Advent, Day Six

Advent, Day Six
Jesus didn't live alone. He had Peter, John, and James around him. There were the Twelve and the other disciples. They formed circles of intimacy around Jesus. We too need these circles of intimacy, but it;s a discipline. I choose L'Arche; L'Arche chooses me. I would be dead if I weren't here. I need people to love me and care for me.

Where are you getting your affection? Who's touching you? Who's holding you? Who makes you feel alive? Who says, "You are a beautiful person, you are the beloved of God, don't forget it"?
Henri J.M. Nouwen
Liguorian Magazine, October 1992

Scripture:
Ephesians 4:1-6

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First Presbyterian Church Advent - 2020

Prayer

 

A Prayer for Forgiveness

You are a God who gives grace and love to sinners. Which means You love me. Forgive me for times that I hurt You or others, intentionally or unintentionally. Forgive me for my words or actions that injured someone. 

Forgive my thoughts that were dark or evil. Forgive my attitude that didn’t honor You.  Forgive me, wash me clean, and help me start new. And then help me forgive others that have hurt me, intentionally or unintentionally.

I’m choosing today, God, to forgive them of their sins just as You forgive me of mine. Jesus, I’m choosing to pray and live out these words from scripture this Advent season:

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you. – Colossians 3:12-13

Help me to continue to forgive others. Every day. And please give me the courage to confess my sins to You. Every day. Because I know in that confession, I am forgiven and You set me free. And for that I am grateful. Amen.

Scripture

 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:26-38

 

Advent, Day Five

Advent, Day Five
If you want to follow Jesus...[you must] control what you take in every day. When you are on the bus or subway, or in your car, why busy your mind with all the garbage of advertisements? Why fill your mind with television and radio? Somehow you have to decide what your mind will recieve. I don't mean you shouldn't ever go to movies or watch television, but control what enters your mind and heart. It's not just a question of pushing bad things out but a question of holding on to something really good.

It is good to have a prayer on your lips when you are free to pray. When you are waiting for the cashier in the supermarket, getting mad because he or she doesn't hurry, say a little prayer: "Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me." Take that prayer with you wherever you go.

Henri J.M. Nouwen
Liguorian Magazine, October 1992

Scripture:
¹² Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. ¹³ Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. ¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ¹⁵ Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.    1 Thessalonians 5:12-18

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First Presbyterian Church Advent - 2020

Prayer

 

A Prayer for a Quiet Morning at Home

Heavenly Father,

Draw close to my heart. In all that I do today, help me to be motivated by Your love and grace. In the stillness of my morning, I will fix my gaze on You and You alone. 

No matter what is on my to-do list or what today holds, I will be still in this moment and trust in You. Be my champion and my advocate. Give me energy and enthusiasm to face the day. 

Help me to trust in Your sovereign plans. I don’t need to know the whole path, Lord. Just give me wisdom to know what the next step is that You are calling me to take. Amen.

Let the dawning day bring me revelation of your tender, unfailing love. Give me light for my path and teach me, for I trust in you. Save me from all my enemies, for I hide myself in you. I just want to obey all you ask of me. So teach me, Lord, for you are my God. Your gracious Spirit is all I need, 

so lead me on good paths that are pleasing to you, my one and only God! - Psalm 143:8-10

Scripture

 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
Luke 1:18-25

Advent, Day Four

Advent, Day Four
Take the gospel of each day and spend ten minutes with it. Read it, and read it again. Walk into the world with the gospel in your heart. The gospel word of the day can become like a painting on the walls of your inner room, the inner room that is your heart... You have chances every second to live this Word, but it had to be in you. It can't be just an idea, it has to sink from the mind into the heart. That's prayer--to let God's Word speak deep within you and tell you, "You are my beloved."

Henri J.M. Nouwen Interview
Liguorian Magazine,October 1992

Scripture:
²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.      Matthew 6:25, 32-33

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First Presbyterian Church Advent - 2020

Prayer

 
A Prayer for the Heartbroken

Merciful Father,

You have always heard the cries of Your children, and our heartbreak has always been Yours, as well.

Today I ask for you to comfort me. I am hurting, exhausted, grieving. Draw close to my brokenheartedness, with the fullness of Your presence and love.
Grant me hope for the path forward even as You tend to the wounds of my heart. Bless me with a community of kindness, friends who are attentive to my needs and longings, who listen well and remind me of Your faithfulness.
I cannot walk alone in this hour of need. Shower me with Your compassion and mercy, Your tenderness and wisdom, Your steadfast love.

And with this love You can bring beauty out of ashes, hope out of despair.
Father, only You can heal the hearts of Your children who are hurting
with Your love that has overcome the grave.

Amen.

Scripture

 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him:“Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Luke 1:11-17

Advent, Day Three

Advent, Day Three
Somewhere we know that without a lonely place our lives are in danger. Somewhat we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, without distance closeness cannot cure. Somewhere we know that without a lonely place our actions quickly become empty gestures. The careful balance between silence and words, withdrawal and involvement, distance and closeness, solitude and community forms the basis of the Christian life and should therefore be the subjects of our most personal attention. Let us therefore look somewhat closer, first at our life in action and at our life in solitude.

Henri J.M. Nouwen
Out of Solitude: Three Meditations on the Christian Life, pg14-15

Scripture:
³⁵ Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. ³⁶ Simon and his companions went to look for him, ³⁷ and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”³⁸ Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” ³⁹ So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.   Mark 1:35-39

First Presbyterian Church Advent - 2020

Prayer

 
A Prayer for Your Local Church

Jesus, Thank You for your work within the Church. Thank You that despite our human failures and shortcomings, You still use your Church to bring about Your purposes in the world. And You do this through local congregations and churches.

So, my faithful King, draw near to the leaders and pastors of my local body. Right now, help them sense Your presence and peace. Grant them the strength, energy, and courage necessary to lead Your people well. Send Your Holy Spirit to guide them and give them supernatural wisdom and insight. Keep the Evil One away because he hates the great work You’re doing through these men and women. And show me what it looks like to participate in that work, too.

As Your church, let us live as Your ambassadors, carrying out the ministry of reconciliation that You have entrusted to us.

Help us become One unified body, modeling the love on display within the Trinity. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, allow us to shine like a city on a hill,
reflecting Your light in this dark world.

You are this world’s last hope.

Amen.

Scripture

 In the time of Herod king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.  Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
Luke 1:5-10

Advent, Day Two

Advent, Day Two
The French author Simone Weil writes in her notebook: "Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life." Without patience our expectation degenerates into wishful thinking. Patience comes from the word :patior" which means "to suffer." ... What seems a hindrance becomes a way; what seems an obstacle becomes a door; what seems a misfit becomes a cornerstone.


Henri J.M. Nouwen
Out of Solitude: Three Meditations on the Christian Life, pg 55

Scripture:
⁹ Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. ¹⁰ God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. ¹¹ We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. ¹² We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.    
Hebrews 6:9-12

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First Presbyterian Church Advent - 2020

Prayer

 

A Prayer for Your Neighborhood

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for placing me here. I know You’ve planted me in this neighborhood for a reason. Thank You for the people that live here, people I know You love and care about. Men, women, and children created in Your image.

I pray blessings over the families in my neighborhood. I pray for marriages to be strengthened. For patience between parents and their children. Please help them to understand each other’s perspectives, to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.

I also pray for the relationships between neighbors. May we all learn and appreciate each other’s differences and find common ground with each other.

Help us, Jesus, to listen to each other really well. I pray there would be a spirit of hospitality where people invite one another into their homes.

Lord, I pray that I would be that kind of neighbor too. As a follower of Jesus, help me to take the first step.

Help me to love my neighbors well and to be the one who points them to how great and awesome You are. Lord, most of all I pray that my neighbors would come to know You in a personal way. That they would come to understand and know and be undone by your grace and mercy. Amen!

"Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God."  Romans 15:7

Scripture

 The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.
Jeremiah 33:14-16

Advent, Day One

Advent, Day One
I keep expecting loud and impressive events to convince me and others of God's saving power...When I have no eyes for the small signs of God's presence--the smile of a baby, the carefree play of children, the words of encouragement and gestures of love offered by friends--I will always remain tempted to despair.

The small child of Bethlehem, the unknown man of Nazareth, the rejected preacher, the naked man on the cross, he asks for my full attention. The work of our salvation takes place in the midst of a world that continues to shout, scream and overwhelm us with its claims and promises.

Henri J.M. Nouwen
Gracias! A Latin American Journal, pg 62

Scripture:
Isaiah 11:1-3

11 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
³ and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
    or decide by what he hears with his ears;

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Book of Common Prayer

The Collect.

ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy 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 quick and [the]* dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.

 Romans 8:8
WE no man any thing, but to love one an other: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
 
Matthew 21:1

 WHEN they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And. a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem. all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

 

First Presbyterian Church Advent - 2020

Prayer

 

A Prayer to Worship Fully

My King Jesus,

You are the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, the Author and Finisher of our faith who was, is, and is to come.

I bow my heart before You now and humbly submit to Your will, Your way, Your plan. In a season filled with distractions of many kinds, may I be different this year.

May You be my first thought each day, and my last thought as I lay my head on the pillow. And when I can’t sleep, may I recall the words of David in Psalm 63:

"On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings."

Give me focus to look at everything in my world through the lens of Your truth and love. A love that left heaven to become a tiny, vulnerable, newborn baby. What a sacrifice! 

May my worship now be lived out in how I notice, love, and care for everyone You’ve placed in my sphere and those to whom You send me.

May I hold nothing back, trusting You will provide. May I miss no opportunity to worship fully for Your good gifts already given.

Open my spiritual eyes to see the new gifts You place before me. Surprise me with Your abundance, precious Lord.

To You be all glory and praise; my Redeemer, my Savior, my Friend. 

Amen

Scripture

In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:1-5

 

Lent, Day Fifty-Four, Second Easter Sunday

 

Lent, Day Fifty-Four, Second Easter Sunday
LISTEN TO YOUR HEARTI

It's there [in your heart] that Jesus speaks most intimately to you. Praying is first and foremost listening to Jesus who dwells in the very depths of your heart. He doesn't shout. He doesn't thrust himself upon you. His voice is an unassuming voice, very nearly a whisper, the voice of a gentle love. Whatever you do with your life, go on listening to the voice of Jesus in your heart. This listening must be an active and very attentive listening, for in our restless and noisy world Jesus' loving voice is easily drowned
out.

Henri J.M. Nouwen
Letters to Marc About Jesus, pg 109

Scripture:
³⁷ On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” ³⁹ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.JOHN 7:37-39

PRAYER 

Glorious God, I remember how Moses parted the waters of the Red Sea in order to save the Israelites, I remember how Christ walked on water on the Sea of Galilee, I say with the psalmist, "I truly am thirsty for you, my God." Let these examples and all the oceans, lakes, rivers, creeks, and streams remind me of the goodness of your grace. Amen.

EASTER ACTION
Practice attentive "listening" to your own thoughts. Challenge each and every unkind and angry thought that contaminates your mind.