Good Evening Dear Family of Love!
Happy Being Thoughtful and Thankful Thursday! I hope all is well! Today's #AdventWord is #Trust!
This #AdventWord takes us back once again to one of the questions the candidates who are being baptized are asked :
Question Do you put your whole trust in his grace and love?
Answer I do.
This is the time of year when quite a few of us lose trust in many of the aspects in our lives. It's easy to do because of the long days and Winter weather and sometimes the holiday hype becomes too much. But when we take ourselves out of the picture and remember what we promised at our baptisms we begin to regain our footing on holy ground. Remember when we had the #AdventWord #Rely? We need to rely upon God and each other and put our whole trust in God's Grace and Love! Relying and Trusting is necessary for us as people of faith and human beings. I know this year it isn't easy because we have a lot of dark and sad times fraught with violence, hatred, etc. but we need to. We need to begin again and remember that the God who created the universe and us in God's image and likeness is loving and grace-filled and in the words of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry of the Episcopal Church God is "Loving, Liberating, and Life Giving!" Maybe our new question should be Do you put your whole trust in God who is Loving, Liberating, and Life Giving?
This evening's meditation is a time to relax and trust God's grace and love even when things seem dark. We must light our candles and know that in the darkness we will see light.
Tonight let us light our candles and be at prayer in unity and love with one another and our family members throughout the world. May we seek to find common ground with our brothers and sisters and let them know that they are loved and we see God in each of their faces. God enfold the people of Aleppo, Standing Rock, Istanbul, and as we remember Sandy Hook. We pray for an end to genocide in all forms throughout the world that we may be reminded that we are your children and must see you in each other's faces with love, trust, and grace.
God of Joy we pray for all of our family members who have lost touch with the joys of living.
God of Love we pray for all of our family members who are in need of warmth and companionship.
God of Peace we pray for all of our family members throughout the world who have been touched by violence and terror. May peace prevail upon earth and in our heart homes.
God of Hope we pray for all of our family members who are homeless, hungry, ill-clad, and without a place to call home for any reason. Give them hope that they may have their needs met and solutions for better living conditions may be found.
God of Grace, we pray for all of our family members who are mourning losses of family and friends.
Give them comfort in this their time of grief and sorrow.
God of Mercy, we pray for all of our family members who are seeking justice and a voice to speak truth to power.
God of Healing we pray for all our family members who are in need of healing of their bodies, minds, and spirits, Give them patience and their family members who are awaiting Your healing.
God of abundance we give thanks this day for our many blessings remembering especially___________
God of Eternal Light and Love we pray for all who are dying and those who have entered the Thin Places this day.
God of presence help us to feel your love enfolding us this night and always.
God of comfort, we pray for all of our family members who continue to suffer from holiday depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder and any mental illness.
God who created times of celebration and remembrance may we celebrate life each and every minute we live, move, and be and remember with tender heart homes those times in our lives or in the lives of our faith communities and nation.
God we pray these our prayers in the most Holy Name of your only Son Jesus. 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.
A Prayer of Trust
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think that I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always
though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
–Thomas Merton
Prayer for Trust in Jesus
- St. Ignatius of Loyola
O Christ Jesus,
when all is darkness
and we feel our weakness and helplessness,
give us the sense of Your presence,
Your love, and Your strength.
Help us to have perfect trust
in Your protecting love
and strengthening power,
so that nothing may frighten or worry us,
for, living close to You,
we shall see Your hand,
Your purpose, Your will through all things.
Psalm 31
1 In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame; *
deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Incline your ear to me; *
make haste to deliver me.
3 Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe,
for you are my crag and my stronghold; *
for the sake of your Name, lead me and guide me.
4 Take me out of the net that they have secretly set for me, *
for you are my tower of strength.
5 Into your hands I commend my spirit, *
for you have redeemed me,
O Lord, O God of truth.
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols, *
and I put my trust in the Lord.
7 I will rejoice and be glad because of your mercy; *
for you have seen my affliction;
you know my distress.
8 You have not shut me up in the power of the enemy; *
you have set my feet in an open place.
9 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; *
my eye is consumed with sorrow,
and also my throat and my belly.
10 For my life is wasted with grief,
and my years with sighing; *
my strength fails me because of affliction,
and my bones are consumed.
11 I have become a reproach to all my enemies and
even to my neighbors,
a dismay to those of my acquaintance; *
when they see me in the street they avoid me.
12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; *
I am as useless as a broken pot.
13 For I have heard the whispering of the crowd;
fear is all around; *
they put their heads together against me;
they plot to take my life.
14 But as for me, I have trusted in you, O Lord. *
I have said, “You are my God.
15 My times are in your hand; *
rescue me from the hand of my enemies,
and from those who persecute me.
16 Make your face to shine upon your servant, *
17 Lord, let me not be ashamed for having called upon you; *
rather, let the wicked be put to shame;
let them be silent in the grave.
18 Let the lying lips be silenced which speak against
the righteous, *
haughtily, disdainfully, and with contempt.
19 How great is your goodness, O Lord!
which you have laid up for those who fear you; *
which you have done in the sight of all
for those who put their trust in you.
20 You hide them in the covert of your presence from those
who slander them; *
you keep them in your shelter from the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be the Lord! *
for he has shown me the wonders of his love in a
besieged city.
22 Yet I said in my alarm,
“I have been cut off from the sight of your eyes.” *
Nevertheless, you heard the sound of my entreaty
when I cried out to you.
23 Love the Lord, all you who worship him; *
the Lord protects the faithful,
but repays to the full those who act haughtily.
24 Be strong and let your heart take courage, *
all you who wait for the Lord.
Today we commemorate John Horden and Remember Standing Rock as well.
Bishop and Missionary in Canada, 1893
December 15
Creator God, whose hands hold the storehouses of the snow and the gates of the sea, and from whose Word springs forth all that is: We bless your holy Name for the intrepid witness of your missionary John Horden, who followed your call to serve the Cree and Inuit nations of the North. In all the places we travel, may we, like him, proclaim your Good News and draw all into communion with you through your Christ; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Numbers 10:29–36
Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you’; come with us, and we will treat you well; for the Lord has promised good to Israel.” But he said to him, “I will not go, but I will go back to my own land and to my kindred.” He said, “Do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us. Moreover, if you go with us, whatever good the Lord does for us, the same we will do for you.”
So they set out from the mount of the Lord three days’ journey with the ark of the covenant of the Lord going before them three days’ journey, to seek out a resting place for them, the cloud of the Lord being over them by day when they set out from the camp.
Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say, “Arise, O Lord, let your enemies be scattered, and your foes flee before you.” And whenever it came to rest, he would say, “Return, O Lord of the ten thousand thousands of Israel.”
Psalm 107:35–43
Posuit flumina
35 He changed deserts into pools of water *
and dry land into water-springs.
and dry land into water-springs.
36 He settled the hungry there, *
and they founded a city to dwell in.
and they founded a city to dwell in.
37 They sowed fields, and planted vineyards, *
and brought in a fruitful harvest.
and brought in a fruitful harvest.
38 He blessed them, so that they increased greatly; *
he did not let their herds decrease.
he did not let their herds decrease.
39 Yet when they were diminished and brought low, *
through stress of adversity and sorrow,
through stress of adversity and sorrow,
40 (He pours contempt on princes *
and makes them wander in trackless wastes)
and makes them wander in trackless wastes)
41 He lifted up the poor out of misery *
and multiplied their families like flocks of sheep.
and multiplied their families like flocks of sheep.
42 The upright will see this and rejoice, *
but all wickedness will shut its mouth.
but all wickedness will shut its mouth.
43 Whoever is wise will ponder these things, *
and consider well the mercies of the Lord.
and consider well the mercies of the Lord.
Acts 6:1–7
Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.” What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
Luke 5:1–11
Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.
Good Night Dear Family of Love! I love you! I give God Thanks for you this night and always! May we all have a blessed and peaceful rest.
With Love,hope,peace, and joy!
Sara
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