 3At the same time pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison, 4so that I may reveal it clearly, as I should.
5 Conduct yourselves wisely towards outsiders, making the most of the time.* 6Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. 


A Song of Pilgrimage Priusquam errarem
Ecclesiasticus 51:13-16,20b-22
Before I ventured forth,
even while I was very young, *
I sought wisdom openly in my prayer.
In the forecourts of the temple I asked for her, *
and I will seek her to the end.
From first blossom to early fruit, *
she has been the delight of my heart.
My foot has kept firmly to the true path, *
diligently from my youth have I pursued her.
I inclined my ear a little and received her; *
I found for myself much wisdom and became adept in her.
To the one who gives me wisdom will I give glory, *
for I have resolved to live according to her way.
From the beginning I gained courage from her, *
therefore I will not be forsaken.
In my inmost being I have been stirred to seek her, *
therefore have I gained a good possession.
As my reward the Almighty has given me the gift of language,*
and with it will I offer praise to God.




John 16:12-15,25-28

12 ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Peace for the Disciples

25 ‘I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but will tell you plainly of the Father. 26On that day you will ask in my name. I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; 27for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.* 28I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father.’

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.





Judge eternal, throned in splendor, you gave Juan de la Cruz strength of purpose and mystical faith that sustained him even through the dark night of the soul: Shed your light on all who love you, in unity with Jesus Christ our Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Second Sunday of Advent
Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to
preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation:
Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins,
that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our
Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Prayer of St. Teresa of Avila


Lord,
Thou knowest better than I myself
that I am growing older and will someday be old.
Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking
I must say something on every subject and on every occasion.
Release me from craving to
straighten out everybody’s affairs.
Make me thoughtful but not moody;
helpful but not bossy.
With my vast store of wisdom,
it seems a pity not to use it all;
but Thou knowest, Lord,
that I want a few friends at the end.
Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details;
give me wings to get to the point.
Seal my lips on my aches and pains;
they are increasing, and love of rehearsing them
is becoming sweeter as the years go by.
I dare not ask for improved memory,
but for a growing humility and a lessening cock-sureness
when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others.
Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken.
Keep me reasonably sweet, for a sour old person
is one of the crowning works of the devil.
Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places
and talents in unexpected people;
and give, O Lord, the grace to tell them so.
Amen.
– – – prayer by St. Teresa of Avila

Today's#AdventWord Prayers: #Wilderness 

We pray for all who are fighting wildfires in the #Wilderness that they may be contained and that loss of life and property will be reduced. We pray for all of our family members who have been evacuated and who are at the ready to be evacuated may feel your abiding presence.  God in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We pray for times of wilderness journeys that we may seek you and find you and in the end find ourselves as your beloved children.

God in your mercy
Hear our prayer.


We give thanks for times of solitude especially during this season of the year. Give us courage to take advantage of these sacred times.

God in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for all who are feeling lost in their own personal times of wilderness and loneliness that we may lovingly keep watch and with you bring them in to your family's fold.

God in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for all peoples of the earth who are living on the margins of society that we may be their voices and bring them into our sacred family circle of love. 

God in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for all who are in discernment of any kind may take time to listen for your still small voice O God and go into the wilderness and seek after your call and find it.

God in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for all who are ill and in mourning. Help us to respond to their needs accordingly with love and grace. 

God in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

We pray for and end to the  development of our wide open spaces that your creation may be cared for and protected. 

God in your mercy, 
Hear our prayer.

We pray for peace in this world and that war, division, inhumanity, and injustice may cease and that we may be brought together into your holy family as children of God.

God in your mercy, 
Hear our prayer.

We lift up these our #AdventWord prays in and out of the #Wilderness to you Jesus so that we may follow in your path this season and beyond. Help us to be Compassionate, accepting, loving and merciful to all our family members and even to those who seek to harm and hate us. 
In the name of God the creator, Jesus our redeemer, and the Holy Spirit Holy Comforter, Advocate and Guide. Amen.

We remember this day those who died at Sandy Hook Elementary School as we pray this Litany of Gun Violence. Written by The Rt. Rev. Stephen T. Lane
Please click on the link below.


or This from Episcopal Peace Fellowship

A Litany for Gun Violence
 Leader: We stand before this Wall of Injustice remembering all who have been harmed by gun violence, both intended and accidental. We lament that an American child is 12 times more likely to die by a bullet than are the children living in all twenty-five other industrialized nations combined. We acknowledge the deep pain and grief in our communities and nation. Will you commit to tear down the walls that divide us, and build-up the one human family, grounded in nonviolence, justice and love?
People: We will with God’s help.
Leader: We stand before this Wall of Injustice remembering all perpetrators and the families of those who commit acts of gun violence. We acknowledge that their lives are also devastated and their hopes dashed. For their sake and ours, will you pray for healing of the pain radiating from every act of violence?
People: We will, with God’s help.
Leader: We stand before this Wall of Injustice, united in our grief for the violent deaths of over 30,000 Americans by gunfire each year. Will you commit to prayer, study and action, ever hopeful that repentance and transformation will move us forward toward God’s peaceable kingdom?
People: We will, with God’s help.

. 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 the Right Use of God's Gifts

Almighty God, whose loving hand hath given us all that we
possess: Grant us grace that we may honor thee with our
substance, and, remembering the account which we must one
day give, may be faithful stewards of thy bounty, through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 For Knowledge of God's Creation

Almighty and everlasting God, you made the universe with
all its marvelous order, its atoms, worlds, and galaxies, and
the infinite complexity of living creatures: Grant that, as we
probe the mysteries of your creation, we may come to know
you more truly, and more surely fulfill our role in your
eternal purpose; in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


 For the Conservation of Natural Resources

Almighty God, in giving us dominion over things on earth,
you made us fellow workers in your creation: Give us wisdom
and reverence so to use the resources of nature, that no one
may suffer from our abuse of them, and that generations yet
to come may continue to praise you for your bounty; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.



For the Harvest of Lands and Waters

O gracious Father, who openest thine hand and fillest all
things living with plenteousness: Bless the lands and waters,
and multiply the harvests of the world; let thy Spirit go
forth, that it may renew the face of the earth; show thy
loving-kindness, that our land may give her increase; and
save us from selfish use of what thou givest, that men and
women everywhere may give thee thanks; through Christ 
our Lord. Amen.




Prayers from Yesterday!

We come together and lift our #Voices in Prayer !

 Let us respond with: Hear our prayers O God and let our cries come unto thee.


God we cry out with loud voices against all the injustices and inhumanity that are occurring at home and abroad.

Hear our prayers O God and let our cries come unto thee.


God give us courage to raise our voices when you call us to do so.

Hear our prayers O God and let our cries come unto thee.


God help us be the voices of the voiceless at all times and in all places.

Hear our prayers O God and let our cries come unto thee.


God challenge us to go out in the world and make you know to all the world.
Hear our prayers O God and let our cries come unto thee.


God take away from us strident voices that hurt and divide your family members.
Hear our prayers O God and let our cries come unto thee.


God help us to speak truth to power when our leaders fail to do so.
Hear our prayers O God and let our cries come unto thee.


God help us preach and carry your message of Love, Mercy, and Peace to those who are nearby and far away.
Hear our prayers O God and let our cries come unto thee.


God give us voices to be advocates for the vulnerable of this world.
Hear our prayers O God and let our cries come unto thee.


God help us to speak out for the conservation of your creation.
Hear our prayers O God and let our cries come unto thee.


God give us grace to use our voices to be the compassionate, accepting, loving, and merciful children you have made us to be.
Hear our prayers O God and let our cries come unto thee.


God help us to remember those killed at Sandy Hook tomorrow and raise our voices against gun violence.
Hear our prayers O God and let our cries come unto thee.


God give us voices to pray for__________________
Hear our prayers O God and let our cries come unto thee.


God give us uplifted voices to give thanks for_________________
Hear our prayers O God and let our cries come unto thee.

God we lift up these our prayers with voices loud and clear in the name of your son Jesus. Amen.

“Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”




Prayer of St. John of the Cross

Let Your divinity shine on my intellect by giving it divine knowledge, and on my will by imparting to it the divine love and on my memory with the divine possession of glory.
Let us so act that by means of this loving activity we may attain to the vision of ourselves in Your beauty in eternal life.  That is: That I be so transformed in Your beauty that we may be alike in beauty, and both behold ourselves in Your beauty, possessing now Your very beauty; this, in such a way that each looking at the other may see in the other his own beauty, since both are Your beauty alone, I being absorbed in Your beauty; hence, I shall see You in Your beauty, and You shall see me in Your beauty, and I shall see myself in You in Your beauty, and You will see Yourself in me in Your beauty; that I may resemble You in Your beauty, and You resemble me in Your beauty, and my beauty will be Your beauty and Your beauty my beauty; wherefore I shall be You in Your beauty, and You will be me in Your beauty, because Your very beauty will be my beauty; and therefore we shall behold each other in Your beauty.
O abyss of delights!  You are so much the more abundant the more Your riches are concentrated in the infinite unity and simplicity of Your unique being, where one attribute is so known and enjoyed as not to hinder the perfect knowledge and enjoyment of the other; rather, each grace and virtue within You is a light for each of Your other grandeurs.  By Your purity, O divine Wisdom, many things are behold in You through one.  For You are the deposit of the Father’s treasures, the splendor of the eternal light, the unspotted mirror and image of His goodness.
Awaken and enlighten us, my Lord, that we might know and love the blessings which You ever propose to us, and that we might understand that You have moved to bestow favors on us and have remembered us.
O Lord, my God, who will seek You with simple and pure love and not find You are all he desires, for You show Yourself first and go out to meet those who desire You?
My spirit has become dry because it forgets to feed on You.


Wilderness prayers Part II



God we thank you for this time in the wilderness and our time of finding out more about who whose we are.

God we pray for all the times we are given wilderness journeys and see them as a time of growth in our relationship with you.

God we pray for peace and especially the peace which comes from being able to be on retreat with you.

God we pray for all who need times of respite and renewal. We pray for all who are in discernment and seeking their new life paths.

God we pray for all of our vulnerable family members who are in need.

God we pray for an end of all violence and terror and that peace may prevail upon earth.

God we pray for the courage to speak truth to power and be a voice for the voiceless ones. 

God we pray for all of our family members nearby and far away.

God we pray for the elderly, children, and the least of these.

God we pray and give thanks for__________________________

God we pray that we may continue to feel the enlivening and empowering work of the Holy Spirit with in us and that we may carry God's love, light, and mercy to the world.

 God we lift up these our prayers in the name of Jesus your son . Amen.

Here are our Prayer classics to close tonight's worship. 


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

 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.

Let us Sow Seeds of:

C= Compassion
A= Acceptance
L= Love
M = Mercy

Let us speak in words that are:

C= Comforting
A= Appreciative
L= Living and Loving
M= Mindful and Matter

Let our deeds be:
C= Caring and Compassionate
A= Admirable
L=  Life giving
M= Mannerly
Let us choose to live a life of Compassion, Acceptance, Love, and Mercy. Let choose to speak in words that are courageous, amiable, enLightening, Mannered, and Make sense and don't harm or divide. Let our deeds be all these things.

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.

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one
accord to make our common supplication to you; and you
have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two
or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the
midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions
as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of
your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

Holy Wisdom, in your loving kindness you created and restored
us when we were lost: inspire us with your truth, that we may
love you with our whole minds and run to you with open hearts,
through Christ our Savior. Amen.
(source: Alcuin of York, Mass of Wisdom)

O God our shield and armor of light, whom we adore with all the
angelic host: defend us from evil; watch over any who are in
danger this night and give your angels charge over them; and
grant that we may always rejoice in your heavenly protection and
serve you bravely in the world; through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen.

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)

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in
believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Romans 15:13

++++++++++++++++



  Today's #AdventWord: #Wilderness

   Tomorrow's #AdventWord: #Trust 

Good Night Dear Ones ! I love you and give thanks to God for you each and every day. I especially give thanks for our sacred time together and virtual time in the #Wilderness. Tomorrow we walk even if we wear a mask.

With love, peace, hope, and joy! 

Sara
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Resources:
YouTube
Quote sites for prayers and quotes. 
A to Z quotes St. John of the Cross, Izaak Walton, Wilderness
Good Reads
Carmelite Websites for Prayers of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross.
Sepulchre Candles for Candle Light prayers
Satucket Lectionary for Lessons and Saint of the Day: John of the Cross
Walk With Me On Our Journey
Metis Aboriginal Ministries Smudging Prayer brochure
Enriching Our Worship 1997
Book of Common PrayerBCP Online
Episcopal Peace Fellowship Epfnational
Bishops Against Gun Violence Bishops Against Gun Violence
AdventWord : Advent Word















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