Good Evening Dear Ones!
Happy Monday! I hope and pray that all is well. Today is the feast of Jackson Kemper. Please click on his name to learn more about him. Today's meditation is on the word commission. What does it mean to be commissioned. This is our time to journal and yest even do a word analysis on what this word means. Do you feel that you have received the Great Commission? Take time during our periods of silence to reflect on this question. So let us begin.
Let us begin with our new mindfulness passage:
Be still and hear the whisper of God in the Wind, in the waves, and in our hearts
Be still and hear the whisper of God in the Wind,in the waves.
Be still and hear the whisper of God in the Wind.
Be still and hear the whisper of God.
Be still and hear the whisper.
Be still and hear.
Be still.
Be.
And this prayer from The Arusha Call To Discipleship
Loving God, we thank you for the gift of life in all its diversity and beauty. Lord Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, we praise you that you came to find the lost, to free the oppressed, to heal the sick, and to convert the self-centred. Holy Spirit, we rejoice that you breathe in the life of the world and are poured out into our hearts. As we live in the Spirit, may we also walk in the Spirit. Grant us faith and courage to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus: becoming pilgrims of justice and peace in our time. For the blessing of your people, the sustaining of the earth, and the glory of your name. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
1. Become aware of God’s presence.
This is the time when we become aware of our breathing and grounding ourselves. Let us use the "Peace be stills".
Inhale
Hold
Exhale gently.
Pause and repeat!
Peace be still.
Peace be.
Peace.
Repeat two more times.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.
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More help from Ignatian Spirituality
As we are together praying for Peace, let us be truly with each other.
Silence
Let us pay attention to our breathing.
Silence
Let us be relaxed in our bodies and our minds.
Silence
Let us return to ourselves and become wholly ourselves.
Silence
Let us be aware of the Source of Being common to us all and to all that is.
Silence
Evoking the presence of the Great Companion, let us fill our hearts with our own compassion—towards ourselves and toward all living beings.
Silence
Let us pray that all living beings realize that they are all nourished from the same Source of Life.
Silence
Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be the cause of needless suffering.
Silence
Let us pray that we may live in a way which will not needlessly deprive other living beings of air, water, food, shelter, or the chance to live in health.
Silence
With reverence for Life and with awareness of the sufferings that are going on around us, let us pray for the establishment of peace in our hearts and on earth.
Let us ponder these quotes on the Great Commission.
"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." ~ Isaiah
"The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become." ~ Henry Martyn
"Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God." ~ William Carey
"God is calling forth a generation that is passionate for His presence. A generation that knows who they are and Whose they are. He is calling forth sons and daughters who don't find their identity in revival but in Christ. For the Great Commission must flow out of the Great Commandment. Our destinies must flow out of our identities as beloved children of God who know their worth, value and honor before the Father...we have nothing to prove and nothing to lose...It is the time for change. IT is time for revival and reformation in this generation." ~ Jaeson Ma
"I have but one passion - it is He, it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ." ~ Nicolaus Zinzendorf
"The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed." ~ Hudson Taylor
"Rediscover the real meaning of the Great Commission. Beginning in our own prayer and devotional lives, we must begin to feel the compassion of the Lord for a lost and dying world. As we have already seen, the Great Commission is not something that was given to a tiny group of specially trained and educated envoys. It was given to all Christians—to the whole Church. It is something that we are all to be engaged in naturally every day." ~ K.P. Yohannan
Action quote of the day!
"You want to take action every day, not sit around waiting for something to happen." ~ Richard Nelson Bolles
Come let us worship.
Joseph Barth: A Grace
We give thanks for Being;
We give thanks for being here;
We give thanks for being here together.
Call to worship from A New Zealand Prayer Book.
Always be joyful, pray continually;
give thanks, whatever happens.
There is nothing in death or life,
in the realm of spirits or superhuman powers,
in the world as it is or the world as it shall be,
in the forces of the universe, in heights or depths –
nothing in all creation
which can separate us from the love of God
which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Love never comes to an end.
The disciples were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke of the great things God had done.Acts 2:4, 11
God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.Romans 5:5
The wind blows where it wills and you hear its sound, but do not know where it comes from or where it is going; so it is with everyone born of the Spirit.John 3:8
A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you,’ says the Lord; ‘I will put my spirit within you and you shall live.’Ezekiel 3:26; 37:14
‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me,’ says the Lord; ‘and let the one who believes in me drink. For out of your heart shall flow rivers of living water.’John 7:38
God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.Romans 5:5
We are children of God, so God has sent the Spirit into our hearts.Galatians 4:6
We are the body of Christ and individually members of it.1 Corinthians 12:27
Jesus said, ‘The bread of life is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.’John 6:33
Through faith we are all children of God in union with Christ Jesus.Galatians 3:26
God has given us eternal life, and this life is in Jesus the Son. Anyone who has the Son has life.1 John 5:12
We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.2 Corinthians 4:18
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.2 Timothy 1:7
You Lord are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name. Leave us not.Jeremiah 14:9
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.
IN LAK’ECH
Creator,
our Father in heaven,
we come to you as your children.
We confess that we are weak and broken images of you.
We pray for the forgiveness and healing you give in Jesus Christ. May his Spirit clean our spirits, minds, hearts, and bodies.
We pray that your Holy Spirit will help us to worship in spirit and truth.
We pray in the name of Jesus, so that his Spirit will carry our prayers to you. Amen.
Exhale love and feel empowered with compassion and mercy.
Inhale the Holy Spirit, exhale love!
Inhale the Holy Spirit, exhale love!
Inhale the Holy Spirit , exhale love!
God is Love and where true love is God himself is.
God is Love and where true love is God
God is Love and where true love is.
God is Love
Be still and know that God is Love.
Be still and know that God is.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be
Peace be still.
67 Deus misereatur
1 May God be merciful to us and bless us, *
show us the light of his countenance and come to us.
2 Let your ways be known upon earth, *
your saving health among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, *
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide all the nations upon earth.
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
6 The earth has brought forth her increase; *
may God, our own God, give us his blessing.
7 May God give us his blessing, *
and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him.
1 Corinthians 3:8-11
8The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labour of each. 9For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.
A Song of Wisdom Sapientia liberavit
Wisdom 10:15-19,20b-21
Wisdom freed from a nation of oppressors *
a holy people and a blameless race.
She entered the soul of a servant of the Lord, *
withstood dread rulers with wonders and signs.
To the saints she gave the reward of their labors, *
and led them by a marvelous way;
She was their shelter by day *
and a blaze of stars by night.
She brought them across the Red Sea, *
she led them through mighty waters;
But their enemies she swallowed in the waves *
and spewed them out from the depths of the abyss.
And then, Lord, the righteous sang hymns to your Name, *
and praised with one voice your protecting hand;
For Wisdom opened the mouths of the mute, *
and gave speech to the tongues of a new-born people.
Let us pause and reflect upon today's Gospel Reading with the format from A Disciple's Prayer Book. This is part of our journaling exercise.
Reflect and Respond to the Gospel of the Day
1. What word(s), idea(s), or sentence(s) stand out for
you in the Gospel of the Day?
(Reread the Gospel.)
2. What is Jesus (the Gospel) saying to you?
(Reread the Gospel.)
3. What is Jesus (the Gospel) calling you to do?
Matthew 28:16-20
The Commissioning of the Disciples
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’
A Song of God’s Love
1 John 4:7-11
Beloved, let us love one another, *
for love is of God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, *
for God is Love.
In this the love of God was revealed among us, *
that God sent his only Son into the world,
so that we might live through Jesus Christ.
In this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us *
and sent his Son that sins might be forgiven.
Beloved, since God loved us so much, *
we ought also to love one another.
For if we love one another, God abides in us, *
and God’s love will be perfected in us.
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.
now and for ever. Amen.
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 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.
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.
now and for ever. Amen.
Almighty and most merciful God, grant that by the indwelling of your Holy Spirit we may be enlightened and strengthened for your service; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
O God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
O God, who send your son Jesus Christ to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near, Grant that we, like your servant Jackson Kemper, may proclaim the Gospel in our own day, with courage, vision, and perseverance; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, now and for ever. Amen.
Father,
you have filled your people with the Spirit
who rested first on your Son
and united us in your Church;
open the channels for your Spirit
that we may freely work together,
and your kingdom and your rule increase;
for the glory of your holy name.
Amen.
Almighty God,
at the feast of Pentecost
you sent your Holy Spirit to the disciples,
filling them with joy and boldness
to preach the gospel;
send us out in the power of the same Spirit
to witness to your redeeming love
and draw all people to you
and the Holy Spirit,
one God now and for ever.
Amen.
Living God,
eternal Holy Spirit,
let your bright intoxicating energy
which fired those first disciples
fall on us
to turn the world again.
Hear this prayer for your love’s sake.
Amen.
Let us continue with prayer: Please respond this way:
Veni Sancte Spiritus: Come Holy Spirit! Breathe in us New Life and Love Energy in us to do your will and serve the least of these.
Beside the still waters we come to seek you God in the quietness of our being
Veni Sancte Spiritus: Come Holy Spirit! Breathe in us New Life and Love Energy in us to do your will and serve the least of these
Beside the still waters we come to pray for peace in this fragile and broken world of yours
Veni Sancte Spiritus: Come Holy Spirit! Breathe in us New Life and Love Energy in us to do your will and serve the least of these
Beside the still waters we pray for and end to all anxiety, fear, and worry that our minds and spirits may be still.
Veni Sancte Spiritus: Come Holy Spirit! Breathe in us New Life and Love Energy in us to do your will and serve the least of these
Beside the still waters we pray for our neighbors all over the world that we may find unity and learn to love one another as dearly loved family members of Yours.
Veni Sancte Spiritus: Come Holy Spirit! Breathe in us New Life and Love Energy in us to do your will and serve the least of these
Beside the still waters we come for respite, relaxation, rest, and renewal. We pray for calmness as we rest in your arms and never ending love and mercy.
Veni Sancte Spiritus: Come Holy Spirit! Breathe in us New Life and Love Energy in us to do your will and serve the least of these
Beside the still waters we come to ask prayers for all our family members who are in need of healing and strength remembering___________________
Veni Sancte Spiritus: Come Holy Spirit! Breathe in us New Life and Love Energy in us to do your will and serve the least of these
Beside the still waters we come seeking solace for those of us who are living through the long journey of mourning and grief.
Veni Sancte Spiritus: Come Holy Spirit! Breathe in us New Life and Love Energy in us to do your will and serve the least of these
Beside the still waters we come praying for all the least of these and all who are affected by violence, terror, abuse, and everyone who is struggling through the world's calamities.
Veni Sancte Spiritus: Come Holy Spirit! Breathe in us New Life and Love Energy in us to do your will and serve the least of these
Beside the still waters we give thanks for the lives who have entered eternal joy today and those who are in the midst of transitioning from this earthly life into a heavenly one.
Veni Sancte Spiritus: Come Holy Spirit! Comfort the dying with your enfolding and loving spirit.
Beside the still waters we pray for all who are lost, lonely, alone and seeking companionship. We pray that our hearts may be stilled as we wait. We pray that we may not lose heart and live boldly,yet gently alone.
Veni Sancte Spiritus: Come Holy Spirit! Breathe in us New Life and Love Energy in us to do your will and serve the least of these
Beside the still waters we pray for _____________________
Veni Sancte Spiritus: Come Holy Spirit! Breathe in us New Life and Love Energy in us to do your will and serve the least of these
Beside the still waters we give thanks for _______________
Veni Sancte Spiritus: Come Holy Spirit! Breathe in us New Life and Love Energy in us to do your will and serve the least of these
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
The Peace Prayer
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I 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.
Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine: Glory to God from generation to
generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever.
Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21
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.
Christ’s peace be with you,
the Spirit’s outpouring be with you,
now and always. Amen.
(source: Celtic)
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)
This week’s Rule reflection
Those who lean on Jesus’ breast feel the heart-beat of God
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