11.28.08
An Advent Meditation
Awaiting the Christ
By Christine Sine
In this Advent season we await the coming of Christ
Child of promise come,
Revealer of God come,
Bringer of life come,
Come to the beaten and the battered,
Come to the despised and rejected
Come to all in whom the divine image is still distorted
We wait in joyful expectation.
Come not as an distant emperor but as a helpless babe
Come not as a prince in a gold palace, but as a displaced and frightened refugee
Come not as a man of power, but in love and compassion
Come to those outcast like shepherds in the field
Come to foreigners like Magi watching from afar
Come to rich and poor, young and old, male and female,
We wait in hopeful anticipation
Come to bless all creation with your love
Come to bring salvation on the earth
Come to rule with justice and in peace
Come Child of promise, open the windows of our hearts
Come Christ of compassion, open the doors of our homes
Come Prince of Peace, open the pathways to our lives
We wait with all the peoples of the earth
Child of hope we welcome your coming
Christ of life we welcome your coming
King of glory we welcome your coming
Advent Meditation by Christine Sine:
http://godspace.wordpress.com/2008/11/06/a-new-advent-meditation/
11.26.08
Prayer of St. Patrick
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, and in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
11.25.08
Station 8
Lord God, pierce our hearts with the compassion the women of Jerusalem had for you.
Make us defend the bullied, the ill-treated, the abused, especially helpless children;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
O Jesus, we weep for the offences we have committed against you and the sufferings we have caused you.
Teach us to mourn, that we may be comforted and escape the suffering that awaits those who reject your call to repentance.
Amen.
Holy God
Holy and strong
Holy and immortal
Have mercy on us all.
11.24.08
contributors needed
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Hannah’s Prayer
My heart rejoices in the Lord!
The Lord has made me strong.
Now I have an answer for my enemies;
I rejoice because you rescued me.
No one is holy like the Lord!
There is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.
Stop acting so proud and haughty!
Don’t speak with such arrogance!
For the Lord is a God who knows what you have done;
he will judge your actions.
The bow of the mighty is now broken,
and those who stumbled are now strong.
Those who were well fed are now starving,
and those who were starving are now full.
The childless woman now has seven children,
and the woman with many children wastes away.
The Lord gives both death and life;
he brings some down to the grave[b] but raises others up.
The Lord makes some poor and others rich;
he brings some down and lifts others up.
He lifts the poor from the dust
and the needy from the garbage dump.
He sets them among princes,
placing them in seats of honor.
For all the earth is the Lord’s,
and he has set the world in order.
He will protect his faithful ones,
but the wicked will disappear in darkness.
No one will succeed by strength alone.
Those who fight against the Lord will be shattered.
He thunders against them from heaven;
the Lord judges throughout the earth.
He gives power to his king;
he increases the strength of his anointed one.
1 Samuel 2:1-10
11.21.08
Twenty Three
Arise Oh Lord
Lift up Your eyes
Don’t forget I’m helpless
Oh You lead me to waters and pastures so green
Oh You pour out Your oil and choose goodness and mercy for me
No I will not be in want
You’re with me
I will not fear
You comfort me
I will not fear
Twenty Three lyrics by Aaron Strumpel
Enter the Worship Circle: Chair and Microphone, Volume 2
11.19.08
Prayer of St. Catherine of Siena
This short prayer, written by St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), a virgin and doctor of the Church, asks the Holy Spirit to unite us to Him and to infuse us with His grace.
Prayer to the Holy Ghost
Holy Spirit, come into my heart; draw it to Thee by Thy power, O my God, and grant me charity with filial fear. Preserve me, O ineffable Love, from every evil thought; warm me, inflame me with Thy dear love, and every pain will seem light to me. My Father, my sweet Lord, help me in all my actions. Jesus, love, Jesus, love. Amen.
11.18.08
Station 7
The prophecy of Isaiah reminds us that the suffering Servant has borne on himself the full iniquity of us all. The weight of sin weighs him down, even though he is the Son of God. We pray for those weighed down by sin, the unrepentant and the undisciplined.
Merciful Lord, absolve your people from their offences, that through your bountiful goodness we may be set free from the chains of those sins which in our frailty we have committed; Grant this, heavenly Father, For the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
Holy God
Holy and strong
Holy and immortal
Have mercy on us all.
11.17.08
Prayer of repentance, on behalf of us all
O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’
They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor with others.
Nehemiah 1:5-11
11.14.08
Open My Eyes
Open My Eyes
Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready, my God, Thy will to see;
Open my eyes, illumine me.
Spirit divine!
Open my ears, that I may hear
Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
And while the wave-notes fall on my ear,
Everything false will disappear.
Open my mouth, and let me bear
Gladly the warm truth everywhere;
Open my heart, and let me prepare
Love with Thy children thus to share.
~ Hymns for the Living Church #350
