Good Evening and Happy New Year Family of Love!
Wow it is 2017! When did these years roll by so quickly? I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve and Day. Today on the church calendar we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus formerly known as the Feast of the Circumcision. Today's #ChristmasWords are #HolyName. Have you ever thought about the importance of having a name is? God was pretty clear on how important names are and were for God's Children and especially Jesus. When God sent Gabriel to Mary and you know the rest, God was specific that Jesus was to be called Jesus. This is what the definition of Jesus means:
It is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Jesus is "the Lord is salvation"
We see the same thing with Jesus' cousin John the Baptist. Elizabeth and Zechariah were told to name their son "John" Funny thing is this, is that names of many people in the Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament did go through name transformations and changes when they were called to do something else. We see Abram become Abraham, Sarai become Sarah, Saul to Paul, Simon to Peter, etc. Do you how important names are? When was the last time you looked up the origin of your name? Do it and see if you hold any of the qualities the name you have been given.
Tonight let us turn to today's lessons and collect and meditate upon the Holy Name of Jesus.
Collect of the Day
Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Exodus 34:1-8
34 The Lord said to Moses, ‘Cut two tablets of stone like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai and present yourself there to me, on the top of the mountain. 3 No one shall come up with you, and do not let anyone be seen throughout all the mountain; and do not let flocks or herds graze in front of that mountain.’ 4 So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the former ones; and he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tablets of stone. 5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name, ‘The Lord.’* 6 The Lord passed before him, and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation,* forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, yet by no means clearing the guilty, but visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ 8 And Moses quickly bowed his head towards the earth, and worshipped.
Numbers 6:22-27 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.
Psalm 8 Domine, Dominus noster 1 O Lord our Governor, * how exalted is your Name in all the world! 2 Out of the mouths of infants and children * your majesty is praised above the heavens. 3 You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, * to quell the enemy and the avenger. 4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, * the moon and the stars you have set in their courses, 5 What is man that you should be mindful of him? * the son of man that you should seek him out? 6 You have made him but little lower than the angels; * you adorn him with glory and honor; 7 You give him mastery over the works of your hands; * you put all things under his feet: 8 All sheep and oxen, * even the wild beasts of the field, 9 The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, * and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea. 10 O Lord our Governor, * how exalted is your Name in all the world
Galatians 4:4-7 When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God. or Philippians 2:5-11 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Or
Romans 1:1-7
1Paul, a servant* of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit* of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, 6including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
7 To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 2:15-21 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Here is the rest of the story that we will see on February Second but it is just to good not to tell now.
Luke 2:22-38 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Jesus Is Presented in the Temple
22 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), 24 and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 “Master, now you are dismissing your servant[e] in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”
33 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophet, Anna[g] the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Let us light our candles and pray and make vigil and give thanks for the Holy Name of Jesus and the love, healing, and salvation he has brought to all people.
Anthem at the Candle Lighting: (BOS)
The Word was made flesh, * and dwelt among us.
The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.
He was with God in the beginning:
And dwelt among us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.
V. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord:
R. God is the Lord; he has shined upon us.
Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord. Thanks be to God
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-
O Lord God Almighty, as you have taught us to call the evening, the morning, and the noonday one day; and have made the sun to know its going down: Dispel the darkness of our hearts, that by your brightness we may know you to be the true God and eternal light, living and reigning for ever and ever. Amen.
O Gracious Light
Phos hilaron O gracious Light, pure brightness of the everliving 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.
Almighty, everlasting God, let our prayer in your sight be as incense, the lifting up of our hands as the evening sacrifice. Give us grace to behold you, present in your Word and Sacraments, and to recognize you in the lives of those around us. Stir up in us the flame of that love which burned in the heart of your Son as he bore his passion, and let it burn in us to eternal life and to the ages of ages. Amen
The Song of Simeon Nunc dimittis Luke 2:29-32 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, * according to thy word; For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, * which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, * and to be the glory of thy 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.
Let us pray:
Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.
God may we resist the need to put labels, letters, brands, and such on your children.
May we be one.
God may we resist using these labels, letters, brands to harm, hurt, discriminate and hate.
May we be loving and united.
God may we resist the need to use labels, letters, brands in describing our family members.
May we see each family member as you see us.
God may we seek to see you in each of our enemies faces and do good to them by remembering they are part of our family too. May we seek to follow the example Jesus set and look to Him as our role model in our family and in our faith.
God may we continue to widen the circle of our family by expanding and tenderizing our hearts and loving each other fully without fear and suspicion.
God we pray for all of our family members who are ill, need, danger, homeless, hungry, and especially these our family members we now name before you________________
God we pray for all our family members who are in nations where there is danger remembering Istanbul, Iraq, South Sudan, Syria, The Ukraine, and all other parts of the world where there is danger and especially those places that are on our hearts____________________
God we pray for rain and a gentle return to normal weather patterns throughout the world. and in our nation.
God we pray for those who have died today and this hour that they may feel your warm embrace as they begin a new chapter where they are truly one with you. We pray for all who continue to grieve losses of any kind regardless of time. We remember especially_____________________________
God we give you thanks for our family members and all our many blessings and especially all those many blessings _______________________
God we celebrate those special times , family members birthdays, and special saints and persons who are on our calendar and hearts today remembering especially_____________________________
God we wrap these our prayers into a Sabbath Box and know that you are already at work responding to these our prayers, receiving our thanksgivings, acknowledging those special celebrations and consoling us as we remember those who are near and dear to us who now reside with you. All this we ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.
"Hear O, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One". May we all be one!
Or these:
Dear Ones this is our time for our Virtual Candlelight Prayer Vigil and light our candles and pray that the world may be illumined with God's light of love and peace. We pray that we may see each other as the beautiful child God made in God's own image and likeness. We pray for and end to fear, violence, and hatred."Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with us"!
Let us be at prayer and pray to God to help us strengthen the holy connections God has given us.
God help us to strengthen the holy connections so that we may be united in the bonds of love and family-hood.
God help us to strengthen the holy connections that remind us that we are family to even the least of these and our enemies.
God help us to strengthen the holy connections that make us one with you so that we may serve you as in the paths you have set before us.
God help us to strengthen the holy connections that are needed at the time when our family members mourn losses of loved ones and friends.
God help us to strengthen the holy connections to reach out to all our family members who are ill and may we pray this night for all who are ill remembering especially_____________________________
God help us to strengthen the holy connections that unite us and not divide us.
God help us to strengthen the holy connections that call us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with you so that we may become the voice of the voiceless. We pray for peace and an end to wars, violence, and terror. We pray for all refugees, captives,and victims of abuse and trafficking.
God help us to strengthen the holy connections to our loved ones who have died so that we may pray for those who are dying and transitioning into the Thin Places.
God help us to strengthen the holy connections that will help us to have a reverence for God's Cathedral of Life and all living things and beings.
God help us to strengthen the holy connections that we may bring ourselves and our gifts to the table daily and share them with all of our family members with love and for the common good.
God help us to strengthen the holy connections when we share our life's story with courage we may feel your loving arms around us as we speak our truth with love and mercy. May we not be afraid to come out of our closets what ever those closets may be and the secrets that need to be told. May with live our lives authentically with love, courage, and grace.
God help us to strengthen the holy connections as we pray for ourselves, on behalf of our family members, and those who have been afraid to come to us and ask us for prayer remembering_____________
God in the name of Jesus we lift up these our prayers who connects us to you and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Good Night Dearly loved ones! I love you and wish I could call you all by name but you are forever in my heart home. I give thanks to God for you and for our 4th New Years day together. Let us continue to be a part of Walk With Me On Our Journey.
Love and blessings,
Sara
Tonight's liturgical resources
Satucket Lectionary
Lectionary Page
Book of Common Prayer
Book of Occasional Services
Walk With Me On Our Journey original material
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