The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
You give us reminders, Lord
Reminders each and every day
Reminders of your presence in our midst
Sadly we are too often distracted by the world
The noise overwhelms our senses
We miss your quiet presence
Yet you are patient with us, gracious God
You are always looking for moments
Looking for opportunities to speak to our hearts
Help us to simply Be Still
Be Still even in the midst of the chaos
Be Still and know that you are God
The night has come
The noise of the world is somewhat quiet
Speak Lord, for your Servant is listening
Show us the way
The way to share your light and your love
In the midst of it all, I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
Today I was preparing for tonight’s Session (Church Board Meeting)… I was also putting the finishing touches on the Blue Christmas Service this Saturday at 5pm. It was a crazy busy day and before I knew it I had to rush to the Good Samaritan Village Senior Living Center for a Communion Service.
As I wondered what to share with the residents, it hit me… so much gets lost in the season of Christmas, let alone Advent. It hit me… the light and love of the season can sometimes be hard to find.
So I shared with them John 1:1-5 — In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
Sometimes in the midst of it all, we need to slow down, Be Still, and let the light of Christ shine and guide us.
That led me to Howard Thurman’s reflection on the true meaning of Christmas. — The true meaning of Christmas is expressed in the sharing of one’s graces in a world in which it is so easy to become callous, insensitive, and hard. Once this spirit becomes part of an {individual’s} life, every day is Christmas, and every night is freighted with anticipation of the dawning of fresh, and perhaps holy, adventure.
I’m not sure who needed this message more… the worshippers or this Padre… food for thought for each one of us, dear reader…
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A wonderful Lord’s Day of worship
Electing a new class of Elders and Deacons
I am so thankful for those who have responded to your call, Lord
The community gathered in our sanctuary this afternoon
A tremendous offering of Handel’s Messiah
The audience was invited to join at the end
A community singing the Hallelujah Chorus
What an amazing flashback to years ago
When a young High School Senior sang in the Symphony Chorus
As we enter this third week in Advent
Help us to slow down
Help us to Be Still
Help us to prepare for his coming
May our lives be a fragrant offering to you, Lord
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
First Reading – Psalm 146:5-10
Second Reading – Isaiah 35:1-10
Sermon – An Invitation to Hope – Looking for God in the World Around You
This afternoon our Chamber Singers offered Handel’s Messiah
A beautiful rendition of the life of the Savior
A time to slow down and enjoy
A time to reflect on the season that will soon be upon us
Too often in the hustle and bustle of the consumer culture
Too often we lose our way
Too often in the hustle and bustle of the Church season
Too often in the midst of preparations I forget
Lord, as the season of Advent draws to a close
As the season of Christmas approaches
Help me to slow down and simply Be Still
Help me to remember and practice the words of Howard Thurman
I Will Light Candles This Christmas
Candles of joy, despite all sadness,
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch.
Candles of courage for fears ever present,
Candles of peace for tempest-tosser days,
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens,
Candles of love to inspire all my living,
Candles that will burn all the year long.
Help me in the midst of the madness, Lord
Help me to find the quiet Sabbath moments
Help me to light these candles in the silence
Help me to Be Still
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
Another day of snow and baking
Another day of reading and reflection
Preparing for tomorrow’s Lord’s Day
Also a time to pray for a dear friend and her family
They walk once again through the Valley of the Shadows
Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
This Sunday’s theme is An Invitation to Hope: Looking for God in the world around you. One of the lessons that Rocky has taught me is to slow down. When we slow down on the trail or on a walk, we can see the amazing presence of God in Creation. Because we were slowly walking on the Lake Estes Trail by the golf course, I saw this intriguing rock and ice formation in the river. It was gone two days later.
In Psalm 146:5-6 we read the following — Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever…
Happy… Help… Hope… these are strong concepts that can stir hearts and souls. I especially think of the people of Israel in Exile. All is gone… the temple is destroyed… their freedom is no longer… yet the Psalmist and the Prophet both offer a light in the midst of the darkness.
Even better news of God’s hope and promise is found in the following verses — who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; he LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. (Psalm 145:7-9)
This was the sort of hope that a people in Exile needed to hear. This is the sort of hope the widows, orphans, and poor need to hear and see. Instead of looking at the world and seeing no hope, the people of God were called to be the instruments of God in making this hope a reality.
I believe that this is something that the church misses today. In the focus on the individual salvation experience, the church misses the communal nature of its calling. The church forgets the call to receive AND share this hope with the world.
Not only are we called to look for that hope, we are called to be that hope. Isaiah echoes that hope in Chapter 35:1-10. Isaiah also echoes the hope for the downtrodden and oppressed that the Psalmist talks about.
When I began this blog, I was thinking about how we can see God in the world around us. Yet if we only do that, we miss out on the totality of our calling as children of God, as siblings in Christ. We are called not only to see God and God’s hope in the world, we are called to be that hope! We hear that call most clearly in Matthew 25.
In verses 34-40 we read —Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ In so doing dear reader, may we not only receive the invitation to Hope, may we share that hope and be visible/tangible examples.
Wise words from Jake Owensby ❣️
Between 1999 and 2012 Jacob and Jake ranked among the most popular baby names. In the preceding decades, not so much. I was always the only Jake in my class. Finding a coffee mug, a t-shirt, or a key ring with my name on it was impossible.
— Read on jakeowensby.com/2019/12/13/being-patient-with-yourself/
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
It was a day to be enjoyed at home
No trips out or calls to be made
My sweetheart was baking up a storm
My time was spent reading, helping, and smelling wonderful aromas
We spend a quiet evening watching holiday classics
Yet another wonderful time together
A day of rest and opportunity to Be Still
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
As I consider the stars in the sky
As I consider the mountains and the coast
When I pause to consider
When I learn to Be Still
Then the wonder of your Creation overwhelms
Overwhelmed with gratitude
Overwhelmed with wonder
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
