Good Evening Dear Beloved Community!
Happy Monday in the 3rd week of Advent! Today has been somewhat of a Sabbath day for me. Those of us in ministry both clergy and lay need to have a down day before the hectic pace of the Christmas Holy Days begin! It's okay to give ourselves permission to do this. Really it is! Today's #adventword is #dazzle. I'm not sure how this is going to work into today's blog but here we go.
Let us consult our dictionary for #dazzle's definition:
daz·zle
[ˈdazəl]
VERB
dazzles (third person present) · dazzled (past tense) · dazzled (past participle) · dazzling (present participle)
(of a bright light) blind (a person) temporarily:
"she was dazzled by the headlights"
synonyms: blind temporarily · deprive of sight
amaze or overwhelm (someone) with a particular impressive quality:
"I was dazzled by the beauty and breadth of the exhibition"
synonyms: overwhelm · overcome · impress · move · stir · affect · touch · awe · overawe · leave speechless · take someone's breath away · spellbind · hypnotize · bowl over · blow away · knock out
archaic
(of the eyes) be affected by a bright light:
"my eyes dazzled and I could not move"
NOUN
dazzles (plural noun)
brightness that confuses someone's vision temporarily:
"a dazzle of green and red spotlights"
synonyms: glare · brightness · brilliance · shimmer · radiance · shine
ORIGIN
late 15th cent. (in the sense ‘be dazzled’): frequentative of the verb daze.
#AdventWord Thesaurus Work: #dazzle
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We open tonight's time of prayer and meditation with quotes from today's #AdventWord #Dazzle
Mark 9:3New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one[a] on earth could bleach them.
The Lord did not come to make a display. He came to heal and to teach suffering men. For one who wanted to make a display the thing would have been just to appear and dazzle the beholders. But for Him Who came to heal and to teach the way was not merely to dwell here, but to put Himself at the disposal of those who needed Him, and to be manifested according as they could bear it, not vitiating the value of the Divine appearing by exceeding their capacity to receive it.
Athanasius of Alexandria
Faith is a light of such supreme brilliance that it dazzles the mind and darkens all its visions of other realities, but in the end when we become used to the new light, we gain a new view of all reality transfigured and elevated in the light itself.
Thomas Merton
Earthly possessions dazzle our eyes and delude us into thinking that they can provide security and freedom from anxiety. Yet all the time they are the very source of anxiety.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
... the world can give you these glimpses as well as fairy tales can--the smell of rain, the dazzle of sun on white clapboard with the shadows of ferns and wash on the line, the wildness of a winter storm when in the house the flame of a candle doesn't even flicker.
Frederick Buechner
Christ dazzles me and stirs within me such feelings of amazement that I can never get over Him.
Aiden Wilson Tozer
Today's Great O Antiphon is O Adonai!
Latin:
O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel,
qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti,
et ei in Sina legem dedisti:
veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.
English:
O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush
and gave him the law on Sinai:
Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.
Great O Antiphons - O Adonai
Spend time in the presence of God. As Moses did when he was in God's presence while seeing the burning bush.
Great O Antiphons - O Adonai
Veni, Veni, Emmanuel
Advent
Come and save us, * O Lord God of hosts.
Come and save us, O Lord God of hosts.
Show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved:
O Lord God of hosts.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Come and save us, O Lord God of hosts.
V. Show us your mercy, O Lord:
R. And grant us your salvation.
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.
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.
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)
and teach me your paths.
4 Lead me in your truth and teach me, *
for you are the God of my salvation;
in you have I trusted all the day long.
5 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love, *
for they are from everlasting.
6 Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions; *
remember me according to your love
and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.
7 Gracious and upright is the Lord; *
therefore he teaches sinners in his way.
8 He guides the humble in doing right *
and teaches his way to the lowly.
A Song of God’s Love
1 John 4:7-11
Beloved, let us love one another, *
for love is of God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, *
for God is Love.
In this the love of God was revealed among us, *
that God sent his only Son into the world,
so that we might live through Jesus Christ.
In this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us *
and sent his Son that sins might be forgiven.
Beloved, since God loved us so much, *
we ought also to love one another.
For if we love one another, God abides in us, *
and God’s love will be perfected in us.
Numbers 24:2-7,15-17
2Balaam looked up and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. Then the spirit of God came upon him, 3and he uttered his oracle, saying:
‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,*
4 the oracle of one who hears the words of God,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,*
who falls down, but with eyes uncovered:
5 how fair are your tents, O Jacob,
your encampments, O Israel!
6 Like palm groves that stretch far away,
like gardens beside a river,
like aloes that the Lord has planted,
like cedar trees beside the waters.
7 Water shall flow from his buckets,
and his seed shall have abundant water,
his king shall be higher than Agag,
and his kingdom shall be exalted.
‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,*
4 the oracle of one who hears the words of God,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,*
who falls down, but with eyes uncovered:
5 how fair are your tents, O Jacob,
your encampments, O Israel!
6 Like palm groves that stretch far away,
like gardens beside a river,
like aloes that the Lord has planted,
like cedar trees beside the waters.
7 Water shall flow from his buckets,
and his seed shall have abundant water,
his king shall be higher than Agag,
and his kingdom shall be exalted.
Balaam’s Fourth Oracle
15 So he uttered his oracle, saying:
‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,*
16 the oracle of one who hears the words of God,
and knows the knowledge of the Most High,*
who sees the vision of the Almighty,*
who falls down, but with his eyes uncovered:
17 I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near—
a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel;
it shall crush the borderlands* of Moab,
and the territory* of all the Shethites.
‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,*
16 the oracle of one who hears the words of God,
and knows the knowledge of the Most High,*
who sees the vision of the Almighty,*
who falls down, but with his eyes uncovered:
17 I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near—
a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel;
it shall crush the borderlands* of Moab,
and the territory* of all the Shethites.
A Song of Wisdom Sapientia liberavit
Wisdom 10:15-19,20b-21
Wisdom freed from a nation of oppressors *
a holy people and a blameless race.
She entered the soul of a servant of the Lord, *
withstood dread rulers with wonders and signs.
To the saints she gave the reward of their labors, *
and led them by a marvelous way;
She was their shelter by day *
and a blaze of stars by night.
She brought them across the Red Sea, *
she led them through mighty waters;
But their enemies she swallowed in the waves *
and spewed them out from the depths of the abyss.
And then, Lord, the righteous sang hymns to your Name, *
and praised with one voice your protecting hand;
For Wisdom opened the mouths of the mute, *
and gave speech to the tongues of a new-born people.
Matthew 21:23-27
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
23 When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’ 24Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’ And they argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say to us, “Why then did you not believe him?” 26But if we say, “Of human origin”, we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.’ 27So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
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.
Third Sunday of Advent
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come
among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins,
let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver
us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and
the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
Loving Jesus: Protect and sustain us with your hand. Open the
door of your love that, sealed with your wisdom, we may be free
to serve you with joy. Amen.
(a prayer of St. Gertrude)
Jesus, you are the way through the wilderness: show us your truth
in which we journey, and by the grace of the Holy Spirit be in us
the life that draws us to God. Amen.
(source: F.B. McNutt, The Prayer Manual [London: Mowbray, 1961], p. 29,
adapted)
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.
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.
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.
Let us pray using today's #AdventWord -#Dazzle
God help us not to be #dazzled by the lights of this season but to be #dazzled by the light and love of Christ.
Light of Christ illumine our hearts with love energy so that we may serve you in your kindom daily.
God we pray for all who have become attached and bedazzled by the materialism of this world an have forgotten what matters most.
Light of Christ may we seek to be unattached to things but attached to you and where you lead us. May we find ourselves walking with you and covering ourselves in your dust.
God we pray for all who are lonely this time of year and all the dazzling sights and sounds become hurtful not helpful to them.
Light of Christ may we lovingly respond to our family members who are lost, lonely, alone, neglected and who may feel invisible. Give us courage to seek out the lost and bring them back into your fold and our family with loving acceptance.
God we pray for all refugees, immigrants, victims of abuse, terror, disaster, human trafficking and discrimination.
Light of Christ help us to shine the light on injustice and do in the words of the Prophet Micah "To do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God" and let justice roll down. May this light shine everywhere and into the hearts of tyrannical leaders who do not know or want to learn how to serve and govern the peoples whom they serve.
God be-stir our hearts once again on Christmas so that we may carry your message of love and the God News to everyone who need it or may need to hear it again.
Light of Christ may we shine your love light and Love News to the world with voices loud and clear and without fear.
God we pray for_________________
God we remember_________________
God we give thanks for_______________
God we Celebrate_________________
Christ the light of our hearts receive these our prayers and thanksgivings in your Holy Name. 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
#AdventWord prayers for #Light
God empower us to be your beacons of light and hope in this fragile and broken world.
God help us to shine your peace, love, justice, and mercy in those places where darkness is the order of the day and may your healing light be shed upon them.
God we pray for all who are in need of light therapy as Winter approaches. Help us to keep watch over our loved ones who need our loving light and presence as they cope with depression.
God open wide our heart homes, nourish our heart roots with the necessary light, and radiate our inner beings with your presence from the inside out.
God help us to remember that your "yoke is easy and your burden is light!"
God make our lives lighter as we take time to live more simply.
God shed light upon all forms of violence, extremism, abuse, bigotry and hatred that we we may speak truth to power and stand for universal human rights.
Give us courage to shine the light of truth to places where falsehood and danger are present.
Give us courage to stand with the vulnerable as we enfold them with compassion, acceptance, love and mercy. May we seek to work in our communities where injustice and apathy need the necessary light to make changes wherever and whenever necessary.
Let us remember That the Light of Christ in Me Reflects the Light of Christ in You.
May we shine the light of the Gospel to all who are in need of hearing and being shown the light of your love, the light of your mercy, and the light of your justice as we follow you O God. 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.
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.
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
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Today's #AdventWord :#Dazzle
Tomorrow's #AdventWord: #Open
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Good Night Beloved Community! Have a blessed night! I love you and give thanks to God for you this day. Remember everyone counts and matters this time of the year. We all are family!
I posted this as my Good Night Greeting on FB last night I hope you enjoy it!
Good Night Dear Beloved Community, Family of Love, Family of God, Family of Mine, Family in Humanity, ! I love you!
With Joy,Peace, Hope, and Love,
Sara
Resources:
Satucket -Lectionary
A New Zealand Prayer Book
Sepulchre -Candles
Book of Common Prayer - Online
Enriching Our Worship 1997
Book of Occasional Services -2003
A to Z Quotes
Walk With Me On Our Journey
Wikipedia - Great O Antiphons
YouTube for Music.
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