1 John 4:16
John 3:16
9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Psalm 137
1 By the rivers of Babylon—
there we sat down and there we wept
when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows* there
we hung up our harps.
3 For there our captors
asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,
‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’
4 How could we sing the Lord’s song
in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand wither!
6 Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy.
Isaiah 11:1-5
11A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
or decide by what his ears hear;
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
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.
Luke 2:1-21
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
A Song of the Spirit
Revelation 22:12-17
“Behold, I am coming soon,” says the Lord, “and bringing my reward with me, *to give to everyone according to their deeds.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, * the beginning and the end.”
Blessed are those who do God’s commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, *and may enter the city through the gates.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to you, *with this testimony for all the churches.
“I am the root and the offspring of David, *I am the bright morning star.” “Come!” say the Spirit and the Bride; *
“Come!” let each hearer reply! Come forward, you who are thirsty, *let those who desire take the water of life as a gift.
John 15:12-15
12 ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15I do not call you servants* any longer, because the servant* does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my 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.
Set us free, heavenly Father, from every bond of prejudice and fear: that, honoring the steadfast courage of your servants Absalom Jones and Richard Allen, we may show forth in our lives the reconciling love and true freedom of the children of God, which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
A holy rant made into prayers from two blogs from years ago.
Holy God we thank you that you give us permission to cry out, mourn, heal, and open wide our hearts to help heal our community and be reconciled and made whole.
How do we do this?
With God's help.
With love in our hearts.
With God's help
As the united people of God.
With God's help
With bonds of familial relationship.
With God's help
With courage.
With God's help
Without fear and anxiety.
With God's help
With peace in our hearts and souls. To make peace we mus have peace in our hearts and souls.
With God's help
Without judgement.
With God's help
With calmness of spirit.
With God's help
Relying on each other with the common good always being upper most in our minds.
With God's help
Carrying the light of Christ with love to those who still live in the dark places of their hearts and minds
With God's help.
Practicing peace every day that we live, move, and just be.
With God's help
Are we strong enough?
Yes!
With God's help'
No doubt about it.
God is there!
I've heard it only takes faith the size of a mustard seed.
God only needs a little bit of faith from us
With God's help and ours we are stronger.
Where is God in all of this?
Right beside us all the time!
Listen for God in the stillness!
Feel God's gentle tap on your shoulder?
Feel God's indwelling presence!
See God in everyone's eyes.
Here are the prayers from the special blog earlier today Adapted for this evening!
Let us with God's help stand together in prayer responding Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Lord God may we, Not be complacent but actively engaged in fighting injustice everywhere.
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
.Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
.
Stand with the least of these
Come Lord Jesus and Help us!
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.
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 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.”
No comments:
Post a Comment