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

Good Evening Dear Family of Love!

Happy Keeping the Faith Friday Fearlessly without Fretting. Before we begin our time of meditation let us do our weekly Worry/Sabbath box work. I think and know that this is very important this time of the year. Get your sticky notes or journal out and write down everything that is troubling your heart and soul and place them in the Worry-Sabbath Box/Journal/Jar and let things go. After you do this return, and we will continue our time together.  Our #AdventWord is #Light. What do you think of when you see the word  light? Light is on of those words that means many things and also is what separates day from night. I have been going through a period of depression and will be seeing my doctor on Monday to see if we can shed some light on why I feel so sad and yes even having flashes of anger. Not sure why all this is happening but I'm asking you all to keep me in your prayers and that I might have a lightness of spirit in the coming days. Enough about me, let's meditate upon the word light and write down what light means to you and think up all the things that we need light for. Yes, you can Google or use Merriam Webster's dictionary to help you with your research. When you get back write them down. 

Definition of Light


Now let us pray and make vigil and light our candles so that we may see God's light reflecting in our heart homes and give us love energy to shine God's light to a fragile and broken world.

Advent

Come and save us, * O Lord God of hosts.
Come and save us, O Lord God of hosts.
Show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved:
O Lord God of hosts.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Come and save us, O Lord God of hosts.
V. Show us your mercy, O Lord:
R. And grant us your salvation.

Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Light of Christ In Me Recognizes the Light of Christ in You!

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a
hill cannot be hid. No one lights a lamp to put it under a
bucket, but on a lamp-stand where it gives light for everyone
in the house. And you, like the lamp, must shed light among
your fellow men, so that they may see the good you do, and
give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-

It is not ourselves that we proclaim; we proclaim Christ
Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants, for Jesus’ sake.
For the same God who said, “Out of darkness let light shine,”
has caused his light to shine within us, to give the light of
revelation––the revelation of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:5-6


If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light
around me turn to night,” darkness is not dark to you, O
Lord; the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light to
you are both alike. Psalm 139:10-11


Grant us, Lord, the lamp of charity which never fails, that it
may burn in us and shed its light on those around us, and
that by its brightness we may have a vision of that holy City,
where dwells the true and never-failing Light, Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.

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.

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.


O Gracious Light Phos hilaron


O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the ever living Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds

First Sunday of Advent
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of
darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of
this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit
us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come
again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the
dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen.

Collect for the Feast of Channing Moore Williams

Almighty and everlasting God, we thank you for your servant Channing Moore Williams, whom you called to preach the Gospel to the people of China and Japan. Raise up in this and every land evangelists and heralds of your kingdom, that your Church may proclaim the unsearchable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Isaiah 49:22–23

Thus says the Lord God:

I will soon lift up my hand to the nations,
and raise my signal to the peoples;

and they shall bring your sons in their bosom,
and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.

Kings shall be your foster-fathers,
and their queens your nursing-mothers.

With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you,
and lick the dust of your feet.

Then you will know that I am the Lord;
those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.

Psalm 96:1–7

Cantate Domino

1 Sing to the Lord a new song; *
sing to the Lord, all the whole earth.

2 Sing to the Lord and bless his Name; *
proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.

3 Declare his glory among the nations *
and his wonders among all peoples.

4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; *
he is more to be feared than all gods.

5 As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols; *
but it is the Lord who made the heavens.

6 Oh, the majesty and magnificence of his presence! *
Oh, the power and the splendor of his sanctuary!

7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples; *
ascribe to the Lord honor and power.

Acts 1:1–9

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

Luke 10:1–9


The Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”

Isaiah 9:2New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

2 [a] The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
    on them light has shined.

Intercessory prayers for light!

God you gave us lights in the sky to help us light our way. Help us to follow the light of Christ and lead us away from darkness and into a new dawn of being.

God you gave us light to help plants grow. Help us be good stewards of all living things and in your Cathedral of life.

God give all of your servants who preach the Word tomorrow that they may be given your holy light to shine the words that they will say and make the "Words become Flesh" Inspire our ears as we hear old and familiar texts.

God give us the warmth of your light to comfort all who are ill in body, mind, and spirit.

God give us the warmth of your light to comfort all who mourn and are pre-grieving.

God show us how to Follow Christ's Light and love, Be the lights of love, and give the lights of love to all of our family members who are feeling invisible and marginalized. Help us to be lights of comfort to the least of these.

God show us how to pray when we feel like we are losing your Light. Help us to learn to live as the the living Word your Son Jesus and ask ourselves what He would do when we faced with self doubt.

God bring to light in us those things we need to pray for ourselves and on behalf of our family members remembering especially_________________

God we pray these prayers in the name of your Son Jesus the Christ who brought light to a darkened world. Amen.

The Song of Simeon

 Nunc dimittis

Luke 2:29-32

Lord, you now have set your servant free *

to go in peace as you have promised;

For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *

whom you have prepared for all the world to see:

A Light to enlighten the nations, *

and the glory of your 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.

Matthew 5:14-16New International Version (NIV)

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Apache Blessing

May the sun bring you new energy by day, 

may the moon softly restore you by night, 

may the rain wash away your worries, 

may the breeze blow new strength into your being, 

may you walk gently through the world and 

know it's beauty all the days of your life.

 - Apache Blessing

Prayer of  The Four Directions

Chief Seattle

Great Spirit of Light, come to me out of the East (red) with the power of the rising sun. Let there be light in my words, let there be light on my path that I walk. Let me remember always that you give the gift of a new day. And never let me be burdened with sorrow by not starting over again.

Great Spirit of Creation, send me the warm and soothing winds from the South (yellow). Comfort me and caress me when I am tired and cold. Unfold me like the gentle breezes that unfold the leaves on the trees. As you give to all the earth your warm, moving wind, give to me, so that I may grow close to you in warmth. Man did not create the web of life, he is but a strand in it. Whatever man does to the web, he does to himself. 

Great Life-Giving Spirit, I face the West (black), the direction of sundown. Let me remember everyday that the moment will come when my sun will go down. Never let me forget that I must fade into you. Give me a beautiful color, give me a great sky for setting, so that when it is my time to meet you, I can come with glory.

Great Spirit of Love, come to me with the power of the North (white). Make me courageous when the cold wind falls upon me. Give me strength and endurance for everything that is harsh, everything that hurts, everything that makes me squint. Let me move through life ready to take what comes from the north.

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In the house made of dawn.

In the story made of dawn.
On the trail of dawn.
O, Talking God.
His feet, my feet, restore.
His limbs, my limbs, restore.
His body, my body, restore.
His voice, my voice, restore.
His plumes, my plumes, restore.
With beauty before him, with beauty before me.
With beauty behind him, with beauty behind me.
With beauty above him, with beauty above me.
With beauty below him, with beauty below me.
With beauty around him, with beauty around me.
With pollen beautiful in his voice with pollen beautiful in my voice.

It is finished in beauty.

It is finished in beauty.

In the house of evening light.

From the story made of evening light.

On the trail of evening light.

american indian - navajo

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Good Night Dear Ones. In the words of the Gospel according to Matthew 

I leave you with this " 6 Let your light so shine before men, 

that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

I love you and give God thanks for you this day and always.

With love, hope, joy, peace, and blessings,

Sara

Liturgical sources:
Book of Occasional Services
Book of Common Prayer
Bible Gateway
Native American Prayer websites
Prayers from Walk With Me On Our Journey Blogs