An invitation to take Sabbath Rest during our weekend retreat.

Good Evening Dear Ones!

Happy Friday! I hope everyone is well. I have been resting through the gloomy afternoon today. Banking my energy has become so important with the vast number of meetings I will be having throughout next week. Rest is so important these days. This weekend I invite you to rest and enjoy life by going off the grid and also taking much needed time away from screens. Today let us have a brief time of worship and enter into a weekend of Sabbath rest. Don't forget to do your Worry Free Sabbath Box, Jar, and Journal work before we begin our weekend retreat. So let us begin. 

Random quotes to meditate upon:

"The Holy Spirit is just as truly in us when He makes no sign as when the fountains of joy are overflowing, or the waters of peace are softly refreshing our weary and troubled heart." ~ A. B. Simpson

"Choose to be in touch with what is wonderful, refreshing, and healing within yourself and around you." ~ Nhat Hanh

"God's Word refreshes our mind and God's Spirit renews our strength." ~ T. B. Joshua

"All His glory and beauty come from within, and there He delights to dwell, His visits there are frequent, His conversation sweet, His comforts refreshing; and His peace passing all understanding." ~ Thomas a Kempis

"…their eager, childlike attention was refreshing to see as compared with the decent, deathlike apathy of weary civilized people, in whom natural curiosity has been quenched in toil and care and poor, shallow comfort." ~ John Muir

"Oh that it were with me
As with the flower;
Blooming on its own tree
For butterfly and bee
Its summer morns:
That I might bloom mine hour 
A rose in spite of thorns.

Oh that my work were done
As birds' that soar
Rejoicing in the sun:
That when my time is run
And daylight too,
I so might rest once more
Cool with refreshing dew." ~ Christina Rossetti

"A summer breeze can be very refreshing; but if we try to put it in a tin can so we can have it entirely to ourselves, the breeze will die. Our beloved is the same. He is like a breeze, a cloud, a flower. If you imprison him in a tin can, he will die. Yet many people do just that. They rob their loved one of his liberty, until he can no longer be himself. They live to satisfy themselves and use their loved one to help them fulfill that. That is not loving; it is destroying." ~ Nhat Hanh

"Men have conceived a twofold use of sleep; it is a refreshing of the body in this life, and a preparing of the soul for the next." ~ John Donne


Come let us worship.

It is the God who said, Let light shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.  
2 Corinthians 4:6-10



Joseph Barth: A Grace

We give thanks for Being;
We give thanks for being here;
We give thanks for being here together.

A PERSONAL PRAYER -Augustine

O God, the Light of the heart that sees You,
The Life of the soul that loves You,
The Strength of the mind that seeks You:
May I ever continue to be steadfast in Your love.
Be the joy of my heart;
Take all of me to Yourself, and abide therein.

The house of my soul is, I confess, too narrow for You.
Enlarge it that You may enter.
It is ruinous, but do repair it.
It has within it what must offend Your eyes;
I confess and know it,
But whose help shall I seek in cleansing it but Yours alone?

To You, O God, I cry urgently.
Cleanse me from secret faults.
Keep me from false pride and sensuality
That they not get dominion over me.

INVOCATION - Augustine

O Love of God, descend into my heart;
Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling,
And scatter there Your cheerful beams.
Dwell in the soul that longs to be Your temple;
Water that barren soil overrun with weeds and briars
And lost for lack of cultivating.
Make it fruitful with Your dew.

Come, dear Refreshment of those who languish;
Come, Star and Guide of those who sail amidst tempests.
You are the Haven of the tossed and shipwrecked.
Come now, Glory and Crown of the living,
As well as the Safeguard of the dying.
Come, Sacred Spirit;
Come, and make me fit to receive You.


THE LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES - Anonymous

Lest we forget the great traditions of freedom and faith which are the heritage of humanity; lest we forget the pioneers, the statesmen, the bridge builders, the artists; and lest we forget You, the God of our fore bears who is our God also:

We light this candle of remembrance.

For the hope of a better world, in which righteousness and peace shall prevail among the people of the earth, and to create which is the task of the generations in which we stand, as well as for the courage and faith we shall need if we are to carry on this unfinished work:

We light this candle of consecration.

May the flame upon the altar of free faith shine in our hearts al ways, reminding us of the dark places to which we may carry light and strengthening us in every moment of doubt and discouragement with unwavering faith in You whom we serve and whose we are.

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

God is Love and where true love is,God himself is there!
God is Love and where true love is God himself is.
God is Love and where true love is God
God is Love and where true love is.
God is Love

Be still and know that God is Love.
Be still and know that God is.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be

Peace be still.

Peace be.

Peace.

Be still and know that I am God.

Be still and know that I am.

Be still and know.

Be still.

Be

 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.

Christ our Passover     Pascha nostrum
1 Corinthians 5:7-8; Romans 6:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22

Alleluia. 
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us; * 
    therefore let us keep the feast, 
Not with old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, * 
    but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia.

Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; * 
    death no longer has dominion over him. 
The death that he died, he died to sin, once for all; * 
    but the life he lives, he lives to God. 
So also consider yourselves dead to sin, * 
    and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Alleluia.

Christ has been raised from the dead, * 
    the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 
For since by a man came death, * 
    by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 
For as in Adam all die, * 
    so in Christ shall all be made alive. Alleluia.

Psalm 103:6–14

Benedic, anima mea

6 The Lord executes righteousness *
and judgment for all who are oppressed.
7 He made his ways known to Moses *
and his works to the children of Israel.
8 The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.
9 He will not always accuse us, *
nor will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, *
nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, *
so is his mercy great upon those who fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, *
so far has he removed our sins from us.
13 As a father cares for his children, *
so does the Lord care for those who fear him.
14 For he himself knows whereof we are made; *
he remembers that we are but dust.

Isaiah 55:11–56:1

So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
For you shall go out in joy,
and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
Thus says the Lord:
Maintain justice, and do what is right,
for soon my salvation will come,
and my deliverance be revealed.

THIRST FOR GOD (From Prayers for Today)

As the deer pants after the waterbrook,
So pants my soul after You, O God;
My soul thirsts for You, the living God.
When shall I see Your face, O God?

My tears are my meat day and night,
While they say to me continually, “Where is Your God?”
As with a sword in my bones, my enemies reproach me,
While they say daily to me, “Where now is Your God?”
When I remember these things, I pour out my soul.
Why am I cast down?
Why am I disquieted within?

I hope in You; I shall always praise You, O God, my health.

Deep calls to deep at the noise of Your waterspouts;
All Your waves and billows go over me.
You command loving kindness in the day time,
In the night, a song to You shall be with me,
And a prayer to You, the God of my life.



1 Corinthians 13:1–13

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

OU ARE MY GOD (From Prayers for Today)

In You, O God, do I put my trust.
You are my rock and my fortress:
Therefore, lead me, and guide me.
Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
For You have considered my trouble:
You have known my soul in adversities.
I trust in You, O God:
You are my God.
O how great is Your goodness,
Which You have wrought for those who trust in You.
We love You, O God;
All of my hope is in You.

Matthew 10:40–42

Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”

THE DAYS OF OUR YEARS (From Prayers for Today)

You have been our dwelling-place in all generations, O God.
Before the mountains came forth,
And before the earth was formed,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
You turn us to destruction saying,
Return, You children of the earth.
A thousand years in Your sight
Are but as yesterday when it is past,
And as a watch in the night.
You carry them away as with a flood;
They are as asleep.
In the morning, they are like grass which flourishes and grows;
In the evening, it is cut down and withers.
The days of our years are three-score years and ten;
But even if they be fourscore years or more,
Their pride becomes labor and sorrow,
For it is soon gone, and we fly away.
So teach us to number our days,
That we may apply our hearts to wisdom



SLOW ME DOWN…YET ALSO

Slow me down, O God. Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of our mind.

Yet also, wake me up. Shake the complacency out of my soul by opening my mind to the cry of the wounded, the refugees wandering without homes, the homeless at home, and the children who starve.

Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time;

Yet also, quicken my steps with a vision of the urgent action now required to cure the causes of stunted growth, premature death, battered women, and abused children.

Give me, amid the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting hills;

Yet also, alert my eyes not to the comforting illusion of constancy divorced from change, but rather to such sharp reality as deep poverty surrounding us at home and abroad.

Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles with the soothing music of the singing streams;

Yet also, give me amid the calm days of our years, a soul which is prepared to cope with the confusion occurring amidst new creation in the cities and the countries of the earth.

Help me to know the magical, restoring power of sleep;

Yet also, break the chains of euphoria deluding me to think that I am acting responsibly when I do no more than listen to music which protects my feet from marching.

Remind me of the fable of the hare and the tortoise, that I may know that there is more to life than increasing its speed;

Yet also, remind me of the fable of the astrologer who fell plumb to the bottom of a well, not seeing his feet while reading the sky.

Slow me down, O God, and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life’s enduring values, that I may grow more surely toward the stars;

Yet also, wake me up, so our eyes may see the people around me and my arms may be open to embrace the suffering who cry.

The Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh: A Litany for Peace

As we are together praying for Peace, let us be truly with each other.

Silence

Let us pay attention to our breathing.

Silence

Let us be relaxed in our bodies and our minds.

Silence

Let us return to ourselves and become wholly ourselves.

Silence

Let us be aware of the Source of Being common to us all and to all that is.

Silence

Evoking the presence of the Great Companion, let us fill our hearts with our own compassion—towards ourselves and toward all living beings.

Silence

Let us pray that all living beings realize that they are all nourished from the same Source of Life.

Silence

Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be the cause of needless suffering.

Silence

Let us pray that we may live in a way which will not needlessly deprive other living beings of air, water, food, shelter, or the chance to live in health.

Silence

With reverence for Life and with awareness of the sufferings that are going on around us, let us pray for the establishment of peace in our hearts and on earth.

The settings of the Lord's Prayer from A New Zealand Prayer Book. 

Our Father in heaven, 

hallowed be your name, 

your kingdom come, 

your will be done, 

on earth as in heaven. 

Give us today our daily bread. 

Forgive us our sins 

as we forgive those who sin against us. 

Save us from the time of trial 

and deliver us from evil. 

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours 

now and forever.    Amen. 

or the alternative form. 

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 forever. Amen. 

Let us pray,

God we pray for peace on the earth and in our hearts this day. 

Hear us when we pray O God.

God we pray for an end to hatred, bigotry and abuse and all forms of violence.

Hear us when we pray O God.

God we pray for all who are ill and in need of healing especially those whose names we speak now_____________

Hear us when we pray O God.

God we pray for all of our family members who are in grief.Let them feel your calming and abiding presence and your gentle arms embracing them.

Hear us when we pray O God.

God we pray for______________________

Hear us when we pray O God.

God we give thanks for_________________

Hear us when we give thanks to you O God.

God we pray for the least of these may we serve each one of our family members as if we are serving and loving you and each other.

Hear us when we pray O God.

God we pray that we may be CALM (Compassionate, Accepting, Loving, and Merciful)

Hear us when we pray O God.

God we pray that all nations will be at peace and all their peoples may find justice, peace, equality, safety, and universal human rights.

Hear us when we pray O God.

God we remember those precious ones who have died and entered the Thin Places remembering especially ____________________. Let Light Perpetual Shine upon them.

Hear us when we pray O God.

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. 

“See that I am God. See that I am in everything. See that I do everything. See that I have never stopped ordering my works, nor ever shall, eternally. See that I lead everything on to the conclusion I ordained for it before time began, by the same power, wisdom and love with which I made it. How can anything be amiss?” 

― Julian of Norwich

God’s Blessing be with you,

Christ’s peace be with you,

the Spirit’s outpouring be with you,

now and always. Amen.

(source: Celtic)

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)

 

Let us bless the Lord. 

Thanks be to God. 

 

+++++

Good Night Dear Ones! I love you and give thanks to God for you this day and always.

Love and blessings,

Sara

Resources.

A to Z quotes on Refreshing

Book of Common Prayer

Lectionary page -Common of a prophetic witness

Walk With Me On Our Journey

A New Zealand Prayer Book

In Lak 'Ech -Luis Valdez

Metis Aboriginal Ministries.

Prayers for Today - Harvard Square Library