Walk With me on Our Journey: Let us #Raise our hearts, hands, and voices in prayer and meditation!

Good Evening Dear Ones!

Happy Being Thoughtful and Thankful Thursday! Today we find ourselves meditating upon the word #raise. This is not going to be easy but we need to try. So let us start by looking at a few biblical verses that contain the word #Raise.

Hebrews 11:19
He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.

Isaiah 26:19
Your dead will live; Their corpses will rise You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, For your dew is as the dew of the dawn, And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.

Luke 20:37
"But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB.

2 Corinthians 1:9
indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;

Romans 4:17
(as it is written, "A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS HAVE I MADE YOU") in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.

Psalm 16:10
For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

Acts 23:6
But perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in the Council, "Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!"

Acts 24:21
other than for this one statement which I shouted out while standing among them, 'For the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today.'"

Acts 24:15
having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.

Revelation 20:5
The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.

Revelation 20:13
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.

Ezekiel 37:5
"Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life.

Ezekiel 37:6
'I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.'"

Ezekiel 37:14
"I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it," declares the LORD.'"

Ezekiel 37:9
Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life."'"

Ezekiel 37:10
So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Matthew 12:41
"The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

Luke 11:32
"The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

Matthew 12:42
"The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

Luke 11:31
"The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

Revelation 20:6
Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

2 Timothy 2:18
men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.

Today's journaling homework is to see how you can make spiritual sentences out of these synonyms of our #AdventWord #Raise

Synonyms for raise
boost
hike
increment
accession
accretion
addition
advance
augmentation
bump
jump
leg
promotion
raising
rise
step-up
hold-up
jump-up
leg-up
move-up

Let us meditate upon these quotes on #raisingup part of today's #AdventWord #Raise:

"I raise up my voice-not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard...we cannot succeed when half of us are held back." ~ Malala Yousafzai

"My icons do not raise up the blessed savior in elaborate cathedrals. They are constructed concentrations celebrating barren rooms. They bring a limited light." ~ Dan Flavin

"The greatest gift a church can receive is to have a group of families who take their responsibilitie s with such Christian seriousness that they are willing to completely alter their lifestyle to raise up disciples for Jesus Christ." ~ Abraham Kuyper

"Lean toward love at all times, cut people slack, forgive and forget, and be kind, very kind; the more you do that, the less fear you will have. People will raise up to support you. Refuse to be scared in this lifetime." ~ Stuart Wilde

". . . Our Lord humbles in order to raise up, and allows the suffering of interior and exterior afflictions in order to bring about peace. He often desires some things more than we do, but wants us to merit the grace of accomplishing them by several practices of virtue and to beg for this with many prayers." ~ Vincent de Paul

"Jesus reveals a God who does not demand but who gives; who does not oppress but who raises up; who does not wound but who heals; who does not condemn but forgives." ~ Brennan Manning

"There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us." ~ Patrick Henry

"One should hallow all that one does in one's natural life. One eats in holiness, tastes the taste of food in holiness, and the table becomes an altar. One works in holiness, and raises up the sparks which hide themselves in all tools. One walks in holiness across the fields, and the soft songs of all herbs, which they voice to God, enter into the song of our soul." ~ Martin Buber

"The man who preaches truth and applies it to the lives of his hearers will feel the nails and the thorns. He will lead a hard life, but a glorious one. May God raise up many such prophets. The church needs them badly." ~ Aiden Wilson Tozer

"When we think of the height of God's infinity we should not despair of His compassion reaching us from such a height; and when we recall the infinite depth of our fall through sin we should not refuse to believe that the virtue which has been killed in us will rise again. For God can accomplish both these things: He can come down and illumine our intellect with spiritual knowledge, and He can raise up the virtue within us and exalt it with Himself through works of righteousness." ~ Maximus the Confessor

"Give us this day our daily taste. Restore to us soups that spoons will not sink in and sauces which are never the same twice. Raise up among us stews with more gravy than we have bread to blot it with... Give us pasta with a hundred fillings." ~ Robert Farrar Capon

++++

I am Resurrection and I am Life, says the Lord.
Whoever has faith in me shall have life,
even though he die.
And everyone who has life,
and has committed himself to me in faith,
shall not die for ever.

As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives
and that at the last he will stand upon the earth.
After my awaking, he will raise me up;
and in my body I shall see God.
I myself shall see, and my eyes behold him
who is my friend and not a stranger.
For none of us has life in himself,
and none becomes his own master when he dies.
For if we have life, we are alive in the Lord,
and if we die, we die in the Lord.
So, then, whether we live or die,
we are the Lord's possession.

Happy from now on
are those who die in the Lord!
So it is, says the Spirit,
for they rest from their labors

+++

Advent

Arise, O Jerusalem, stand upon the height and look toward the

east, and see your children gathered from west and east at the

word of the Holy One. Baruch 5:5

Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the skies rain down

righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation may spring up,

and let it cause righteousness to sprout up also. Isaiah 45:8, NRSV

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you" - when you already have it with you. - Proverbs 3:27-28

The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together.Isaiah 40:5

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.Matthew 32

The Son of man is to come with the angels in the glory of the Father.Matthew 16:27a (adapted

Watch at all times, praying for the strength to stand with confidence before the Son of man. Luke 21:36

Look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. Luke 21:28

In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Isaiah 40:3

The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all the world shall see it together. Isaiah 40:5

Prepare the way of the Lord, make the paths straight, and all the world shall see the salvation of God. Luke 3:4, 6

Restore us again O God: show us the light of your face and we shall be saved. Psalm 80:3

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and those who are afraid are not perfected in love. We love because God first loved us. If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother or sister, that person is a liar; for those who do not love their brothers and sisters whom thay have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 1 John 4:18-20

Joseph Barth: A Grace

We give thanks for Being;
We give thanks for being here;
We give thanks for being here together.

From Howard Thurman
“May the sounds of Advent stir a longing in your people, O God. Come again to set us free from the dullness of routine and the poverty of our imaginations. Break the patterns which bind us to small commitments and to the stale answers we have given to questions of no importance. Let the Advent trumpet blow, let the walls of our defenses crumble, and make a place in our lives for the freshness of your love, well-lived in the Spirit, and still given to all who know their need and dare receive it. Amen” (The Mood of Christmas).

Confession of Need

Let us confess our need for God’s healing grace.

Silence

Compassionate God,

we confess our weaknesses and our need for your

strengthening touch.

We confess that some illnesses stem from our own fault,

while others are beyond our control.

We turn to you, source of life,

and ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ

for the gifts of true healing and life in you. Amen.

May the God of love visit us in our times of trial and weakness,

and raise us to newness of life, through Jesus Christ, in the

power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Now let us Light Our Candles and be at prayer.

The Light of Christ in me Recognizes the Light of Christ in you!"

I hold holy space for you during this time of prayer, vigil, and meditation.

Light of the World Phos hilaron

Light of the world, in grace and beauty,

Mirror of God’s eternal face,

Transparent flame of love’s free duty,

You bring salvation to our race.

Now, as we see the lights of evening,

We raise our voice in hymns of praise;

Worthy are you of endless blessing,

Sun of our night, lamp of our days.

Psalm 134 Ecce nunc

Behold now, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, *

you that stand by night in the house of the LORD.

Lift up your hands in the holy place and bless the LORD; *

the LORD who made heaven and earth bless you out of Zion.

Psalm 141:1-3,8ab Domine, clamavi

O LORD, I call to you; come to me quickly; *

hear my voice when I cry to you.

Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, *

the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Set a watch before my mouth, O LORD,

and guard the door of my lips; *

let not my heart incline to any evil thing.

My eyes are turned to you, Lord GOD; *

in you I take refuge.

From the Resistance Prays
Holy One, as we remember the poor, we remember you. As we celebrate Advent, anticipating your coming, we anticipate the day when those who have been oppressed will be freed, when those who have been marginalized will be brought in, and when those have been neglected will be remembered. Amen.

Enfleshed has beautiful prayers for the Advent season and for the lighting of candles:

We come to know you, Holy One, as Wisdom Incarnate, as Flickering Flame, as Spirit of Life, as Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, Enfleshed. You come to us as the Stranger and the Strange. Often we do not recognize you. Often we turn away from your gifts and your demands. Yet you come to us in Wilderness, in the Impossible Made Possible, in Silence and Singing and Sighs Too Deep for Words. You abhor dominance, mastery, fear, and control. You are made known to us in Vulnerability, and Courage, and Divesting from the Powers of Empire. We come to you this Advent in need, with longing, in pain, captive to fear, desiring a more just world, a more livable life for all of us, for the earth, for every living thing caught and held in this inescapable network of mutual interdependence we call this one wild and precious Life. We long for you. We long for healing. We long for liberation. We long for different systems and patterns of relating. Amen.

And so, this Advent, we pause. We breathe. We pray. We dig deep. We reach out. We rise up. We remember. We vision. We sit with the pain. We stay with the trouble. We wait, expectant. We light candles. We labor. We open to You, and to one another, and to the Sacred Mystery that is Emmanuel, God-With-Us, Love Incarnate, Divinity Enfleshed.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to throw away;

a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Loving God, on this weighty day, we call to you in distress and anxiety, asking you to give us the clarity of purpose that we need to steer us through these difficult times. Every day, as we listen to the arguments of those who lead us, we are waiting and praying, wondering what our futures will hold. Remind us that even when things seem hopeless, we are still your beloved ones, eternally enfolded in your loving embrace, resting in your mercy, and guided by your truth. Grace abounds. You are with us, and you are good - all the time. Amen.

Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

– John 13:16

God, breathe a spirit of truth through this sinful and wayward nation. Expose the hypocrisy, greed and lust for power that course through the halls of power—reveal their lies. We yearn to see your justice, pine for the righteousness you have promised. You swore that no person should place themselves in the divine throne, convict those who are presently trying.

Hymn

God that madest earth and heaven,
Darkness and light;
Who the day for toil hast given,
For rest the night;
May thine angel guards defend us,
Slumber sweet thy mercy send us,
Holy dreams and hopes attend us,
This livelong night.

Guard us waking, guard us sleeping,
And, when we die,
May we in thy mighty keeping
All peaceful lie:
When the last dread call shall wake us,
Do not thou our God forsake us,
But to reign in glory take us
With thee on high.

God let us light our candles to pray that we may love radically with open hearts, open souls, open spirits, and open minds. Let our love be seen not only in words but deeds. Let our lives show the love that you have given us daily without fear. God let your love be the measuring stick from which we may guide ourselves to do better when we fall short in loving all of our family members. God help us to love with words that have deep and abiding meaning that will build up and not tear down. Give us the courage to support our family members who desire to love and live openly as beloved children of God. God help us to know that Love truly is Love without condition and needs to be celebrated daily in many and exciting ways. God help us to love radically in the service of others and with enough Love Energy to set the world ablaze with enlivened and joyful hearts. We pray these our prayers in the name of God and in the name of Love who is God. Amen

Now repeat after me: "The Light of Christ in Me, Recognizes the Light of Christ in you!" Imagine that you are passing this candle to the person next to you and passing the candle from family member to family member. Lovingly look into their eyes and with tender and compassionate tone of voice repeat the above. Don't forget the smile!

Psalm 18: Part II Et retribuet mihi

21 The Lord rewarded me because of my righteous dealing; *
because my hands were clean he rewarded me;

22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord *
and have not offended against my God;

23 For all his judgments are before my eyes, *
and his decrees I have not put away from me;

24 For I have been blameless with him *
and have kept myself from iniquity;

25 Therefore the Lord rewarded me according to my
righteous dealing, *
because of the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

26 With the faithful you show yourself faithful, O God; *
with the forthright you show yourself forthright.

27 With the pure you show yourself pure, *
but with the crooked you are wily.

28 You will save a lowly people, *
but you will humble the haughty eyes.

29 You, O Lord, are my lamp; *
my God, you make my darkness bright.

30 With you I will break down an enclosure; *
with the help of my God I will scale any wall.

31 As for God, his ways are perfect;
the words of the Lord are tried in the fire; *
he is a shield to all who trust in him.
32 For who is God, but the Lord? *
who is the Rock, except our God?

33 It is God who girds me about with strength *
and makes my way secure.

34 He makes me sure-footed like a deer *
and lets me stand firm on the heights.

35 He trains my hands for battle *
and my arms for bending even a bow of bronze.

36 You have given me your shield of victory; *
your right hand also sustains me;
your loving care makes me great.

37 You lengthen my stride beneath me, *
and my ankles do not give way.

38 I pursue my enemies and overtake them; *
I will not turn back till I have destroyed them.

39 I strike them down, and they cannot rise; *
they fall defeated at my feet.

40 You have girded me with strength for the battle; *
you have cast down my adversaries beneath me;
you have put my enemies to flight.

41 I destroy those who hate me;
they cry out, but there is none to help them; *
they cry to the Lord, but he does not answer.

42 I beat them small like dust before the wind; *
I trample them like mud in the streets.

43 You deliver me from the strife of the peoples; *
you put me at the head of the nations.

44 A people I have not known shall serve me;
no sooner shall they hear than they shall obey me; *
strangers will cringe before me.
45 The foreign peoples will lose heart; *
they shall come trembling out of their strongholds.

46 The Lord lives! Blessed is my Rock! *
Exalted is the God of my salvation!

47 He is the God who gave me victory *
and cast down the peoples beneath me.

48 You rescued me from the fury of my enemies;
you exalted me above those who rose against me; *
you saved me from my deadly foe.

49 Therefore will I extol you among the nations, O Lord, *
and sing praises to your Name.

50 He multiplies the victories of his king; *
he shows loving-kindness to his anointed,
to David and his descendants for ever.

Amos 4:6-13

Israel Rejects Correction

6 I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
and lack of bread in all your places,
yet you did not return to me,

says the Lord.

7 And I also withheld the rain from you
when there were still three months to the harvest;
I would send rain on one city,
and send no rain on another city;
one field would be rained upon,
and the field on which it did not rain withered;
8 so two or three towns wandered to one town
to drink water, and were not satisfied;
yet you did not return to me,

says the Lord.

9 I struck you with blight and mildew;
I laid waste* your gardens and your vineyards;
the locust devoured your fig trees and your olive trees;
yet you did not return to me,

says the Lord.

10 I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt;
I killed your young men with the sword;
I carried away your horses;*
and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils;
yet you did not return to me,

says the Lord.

11 I overthrew some of you,
as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
and you were like a brand snatched from the fire;
yet you did not return to me,

says the Lord.

12 Therefore, thus I will do to you, O Israel;
because I will do this to you,
prepare to meet your God, O Israel!

13 For lo, the one who forms the mountains, creates the wind,
reveals his thoughts to mortals,
makes the morning darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth—
the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!

Hymn

Hail, gladdening Light, of God’s pure glory poured,
Who is the immortal Father, heavenly, blest,
Holiest of holies, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now we are come to the sun’s hour of rest,
The lights of evening round us shine,
We hymn the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit divine.

Worthiest art thou at all times to be sung,
With undefilèd tongue,
Son of our God, Giver of life, alone!
Therefore in all the world thy glories, Lord, they own.

The Third Song of Isaiah Surge, illuminare
Isaiah 60:1-3, 11a, 14c, 18-19

Arise, shine, for your light has come, *
and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.
For behold, darkness covers the land; *
deep gloom enshrouds the peoples.
But over you the Lord will rise, *
and his glory will appear upon you.
Nations will stream to your light, *
and kings to the brightness of your dawning.
Your gates will always be open; *
by day or night they will never be shut.
They will call you, The City of the Lord, *
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Violence will no more be heard in your land, *
ruin or destruction within your borders.
You will call your walls, Salvation, *
and all your portals, Praise.
The sun will no more be your light by day; *
by night you will not need the brightness of the moon.

2 Peter 3:11-18

11 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, 12waiting for and hastening* the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? 13But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

Final Exhortation and Doxology

14 Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; 15and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him, 16speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. 17You therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, beware that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless and lose your own stability. 18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. 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.

Hymn
Before the ending of the day,
Creator of the world we pray,
that you, with love and lasting light,
would guard us through the hours of night.

From all ill dreams defend our eyes,
from nightly fears and fantasies;
redeem through us our evil foe,
that we no lasting harm may know.

O wisest Guide, grant all we ask,
fulfil in us your holy task,
surround us with your love and care,
and lead us on, your life to share.

All praise to God, sustaining us,
redeeming and transforming us,
thanksgiving in eternity,
all praise, belovèd Trinity.

Matthew 21:33-46

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

33 ‘Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 34When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. 35But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. 37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” 38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” 39So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ 41They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’

42 Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;*
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes”?
43Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.* 44The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.’*

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 46They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

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.

Hymn

Be thou my vision, O Christ of my heart,
Be all else but naught to me save that thou art,
Be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
Both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.

Riches I heed not, nor folk’s empty praise,
Be thou my inheritance now and always,
Be thou and thou only the first in my heart,
O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art.

Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or
weep this night, and give thine angels charge over those who
sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless
the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the
joyous; and all for thy love's sake. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer or the alternative is said. From A New Zealand Prayer Book

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours

now and for ever. Amen.

Eternal Spirit,

Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,

Source of all that is and that shall be,

Father and Mother of us all,

Loving God, in whom is heaven:

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!

The way of your justice be followed by the peoples

of the world!

Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!

Your commonwealth of peace and freedom

sustain our hope and come on earth.

With the bread we need for today, feed us.

In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.

In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.

From trials too great to endure, spare us.

From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,

now and for ever. Amen.

Collects for the First Sunday of Advent!
Collects (ANZPB)

God of hope,
when Christ your Son appears
may he not find us asleep or idle,
but active in his service and ready.

Come, O come Emmanuel,
you are the way, the truth and the life;
you are the true vine and the bread of life.
Come, living Saviour,
come to your world which waits for you.

Almighty God,
give us grace to cast off the works of darkness
and put on the armour of light,
now in the time of this mortal life,
in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility;
so that when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
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.

First Sunday of Advent (BCP)
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.

From A New Zealand Prayer Book-

Lord,
it is night.

The night is for stillness.
Let us be still in the presence of God.

It is night after a long day.
What has been done has been done;
what has not been done has not been done;
let it be.

The night is dark.
Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives
rest in you.
The night is quiet.
Let the quietness of your peace enfold us,
all dear to us,
and all who have no peace.

The night heralds the dawn.
Let us look expectantly to a new day,
new joys,
new possibilities.

In your name we pray.
Amen.

For the Human Family

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. 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.

Holy Wisdom, in your loving kindness you created and restored us when we were lost: inspire us with your truth, that we may love you with our whole minds and run to you with open hearts, through Christ our Savior. Amen. (source: Alcuin of York, Mass of Wisdom)

God our rock and refuge: keep us safe in your care and strengthen us with your grace, that we may pray to you faithfully and love one another boldly, following the example of Jesus, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives for ever and ever. Amen. (source: Veronese Sacramentary)

Loving Jesus: Protect and sustain us with your hand. Open the door of your love that, sealed with your wisdom, we may be free to serve you with joy. Amen. (a prayer of St. Gertrude)

Jesus, you are the way through the wilderness: show us your truth in which we journey, and by the grace of the Holy Spirit be in us the life that draws us to God. Amen. (source: F.B. McNutt, The Prayer Manual [London: Mowbray, 1961], p. 29, adapted)

Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world.
St. Teresa of Avila

The Wisdom of God

the Love of God
and the Grace of God
strengthen you
to be Christ’s hands and heart in this world,
in the name of the Holy Trinity. Amen.
(source: Celtic)

We close our vigil with these prayers:

The Woke Prayers of St. Francis

Help us O God to be woke!

Woke as your peacemakers, change makers, heart changers, and love energy bringers!

Woke to the hatred so that we may sow seeds of love.

Woke to the injury so that we may heal the hurt and cease the harm.

Woke to the divisiveness that we may be eager to heal and unite as one neighborhood and family.

Woke to uncertainty that will lead us to be renewed in faith.

Woke to the despair of all our neighbors so that we may sow seeds of radical hope, love, hospitality, and inclusion.

Woke to the knowledge that we are God's beloved children. Help us to be woke to sing the words of "Light One Candle"

LIGHT ONE CANDLE

Peter Yarrow

Light one candle for the Maccabee children

With thanks that their light didn't die

Light one candle for the pain they endured

When their right to exist was denied

Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice

Justice and freedom demand

But light one candle for the wisdom to know

When the peacemaker's time is at hand

chorus:

Don't let the light go out!

It's lasted for so many years!

Don't let the light go out!

Let it shine through our love and our tears.

Light one candle for the strength that we need

To never become our own foe

And light one candle for those who are suffering

Pain we learned so long ago

Light one candle for all we believe in

That anger not tear us apart

And light one candle to bind us together

With peace as the song in our hearts

(chorus)

What is the memory that's valued so highly

That we keep it alive in that flame?

What's the commitment to those who have died

That we cry out they've not died in vain?

We have come this far always believing

That justice would somehow prevail

This is the burden, this is the promise

This is why we will not fail!

(chorus)

Don't let the light go out!

Help us to be woke enough not to think of ourselves being the comforted, help us be the comforters and wounded healers.

Help not to be know it alls and be woke to understand what is plaguing our inner beings, neighbors, neighborhoods, the least of these, our family members.

God wake us up to be Woke to your agape love so that we may love everything that you have made. Wake us to be Woke to Radical Love, Hospitality, and inclusion.

Help us to know that being truly woke means being open to radical and random acts of kindness and giving. Where the giver is given and receives much by acts of giving.

Help us to be woke enough to forgive and then find ourselves being actually forgiven

God Wake us Up to Be Woke to know that death isn't the end but only the beginning of a new birth in your heavenly Kindom. Amen and let it be so!

Respond to these petitions with: May we all be one and comfort one another with love, kindness and gentleness God hear our prayers!

God of all comfort be with us this night as we pray for peace in this world and that we may live into our baptismal covenant with you and each other.