The New #AdventWords and #HashTags With Meaning are here! Today's word is #proclaim

Dear Family of Love!

Happy Being Thoughtful and Thankful Thursday! I have a question to ask of each of you and it comes from the Baptismal Covenant: 

Celebrant Will you proclaim by word and example the Good
News of God in Christ?

People I will, with God’s help.

Advent is a time where proclamations are the order of the day and also order our life's work to all people. Some of these proclamations we make are like the old Town Crier but others are subtle and without vocal words but in deeds. In the old days we who had been confirmed received a small book called THE PRACTICE OF RELIGION and it had lots of information, prayers, etc. The book listed a set of Corporal  and  Spiritual Works of Mercy:
Take a look and this will be our guide as how we are to "proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ".Take time to meditate upon the items below in the stillness of your heats and heart homes. 

The traditional enumeration of the corporal works of mercy is as follows:*

• To feed the hungry;
• To give drink to the thirsty;
• To clothe the naked;
• To harbour the harbourless;
• To visit the sick;
• To ransom the captive;
• To bury the dead.

The spiritual works of mercy are:

• To instruct the ignorant;
• To counsel the doubtful;
• To admonish sinners;
• To bear wrongs patiently;
• To forgive offences willingly;
• To comfort the afflicted;
• To pray for the living and the dead.

* From NewAdvent

Today I had another opportunity to feed the hungry by giving  out shelf stable lunches  and a few warm blankets. 

This is what today's proclamation looked like:

If you remember last year's proclamation it looked like this:

Both of these ways of proclaiming the Good News of God in Christ are equally as powerful and pack a powerful punch.  We must do this both ways with zeal and love energy.  Proclaiming the Good News doesn't require any special equipment except for an open heart, and the use of the CALM principle: Compassion, Acceptance, Love, and Mercy.  Our words and deeds must be both strong and gentle without bluster. I don't expect us to be Bible Thumping Evangelists raining down words of fire and brimstone,  but those who seek to speak truth to power by "Doing Justly, Loving Mercy, and Walking Humbly with God"    

Tonight let us pray and make vigil and take time to engage in holy conversation with God with our heart homes wide open with love energy so that we may proclaim the Good News each and every day that we live, move, and just be. 

God help us to proclaim the Gospel each and every day and if necessary use words. * *(St. Francis of Assisi) 

God we pray that we who proclaim your Good News may do it boldly and with sincerity.

God help us to pray and proclaim who you are and that is Love!

God we pray that those who hear proclamations may hear them with the ears of the heart.

God we pray for those who will find it hard to accept proclamation of Good News and who will want to change it to suit their own ends and for their selfish gains.

God help us to proclaim to our family members the world over that we must remain CALM (Compassionate, Accepting,Loving, and Merciful)

God we pray that the words and actions that you give us to proclaim will make us #WakeUp!

God help us to #WakeUp and be attentive to your words and your calls to action and vocation.

God help us to proclaim your comfortable words of hope and healing to a fragile and broken world.

God help us to proclaim in the words of Isaiah:

61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
    you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
    and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of your shame
    you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
    you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
    and everlasting joy will be yours.

8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
    and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
    that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”
10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
    and praise spring up before all nations.
Let us pray,

God wake us up out of the silences that make us complicit viewers as violence and hatred surrounds. 
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake us up from out sleep that we may seek to know and serve you more fully.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake us up to be able to speak truth to power and be the voice for the voiceless.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake us up to work for justice and universal human rights.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake us op from the need to be engaged in one upmanship and the pointing of fingers.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake up our spirits so that we may connect with you.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake up our minds so that we may seek what is true and what is right.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake up our hearts so that we may love with Love Energy that will shine your Light to a fragile and broken world.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake up our souls so that we may be empowered to answer your call to new life paths and vocations.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake up our bodies so that we may find ourselves stronger and able to care for the least of these our family members.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake up our lives from times of just casually watching the media on T.V. without  being empowered to take action when we see injustice, racism, and hatred.
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God wake up and open our hearts to add our prayers and thanksgivings__________________
Awaken our Hearts and voices O, God.

God we lift up these our prayers in the name of your Son Jesus who keeps proclaiming the Good News every day and all we need to do is to listen. Amen. 

Extra prayers from the BCP

The Song of Mary Magnificat

Luke 1:46-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.


For our Enemies
O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love
our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth;
deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in
your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Good Night Dear Ones. I love you and give thanks for you this day and always. Let us all have a restful night and that we may "proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ" tomorrow. 

Love, hope, joy, and peace. 


Sara