Thursday, October 11, 2018

Lighten our pathway O God, that we may seek and serve you in this fragile and broken world ! This means people, plants, animals, water, air, soil, and everything that lives!




Good Evening Beloved Community!

Happy Being Thoughtful and Thankful Thursday! I hope everyone is ready for this weekend's up coming time of retreat and re-focusing! I know that I am. Today we find ourselves being reminded of the need to be servants of God to this fragile and broken world in which we live. God needs our help to be the compassionate, accepting, loving and merciful people to all people always. Not just at this present moment but always. I keep being reminded that division happens when we find ourselves in a we/they mentality. We need to stop this right now. We must be united in purpose, united in heart, united in spirit, united in body as one community, and united as God's beloved community. Not when, but now. Now is the time to seek unity, build bridges, and give of ourselves in service to God, our community, our family, and to ourselves. Serving God means doing the right thing for everyone and yes putting our baptismal vows/promises into action and in real time not virtual reality. This is the time we need to look to St. Philip,Deacon and Evangelist for our model. The lessons are for his feast day today. Here is his biography from LESSER FEASTS AND FASTS:


OCTOBER 11: PHILIP, Deacon and Evangelist
Philip, who has been traditionally referred to as a deacon and an
evangelist, was one of the seven honest men appointed or ordained
by the apostles to distribute bread and alms to the widows and the
poor in Jerusalem.
After the martyrdom of Stephen, Philip went to Samaria to preach
the gospel. In his travels south to Gaza, he encountered an Ethiopian
eunuch, a servant of the Ethiopian queen, reading the Isaiah text on
the Suffering Servant. They traveled together, and, in the course of
their journey, the Ethiopian was converted and baptized by Philip.
Subsequently, Philip traveled as a missionary from Ashdod
northwards and settled in Caesarea, where he hosted St. Paul. 

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Please click on the link below for more information on:
Philip, Deacon and Evangelist


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Let us begin- 

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

Ponderings!

Fear and God do not occupy the same space.
Dick Gregory


There's a God force inside of you that gives you a will to live.
Dick Gregory

No being should be killed. No being should be unloved.
Dick Gregory


I feel that the same God-force that is the mother and father of the Pope is also the mother and father of the loneliest wino on the planet.
Dick Gregory

“One of the things I keep learning is that the secret of being happy is doing things for other people.” 
― Dick Gregory

“The free man is the man with no fears.” 
-- Dick Gregory


Restoration Song

God called forth a people, and we responded to His call
‘Rebuild this ancient ruin, restore my city walls.’

He has led us day by day, as we listened to His voice
and we were fed on finest wheat, and manna from the skies.

When we started, we were strangers. We hardly knew each other’s names.
Now we are brothers and sisters, and we will never be the same.

As we built, brick by brick, we discovered the corner stone,
and as we let Him mould and fashion us, He built us up in love.

Now we have seen, and we have heard, that the Lord our God is great.
For a wilderness has been transformed, into His holy place.

Gerry Tuohy


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.

Everything Has Its Time
3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

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)

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


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.

God as we prepare our lamps and fill them with oil may we remember that this oil tonight is a holy oil, a holy balm, made to light the way out of darkness and into healing. We light our candles as a symbol of unity, peace, and as your loving family. We pray for healing and comfort this day for the people who are affected by wildfire, hurricane, earthquake, and flood. We pray for the healing of your Cathedral of Life and that we may help you become good conservationists of the abundant gifts you have given us. We pray for the healing of all nations and people that unity and a spirit of familyhood may grow. We pray for the healing of our bodies minds and spirits that we may be made whole so that we may serve you and all our family members nearby and in distant places. We pray for the healing of relationships where violent words and actions have occurred  We pray this night that wherever there is division there may be healing and grace. We pray for the healing where injustice, inequality, and human rights are being challenged and in our land and in the other lands where people aren't being treated fairly because of who they are and how God has made them to be. 

Now repeat after me: "The Light of Christ in Me, Recognizes the Light of Christ in you!"  Imagine that you are passing this candle to the person next to you and passing the candle from family member to family member. Lovingly look into their eyes and with tender and compassionate tone of voice repeat the above.  Don't forget the smile!

Image result for candle passing


67 Deus misereatur

1 May God be merciful to us and bless us, *
show us the light of his countenance and come to us.

2 Let your ways be known upon earth, *
your saving health among all nations.

3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, *
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide all the nations upon earth.

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.

6 The earth has brought forth her increase; *
may God, our own God, give us his blessing.

7 May God give us his blessing, *
and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him.


Acts 8:26-40

26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go towards the south* to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a wilderness road.) 27So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to this chariot and join it.’ 30So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ 31He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:
‘Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
   and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
     so he does not open his mouth. 
33 In his humiliation justice was denied him.
   Who can describe his generation?
     For his life is taken away from the earth.’ 
34The eunuch asked Philip, ‘About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?’ 35Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?’* 38He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip* baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

A Song of Judith
Judith 16:13-16
I will sing a new song to my God, *
for you are great and glorious, wonderful in strength, invincible.
Let the whole creation serve you, *
for you spoke and all things came into being.
You sent your breath and it formed them, *
no one is able to resist your voice.
Mountains and seas are stirred to their depths, *
rocks melt like wax at your presence.
But to those who fear you, *
you continue to show mercy.
No sacrifice, however fragrant, can please you, *
but whoever fears the Lord shall stand in your sight for ever.


Matthew 28:18-20

18And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’*

A Song of Our True Nature
Julian of Norwich
Christ revealed our frailty and our falling, *
our trespasses and our humiliations.
Christ also revealed his blessed power, *
his blessed wisdom and love.
He protects us as tenderly and as sweetly when we are in greatest need; *
he raises us in spirit
and turns everything to glory and joy without ending.
God is the ground and the substance, the very essence of nature;
*
God is the true father and mother of natures.
We are all bound to God by nature, *
and we are all bound to God by grace.
And this grace is for all the world, *
because it is our precious mother, Christ.
For this fair nature was prepared by Christ
for the honor and nobility of all, *
and for the joy and bliss of salvation.

O God, who has made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that we, following the example of your servant Philip, may bring your Word to those who seek you for the glory of your Name; 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.

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

And we remember the words of St. Teresa of Avila

Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)
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.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.


“Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.” 
― Teresa of Ávila



Image result for candlelight pathway

Lighten our path O God so that we may see clearly the pathway you have set before us.

Lighten our path O God with love and brightness so that we may be united with you as your family.

Lighten our path O God with peace that we may become your peacemakers and that we may spread the Good News of Justice, Love, and Mercy throughout the world.

Lighten our path O God to our hearts and souls that we may be connected to the least of these and tenderly and lovingly care for them.

Lighten our path O God to all of our family members who are ill that we may compassionately care for them and pray for them when we aren't present. We pray this night  for_____________

Lighten the  path O God for all who are mourning that they may be given holy comfort and may feel your arms gently enfolding them.

Lighten our path O God to you in our bodies, minds, and spirits that we may take time to connect with you with holy listening.  May we go deeper and seek your presence and listen with open ears, hearts, and calm and attentive spirits. 

Lighten our path O God so that we may raise our voices in prayer and thanksgivings for__________

Accept these our prayers in the Holy Name of  Jesus who is "The Light of the World". Amen. 

The Song of Mary Magnificat
Luke 1:46-55

My soul doth magnify the Lord, *
and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
For he hath regarded *
the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold from henceforth *
all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me, *
and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him *
throughout all generations.
He hath showed strength with his arm; *
he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, *
and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel, *
as he promised to our forefathers,
Abraham and his seed 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

The Song of Simeon Nunc dimittis

Luke 2:29-32

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, *
according to thy word;
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, *
which thou hast prepared before the face of all people,
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, *
and to be the glory of thy people Israel.

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.

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

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)

Live without fear: your Creator has made you holy, has always
protected you, and loves you as a mother. Go in peace to follow
the good road and may God’s blessing be with you always. Amen.

(source: from Saint Clare)

The Light of Christ in me Recognizes the Light of Christ in you!" 
I hold holy space for you during this time of prayer, vigil, and meditation.

Gracious and loving God of Love and the  makers of families. May we never take our families and those we love for granted.

the following may be added.

Thursday – The Ebba Compline (Northumbria Community)ff
Ebba was the sister of Oswald and Oswy, who were both kings of Northumbria. She was consecrated a nun by Aidan and founded the ‘double’ (i.e. there were both men and women there) monastery at Coldingham, situated on St Abbs’s Head (which was subsequently named after her). Ebba died in the year 683. Bede described her as a ‘pious woman and a handmaid of Christ.’
+ (silently)
* Find rest, O my soul, in God alone:
my hope comes from Him.

Come I this night to the Father,
come I this night to the Son,
come I to the Holy Spirit powerful:
come I this night to God.
Come I this night with Christ,
come I with the Spirit of kindness.
Come I to Thee, Jesus.
Jesus, shelter me.

* I will lie down and sleep.
I wake again,
because the Lord sustains me.

* By day the Lord directs His love;
at night His song is with me –
a prayer to the God of my life.

* Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the Lord.

* This dwelling, O God, by Thee be blest;
and each one who here this night does rest.

* May God be in my sleep;
may Christ be in my dreams.
May the Spirit be in my repose,
in my thoughts, in my heart.
In my soul always
may the Sacred Three dwell.

May the Father of heaven
have care of my soul,
His loving arm about my body,
through each slumber
and sleep of my life.

The Son of God be shielding me from harm,
the Son of God be shielding me from ill,
the Son of God be shielding me with power.
The Son of God be shielding me this night.

* Sleep, O sleep in the calm of each calm.
Sleep, O sleep in the guidance of all guidance.
Sleep, O sleep in the love of all loves.
Sleep, O beloved, in the Lord of life.
Sleep, O beloved, in the God of life.

The peace of all peace
be mine this night
+ in the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen


Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine: Glory to God from generation to
generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever.
Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21

Good Night Brothers and Sisters. I am sending Light to heal you to hold you: I am sending you Light to hold you in Love.*  Have a blessed and restful night! I love you and give thanks to God for you this night and always. 

Peace, love, prayers, and God's blessings!


Resources:
Northumbria Community
Satucket for Lessons 
Book of Common Prayer
Enriching Our Worship
John Phillip Newell *
Quote sites for Dick Gregory Quotes
Metis Aboriginal Ministries.
Walk With Me On Our Journey
In Lak' Ech Luis Valdez

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