Good Evening Dear Family of Love,

Happy Wisdom and Wonder Filled Wednesday! I hope everyone is taking time to feel the wonder this season. Today we find ourselves moving towards the feast of Christ's birth. Today's #AdventWord is #Abide and that reminds me of one of the choral selections in Handel's Messiah. Let's take a look at the lyrics and listen to it two ways traditional and soulful.

But who may abide the day of His coming, and who shall stand when He
appeareth? For He is like a refiner's fire. (Malachi 3:2)

But Who May abide the day of his Coming- Handel (Trad)

But Who May Abide the Day of His Coming - Patti Austin- Soulful

So what exactly does the word abide mean? Let's as they used to say "Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls" or better yet Merriam -Webster.

Abide
Definition of abide
abode play \-ˈbōd\ or abidedabiding
transitive verb
1
: to wait for : await
2
a : to endure without yielding : withstand
b : to bear patiently : tolerate <cannot abide such bigots>
3
: to accept without objection <will abide your decision>
intransitive verb
1
: to remain stable or fixed in a state
2
: to continue in a place : sojourn
abider noun
abide by
1
: to conform to <abide by the rules>
2
: to acquiesce in <will abide by your decision>

Jesus was a great one who talked about abiding quite a bit. When we stay, wait, live, and follow Jesus we are abiding in Him. We must do the very same thing with God and each other. This means we never give up and we learn to accept situations as they are and hope for things yet to be. So Advent is a time of Abiding. We must wait a little longer until the Angels tell us to go to Bethlehem and see Christ in the manger. No skipping steps.

So in our time of meditation tonight let us meditate on the #AdventWord #Abide. If you are looking to see the various Biblical References with #Abide here is a link:
31 verses about Abiding in Christ

Now let us turn our faces towards our time of making vigil, prayer time, and spending more time with the Great O Antiphons: We will begin with the Great O Antiphons as we have been doing:

Now let us continue on to our meditation on the Great O Antiphons and make vigil and pray.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

and ransom captive Israel,

that mourns in lonely exile here

until the Son of God appear.

Refrain:

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Sapientia

O come, thou Wisdom from on high,

who orderest all things mightily;

to us the path of knowledge show,

and teach us in her ways to go. Refrain

O Adonai

O come, O come, great Lord of might,

who to thy tribes on Sinai's height

in ancient times once gave the law

in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain

O Radix Jesse

O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free

thine own from Satan's tyranny;

from depths of hell thy people save,

and give them victory over the grave. Refrain

O Clavis David

O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav'nly home ;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice ! Rejoice ! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Oriens

O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice ! Rejoice ! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Rex gentium

(Various renditions)

A. O come, Desire of the nations, bind

in one the hearts of all mankind;

bid every strife and quarrel cease

and fill the world with heaven's peace.

B O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace.

C . O come, Desire of nations, bind

in one the hearts of all mankind;

bid thou our sad divisions cease,

and be thyself our King of Peace. Refrain

To Be Continued

An Advent Procession Based on the Great O Antiphons

O Sapientia

O Wisdom, which camest out of the mouth of the Most High, and reachest from one end to another, mightily and sweetly ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of prudence.

O Adonai

O Adonai, Leader of the house of Israel, who appearedst in the bush to Moses in a flame of fire, and gavest him the law in Sinai: Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.

O Adonai

O Radix Jesse

O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at whom kings shall stop their mouths, whom the Gentiles shall seek: Come and deliver us, and tarry not.

O Radix Jesse

O Clavis David -

O Key of David, Sceptre and the house of Israel; that openest and no man shutteth, and shuttest and no man openeth: Come and bring forth the prisoners out of the prison house.

O Clavis David

O Oriens -

O Day-spring, Brightness of the Light everlasting, and Sun of righteousness: Come and enlighten them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

O Oriens

Veni, Veni Emmanuel

O Rex gentium -

O King of Nations and their Desire; the Cornerstone, who makest both one: Come and save mankind, whom thou formedst of clay

O Rex Gentium

Let us light our candles and make vigil and pray that we may abide in Christ, God, and each other.

Anthem at the Candle lighting. (BOS)

You, O Lord, are my lamp; *
my God, you make my darkness bright.
You, O Lord, are my lamp;
my God, you make my darkness bright.
You have been my helper:
My God, you make my darkness bright.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
You, O Lord, are my lamp;
my God, you make my darkness bright.

V. Let my prayer be set forth, O Lord:

R. As incense in your sight.

Let us start our vigil time with a portion of scripture: 1 John 4:7-21

God Is Love

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Saviour of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgement, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.
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Loving God, help us to become loving family members and neighbors to ourselves and others.

Loving God enfold you loving arms around the least of these and especially all those who are homeless and without shelter, clothing, or food. Protect them during the night hours and keep watch overt their few worldly goods.

Loving God, we pray for all children of the world that they my be loved, protected and treasured. We pray for all children who are ill and living with chronic illnesses.

Loving God, we pray this night for all who are in need of healing of their bodies, minds, and spirits.

Loving God, give us courage to serve you wherever you may lead us. We pray especially for our family members who are seeking better employment.

Loving God, let us seek to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with you. May we be given courage to speak truth to power and practice peaceful nonviolent protesting.

Loving God, give us courage to become peacemakers and be united as one family under You.

Loving God send down showers of peace to this your broken and fragile world especially to Syria, Iraq, and all war torn areas of the world.

Loving God, we pray that cures to all diseases my be found and that health may be returned to all.

Loving God we pray for rain in all drought parched areas of the world and in our own neighborhood.

Loving God, we pray for all who have asked us for prayer remembering ____________________

Loving God, we pray for an end to all violence, war,,hate, abuse, and all forms of harm that they may be vanquished and that love, peace, and protection may prevail up the Earth.

Loving God, we pry for all who mourn the loss of loved ones and pets.

Loving God we entrust to you those who are dying and those who have died today. We pray that they received a loving welcome into the Thin Places by you and all their relatives, angels, and saints.

Let is pray The following piece of scripture.

1 Corinthians 13New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The Gift of Love

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. 2 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. 3 If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast,[a] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 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. 9 For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; 10 but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. 11 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. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly,[b] 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. 13 And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

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God of Love, you taught us to love, now teach us to see love not only with our eyes but with our hearts so that we may strive to be your peacemakers to your fragile and broken world.

God of Love, you taught us to love, now teach us to see love not only with our eyes but with our hearts so that we may help heal the tender hearts of the least of these and those who are lost, lonely, and alone.

God of Love, you taught us to love, now teach us to see love not only with our eyes but with our hearts so that we may lovingly accept all of your beloved children whom you have made.

God of Love, you taught us to love, now teach us to see love not only with our eyes but with our hearts that we may with you heal and comfort our family members with our prayers and compassionate touch and words.

God of Love, you taught us to love, now teach us to see love not only with our eyes but with our hearts that we may comfort those who are in grief's long journey.

God of Love, you taught us to love, now teach us to see love not only with our eyes but with our hearts so that we may speak truth to power and be a voice to the voiceless.

God of Love, you taught us to love, now teach us to see love not only with our eyes but with our hearts as we pray and give thanks for_______________

God of Love, you taught us to love, now teach us to see love not only with our eyes but with our hearts as we lift these our prayers to your beloved Son Jesus. 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.

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.

Today we commemorate the Feast of St. Thomas:

Everliving God, who strengthened your apostle Thomas with firm and certain faith in your Son's resurrection: Grant us so perfectly and without doubt to believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, that our faith may never be found wanting in your sight; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Habakkuk 2:1-4

I will stand at my watchpost,

and station myself on the rampart;

I will keep watch to see what he will say to me,

and what he will answer concerning my complaint.

Then the Lord answered me and said:

Write the vision;

make it plain on tablets,

so that a runner may read it.

For there is still a vision for the appointed time;

it speaks of the end, and does not lie.

If it seems to tarry, wait for it;

it will surely come, it will not delay.

Look at the proud!

Their spirit is not right in them,

but the righteous live by their faith.

Psalm 126

In convertendo

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, *

then were we like those who dream.

2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, *

and our tongue with shouts of joy.

3 Then they said among the nations, *

"The Lord has done great things for them."

4 The Lord has done great things for us, *

and we are glad indeed.

5 Restore our fortunes, O Lord, *

like the watercourses of the Negev.

6 Those who sowed with tears *

will reap with songs of joy.

7 Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, *

will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.

Hebrews 10:35-11:1

Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward. For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

For yet “in a very little while,

the one who is coming will come and will not delay;

but my righteous one will live by faith.

My soul takes no pleasure in anyone who shrinks back.”

But we are not among those who shrink back and so are lost, but among those who have faith and so are saved.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

John 20:24-29

Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with the other disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

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Good Night Dearly loved ones! I love you and give thanks to God for you this day and always. May you all have a blessed and restful night. Take time to breathe and be well.

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

Sara