Sunday, December 31, 2017

Let's end the year right by making holy vigil and being at prayer





Happy New Year's Eve Beloved Community!

A warm welcome to all who haven't been a part of the many traditions here at Walk With Me On Our Journey. We still prayer walk when we can. This season has been one of a challenge due to my having a cardiac event monitor that would need to be charged when I should have been prayer walking. This will change in one week when I am no longer hooked up. That's TMI (too much information). Here at Walk With Me we do annual vigils and services that coincide with seasonal change. Tonight we come together and make vigil as we prepare for a new year. If you have been with us in the past you will see familiar lessons and prayers. A time of comfort before we change our calendar page.


Let us begin with 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.

Inhale:
Exhale.
Pause.
Repeat until you feel peace from with in and your heart home gently expanding.



Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord.

 Thanks be to God


Everyone looks for the good, therefore everyone looks for God.
Saint Basil


It is not ourselves that we proclaim; we proclaim Christ
Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants, for Jesus’ sake.
For the same God who said, “Out of darkness let light shine,”
has caused his light to shine within us, to give the light of
revelation––the revelation of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:5-6


The human being is an animal who has received the vocation to become God.
Saint Basil


Let us pray.

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of
your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our
hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. 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.

Image result for new years candle

Remember your Creator]
Ecclesiastes 12:1-8
Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come, and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return with the rain; in the day when the guards of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the women who grind cease working because they are few, and those who look through the windows see dimly; when the doors on the street are shut, and the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low; when one is afraid of heights, and terrors are in the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along and desire fails; because all must go to their eternal home, and the mourners will go about the streets; before the silver cord is snapped, and the golden bowl is broken, and the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher; all is vanity.


Psalm 130
1 Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice; *
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
2 If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, *
O Lord, who could stand?
3 For there is forgiveness with you; *
therefore you shall be feared.
4 I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him; *
in his word is my hope.
5 My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning, *
more than watchmen for the morning
6 O Israel, wait for the Lord, *
for with the Lord there is mercy;
7 With him there is plenteous redemption, *
and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.

Let us pray. (Silence)

Immortal Lord God, you inhabit eternity, and have brought
us your unworthy servants to the close of another year:
Pardon, we entreat you, our transgressions of the past, and
graciously abide with us all the days of our life; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Marking the times, and winter

Sirach 43:1-22New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Splendor of the Sun
43 The pride of the higher realms is the clear vault of the sky,
    as glorious to behold as the sight of the heavens.
2 The sun, when it appears, proclaims as it rises
    what a marvelous instrument it is, the work of the Most High.
3 At noon it parches the land,
    and who can withstand its burning heat?
4 A man tending[a] a furnace works in burning heat,
    but three times as hot is the sun scorching the mountains;
it breathes out fiery vapors,
    and its bright rays blind the eyes.
5 Great is the Lord who made it;
    at his orders it hurries on its course.

The Splendor of the Moon
6 It is the moon that marks the changing seasons,[b]
    governing the times, their everlasting sign.
7 From the moon comes the sign for festal days,
    a light that wanes when it completes its course.
8 The new moon, as its name suggests, renews itself;[c]
    how marvelous it is in this change,
a beacon to the hosts on high,
    shining in the vault of the heavens!

The Glory of the Stars and the Rainbow
9 The glory of the stars is the beauty of heaven,
    a glittering array in the heights of the Lord.
10 On the orders of the Holy One they stand in their appointed places;
    they never relax in their watches.
11 Look at the rainbow, and praise him who made it;
    it is exceedingly beautiful in its brightness.
12 It encircles the sky with its glorious arc;
    the hands of the Most High have stretched it out.

The Marvels of Nature
13 By his command he sends the driving snow
    and speeds the lightnings of his judgment.
14 Therefore the storehouses are opened,
    and the clouds fly out like birds.
15 In his majesty he gives the clouds their strength,
    and the hailstones are broken in pieces.
17a The voice of his thunder rebukes the earth;
16     when he appears, the mountains shake.
At his will the south wind blows;
17b     so do the storm from the north and the whirlwind.
He scatters the snow like birds flying down,
    and its descent is like locusts alighting.
18 The eye is dazzled by the beauty of its whiteness,
    and the mind is amazed as it falls.
19 He pours frost over the earth like salt,
    and icicles form like pointed thorns.
20 The cold north wind blows,
    and ice freezes on the water;
it settles on every pool of water,
    and the water puts it on like a breastplate.
21 He consumes the mountains and burns up the wilderness,
    and withers the tender grass like fire.
22 A mist quickly heals all things;
    the falling dew gives refreshment from the heat.


Psalm 148
1 Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord from the heavens; *
praise him in the heights.
2 Praise him, all you angels of his; *
praise him, all his host.
3 Praise him, sun and moon; *
praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, heaven of heavens, *
and you waters above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the Name of the Lord; *
for he commanded, and they were created.
6 He made them stand fast for ever and ever; *
he gave them a law which shall not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, *
you sea-monsters and all deeps;
8 Fire and hail, snow and fog, *
tempestuous wind, doing his will;
9 Mountains and all hills, *
fruit trees and all cedars;
10 Wild beasts and all cattle, *
creeping things and winged birds;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, *
princes and all rulers of the world;
12 Young men and maidens, *
old and young together.
13 Let them praise the Name of the Lord, *
for his Name only is exalted,
his splendor is over earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up strength for his people
and praise for all his loyal servants, *
the children of Israel, a people who are near him.
Hallelujah!


Let us pray. (Silence)
Almighty Father, you give the sun for a light by day, and the
moon and the stars by night: Graciously receive us, this
night and always, into your favor and protection, defending
us from all harm and governing us with your Holy Spirit,
that every shadow of ignorance, every failure of faith or
weakness of heart, every evil or wrong desire may be
removed far from us; so that we, being justified in our Lord
Jesus Christ, may be sanctified by your Spirit, and glorified
by your infinite mercies in the day of the glorious appearing
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.


The Acceptable Time

2 Corinthians 5:17-6:2New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself,[a] not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

6 As we work together with him,[b] we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,

“At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
    and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”

See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!


Canticle 17
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.


Most gracious and merciful God, you have reconciled us to
yourself through Jesus Christ your Son, and called us to new
life in him: Grant that we, who begin this year in his Name,
may complete it to his honor and glory; who lives and reigns
now and for ever. Amen.




61. A Prayer of Self-Dedication
Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to thee, so
guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our
wills, that we may be wholly thine, utterly dedicated unto
thee; and then use us, we pray thee, as thou wilt, and always
to thy glory and the welfare of thy people; through our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

We continue to hold sacred space for all who mourn  in this healing circle of love: We continue to remember and as in the African Proverb:
"IF YOU SPEAK MY NAME, I WILL LIVE FOREVER."
We speak these names before you this night: Zelda, Jennifer, Leann, Joy, Erica Garner and all others whom we name before you now.

Help us to remember this as we pray and make vigil tonight:

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


Image result for in lak'ech

Let us prepare to let go and let God as we put away this year and look towards the next, by praying this prayer:

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.


Image result for Native American Smudging Ritual



Let us take time to meditate on the new year to come. Here is tonight's meditation and listening music:

Copeland- The Promise of Living ,

Copeland- Fanfare for the Common Man

Paul McCartney -Liverpool Oratorio

Let us tonight pray for this new year to come with lots of love, hope, peace, and joy!

God who set the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Stars in their courses set our feet on the path that you have chosen for us  with love in our heart homes and without fear.

God who set the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Stars in their courses and fixed times and seasons be with all those who are homeless, hungry, and ill clothed who do not have shelter from the cold. We pray that there maybe family members who will lovingly respond to their needs and lead them toward shelter and food.

God who set the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Stars in their courses and became incarnate as Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem or House of Bread, May we like him bring hope and proclaim the Good News in Jesus name with love and tenderness. Help us we pray to be when necessary the only Bible someone ever reads.

God who set the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Stars in their courses, we pray for peace in this fragile and broken world of yours. May we proclaim as in the words of the Prophet Isaiah:

The Good News of Deliverance
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.
4 They shall build up the ancient ruins,
    they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
    the devastations of many generations.
5 Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,
    foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines;
6 but you shall be called priests of the Lord,
    you shall be named ministers of our God;
you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations,
    and in their riches you shall glory.
7 Because their[a] shame was double,
    and dishonor was proclaimed as their lot,
therefore they shall possess a double portion;
    everlasting joy shall be theirs.
8 For I the Lord love justice,
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing;[b]
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
    and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants shall be known among the nations,
    and their offspring among the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge
    that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
    my whole being shall exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
    and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
    to spring up before all the nations.

God who set the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Stars in their courses we pray for all those who are mourning losses of any kind, Heal their griefs by the softening of time and space.

God who set the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Stars in their courses we remember especially_____ and those who travel especially on the icy and weather worn roads. and All of our family members who may need our love now more than ever.

God who set the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Stars in their courses, we pray for all who are going through depression , Seasonal Affective Disorder(Sad), and mental illness that they may receive help in a timely manner. We pray for their caregivers and mental health professionals.

God who set the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Stars in their courses, we pray for all who are caregivers especially those who are hospice workers at holiday time.

God who set the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Stars in their courses we pray for all who are dying that they may when it is time they may know your comfort and joy as they enter the Thin Places. We pray for all who have died during this holy season of love, hope, peace, and joy.

God who set the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Stars in their courses may we as we enter this new year sing and dance for joy with love in our heart homes because of  Your Son Jesus the Christ's coming in the world to love us, heal us, teach us and to redeem us.

God who set the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Stars in their courses we offer our prayers and those who have asked us to pray at this time remembering especially_________________

God we pray these our prayers in the Holy Name of  Jesus. Amen.

21 You are God Te Deum laudamus
You are God: we praise you;
You are the Lord: we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
you did not shun the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come and be our judge.
 Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.
The Lord's Prayer
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 Collect for Holy Name.
Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. 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.


May Christ, who by his Incarnation gathered into one things
earthly and heavenly, fill us  with his joy and peace; and the
blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit, be among us and remain with us always. Amen.

Let us bless God our Creator, Jesus our Reedemer, and The Holy Spirit the Sanctifier.
Thanks Be To God.
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Dear Family of Love!
Happy New Year! Here is a wish and a prayer from me to you!
A Wish for the New Year
I wish for you love filled to the brim to overflowing.
I wish for you Joy that will warm your heart so much that the person next to you will will be able to feel it.
I wish for you peace so that you can be an example of how to be a peacemaker.
I wish for you hope that you never lose faith and have a spirit of optimism and resilience.
I wish for you a big family like ours to enfold you with love, shoulders to cry and lean on and backs to shelter you from the storms of life.
I wish for you a time of daily unplugging and exercise.
I wish for you time with God in God's Cathedral of life.
I wish for you that every time you see a family member, remember a family member is anyone! I hope you remember this phrase "The Light of Christ in Me Recognizes the Light of Christ in You!"
I wish for you time to begin your walking program:
Here are the first steps and prayers:
We prepare ourselves by hydrating with the image of Living Water coursing through our veins, tying our laces securely, wrapping our bodies with God's Warm prayer coat.
We invite God on our walk using these words or your own. God we invite you as you invite us to walk with you on our journey. Enliven our spirits, quicken our steps and open our hearts as we pray and walk.Amen.
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A Prayer for the New Year!
Dear God, as we look towards the new year that is upon us help us to remember that you are walking with us on our journey and that we are never alone. Give us nudges from time to time to recognize this and that you have knit us together as family by prayers and that this circle is ever widening and that is because of your love for us and each other. Help us to remember tonight those who are lonely and those who are in new life situations that love is the key. We thank you for the many blessings of the year past and as we look to the year ahead may we remember we walk with you and you walk with us on our journey. Amen.
******
Knit a prayer circle around us Lord
Knit a prayer circle made of love.
Knit a prayer circle around us that is peaceful
Knit a prayer circle that is made of healing balm
Knit a prayer circle of life and hope and joy.
Knit a prayer circle around all the broken world that they may feel the pieces being put back together and made strong with your loving and gentle hands.
Knit us together as your family of love, peace, joy, hope, and those who show your light to the world by their words, deeds and love.
All this we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
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I give thanks for arriving
Safely in a new dawn,
For the gift of eyes
To see the world,
The gift of mind
To feel at home
In my life,
The waves of possibility
Breaking on the shore of dawn,
The harvest of the past
That awaits my hunger,
And all the furtherings
This new day will bring.
John O'Donohue

To make a creative contribution to this world
O God, we thank you for the lives of great saints and prophets in the past, who have revealed to us that we can stand up amid the problems and difficulties and trials of life and not give in. We thank you for our foreparents, who've given us something in the midst of the darkness of exploitation and oppression to keep going. Grant that we will go on with the proper faith and the proper determination of will, so that we will be able to make a creative contribution to this world. In the name and spirit of Jesus we pray.  - Martin Luther King Jr.

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)


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Good Night Dear Ones and when you wake have a blessed and wonderful New Year. I love you and Give thanks to God for you this night and always. 
Here is a bonus blog if you would like to join me at 10:00 a.m. PST or whenever you like tomorrow for the Feast of the Holy Name - A service of Morning Prayer.

With love and hope!
Sara

Resources:
Various Occasions NRSV (Texts)
Book of Occasional Services ( A Service for New Year's Eve - Vigil plan outline)
Metis Aboriginal Ministries
In Lak Ech- Luis Valdez
Guideposts - Prayers of Martin Luther King Jr. 
Walk With Me On Our Journey
YouTube
A to Z quotes For quotes.




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