The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A good Lord’s Day of Worship and Fellowship
Some time for rest and reflection
Making time to simply be still
Epiphany is over and decorations are put away
Lord, give us both time to rest and recharge
Lord, may your healing touch be upon us
The schedule is full as always
Help us to make time to simply be
In this time of busyness, hear this humble prayer
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
Sometimes it is good to pause
To pause in the middle of the day
Midday prayer is a reminder
A reminder that all time is sacred in your eyes, Lord
I am thankful for that reminder today
A reminder to simply be still in your presence
In the stillness I think of others
Lifting prayers for healing
Lifting prayers for guidance
Lifting prayers for comfort
Lord, in your mercy, hear this humble midday prayer
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
It was certainly a gift to be present when this Moose Calf was nursing. Mama was patient for a bit, but then pushed the calf aside. I guess weaning time can be difficult for all of God’s children!
As Isaiah says in the opening verse of the reading from the Prophets for tomorrow: Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1)
Tomorrow is the Feast of the Epiphany. Whether it is the three Wise Kings of the Hymn (We Three Kings of Orient Are) or the Shepherds from Christmas Eve, we celebrate the wonder and awe of Jesus’s birth. The gift of love that came down at Christmas. Christ has come to Earth! Christ Jesus has left the heavenly realms and taken on our flesh and lived among us!
When Denise and I spent time hanging out with the Moose family in the Rocky Mountain National Park this past Fall, we were given a precious gift. In addition to spending some time with Mama Moose and her Calf, we also got to spend time with Papa Moose as he enjoyed some peace and quiet in the meadow.
Yes, it truly was a gift to be able to spend time with this family in our literal back yard. The awe, the majesty, the intimacy, the wonder of it all.
When the Magi came to Bethlehem to find the source of the light, they found Jesus with his family. A small child was with his parents. After following a Star they thought would lead them to a King, a mighty Ruler, one of their own! But instead, they found a humble child who’s parents were a carpenter and a young woman.
That, dear reader, is the beauty of the Christmas story. A humble birth, in a humble home instead of in a magnificent palace. Sometimes I know for myself, I look for Jesus in all of the wrong places. He isn’t in the magnificent cathedrals of the sort I explored and led worship in during my time in England. He isn’t in the normal (according to society) places you would expect to find a King. He is instead, found in the midst of the messiness of life. That is where he meets you and he meets me.
The Kings, according to the story, brought him gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. What was the gift this little child brought to the world? He brought Love! Love in the face of oppression. Love in the face of fear. Light in the face of darkness. Hope in the face of despair.
As I have walked with this story during the week, I have wandered and wondered. The question I keep coming back to is this: What gift will I bring? What will I bring to Jesus and what is Jesus calling me to do with this gift?
As I ponder and wonder, I keep coming back to Howard Thurman’s poem, The Work of Christmas:
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers [and sisters],
To make music in the heart.
My prayer, dear reader is this… May we come to the Lord with hearts willing to do the work of Christmas. May this be a gift we bring to the altar and then take out into the streets. Will you join me!
“Just as we are called to cultivate our internal witness through the practice of inner hospitality, we are called to be a witness to each other through outer hospitality – to be fully present to the sorrow and despair of another without rushing to console in order to circumvent our own discomfort.”
— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD The Artist’s Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
After a wonderful trip down memory lane
Mary Poppins Returns and Mary Poppins
Some time spent just enjoying the blessings of this day
I find myself in a reflective mood
As the New Year continues to unfold
As I live into the word for 2019 — Be Still
As I seek to be more conscious of your presence
Your presence in the simplicity of life
As I seek to find and to be a light in the darkness
As I seek to follow you, Lord
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…
A wonderful blog, Jake! To my readers, I am partway through the book and it has been, in a word, powerful and profound (okay, in two words!). I encourage you to check out “A Resurrection-Shaped Life”… it is a powerful autobiography and statement of the growth of Jake’s faith!
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
It was a day to lay low
Crashing pretty hard and not feeling at all well
Yet it was also a day to simply be still
Rest and healing were much needed
Watching a Lord of the Rings marathon on Tolkien’s birthday
So now, as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you, Lord
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
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 a [person]’ s life, every day is Christmas and every night is freighted with the dawning of fresh, and perhaps holy, adventure. —Howard Thurman
I have missed a couple of days with my spiritual mentor Howard Thurman… even though I never met him face to face, his audio tapes and writings have touched my soul. In this world, he calls me to be transparent and honest and bold… May I be so, Amen ❤️
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A day of much needed rest
Lord, you sure know how to make this Padre slow down
Funny how the word you gave me for 2019 was Be Still
I am a bit slow at times, but I hear you
So today was a time to be still
To rest and reflect
To simply be
And tonight to spend time with a very dear friend
What a gift friendship is
You have blessed both of us with some incredible friends
As we look to the New Year
We look with hope
We look with faith
We look with love
For your grace, mercy, and healing, Lord
For all these gifts we give you thanks
For your light which guides us
For your love which sustains us
For your presence which comforts us
For all of these gifts we thank you
And now, I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
Well said, Shirley… something we must ponder and act upon!
Imagine yourself on the run with a newborn, racing to get away to safety – to a place where your child will not be injured. The scripture records such an incident after the magi’s visit to the Christ child. Joseph is warned in a dream that the child is in danger. Picking up what little they have, he and Mary flee to Egypt. Looking over their shoulders, they hear stories as they travel the villages of soldiers on the move. Fear rides with them. There are rumors of disaster in Bethlehem. Some say all the little boys less than two have been slaughtered. Mary and Joseph race to get away realizing Joseph’s dream was true. Their son is in incredible danger.
Today there are parents in war-torn countries, fearful for the lives of their children. From Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar and Somalia . . . all seeking safety…
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