This prayer is based on one I posted last year but I have added an image that has been very special to me during 2014 – a collage made by Joyce Withrow called As the Heart Sees. As I reflect on the year this is the image that comes to mind. This year has been one in which I have felt God encouraged me to listen deeply to my heart. Out of that has flowed my growing emphasis on hospitality and a desire to invite all of us to enter more fully into God’s hospitality as part of that great family that stands around the manger.
I hope to develop this even more in the coming year as we focus on reconciliation and God’s invitation to us to join together in unity and peace with all the peoples of the world.
Madonna and Child Maria Pureza Escano
This liturgy was originally written to celebrate Jesus naming day celebrated January 1st as a wonderfully refreshing Christian celebration for starting the new year. It can also be used for an morning or evening prayer during the 12 days of Christmas too – though of course there are only 8 days left. Anyhow I thought that some of you might appreciate it as a focus for the next few days. As we move into the new year spending some time contemplating who we believe Jesus to be is a wonderful way to help us find a focus.
May we join in the dance of God this day,
And sing our praises to Christ our Saviour.
Let us celebrate the joy of Christ’s birth,
And shout aloud: Emmanuel, God is with us!
Pause to light the Christ candle and remind yourself of the many names by which Christ is known in the Bible. Allow time for each person to call out the names that are most meaningful to them)
Lord Jesus Christ,
A thousand names cannot confine you
You are King of Kings and Lord of Lord
Wonderful counselor, Prince of Peace,
Saviour, Restorer and Redeemer
You are the Lamb who was slain,
Lord Jesus Christ,
A thousand names cannot confine you
God of justice and truth how can we know you?
You are majestic and holy, abounding in love and faithfulness
You are the source of life, our provider
You walk beside us as friend
Lord Jesus Christ,
A thousand names cannot confine you
God of glory, God of power you care for the vulnerable
Protector of widows and orphans,
Compassionate to the poor, comforter of the downcast,
You heal our diseases and bring us wholeness,
Lord Jesus Christ,
A thousand names cannot confine you
God in whom we trust, you are always with us,
You are all things good, known yet unknowable,
You are the way, the truth and the life,
We worship you.
Lord Jesus Christ,
A thousand names cannot confine you
Read the scriptures for the day from the daily lectionary
Lord Jesus Christ, your name is proclaimed in all the earth.
You were God almighty yet you made yourself nothing
You came as a vulnerable child to live amongst us.
You were God all powerful
Yet you came as a humble servant
You were faithful as a son,
You went through death so that we might find life
Your blood was shed so that we could be redeemed
Your body was broken so that we might be made whole
Therefore God has exalted you and given you the name above all names
So that one day all peoples will proclaim you
As Jesus Christ the Lord
God who calls us all by name
Have mercy upon us
Christ who invites us to share life as one family
Have mercy on us
Spirit who welcomes us home together into God’s eternal world
Grant us peace
Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Jesus, as members of your family, help us to proclaim your names in all the earth.
Make us instruments of your life today.
Through our words and actions help us to proclaim you as saviour and redeemer to all peoples.
Lord make us instruments of your love today.
Where there is war may we proclaim you as the Prince of Peace.
Lord make us instruments of your peace today.
Where there is despair may we proclaim you as the God of all comfort.
Lord make us instruments of your comfort today.
Where there is sickness may we proclaim you as the great physician.
Lord make us instruments of your healing today.
Where there is oppression may we proclaim you as the God who brings freedom
Lord make us instruments of your freedom today
Where there is hunger may we proclaim you as the God of abundant provision.
Lord make us instruments of your generosity today.
Jesus may we be proclaimers of your names through all the earth.
Lord make us instruments of your kingdom today.
The Wonderful Counsellor guide you,
The Mighty God protect you,
The Everlasting Father be with you.
The Prince of Peace inspire you,
And the blessings of God be upon you, now and evermore.
Amen
Now that Christmas Day is over many of us feel let down because the day we have been anticipating for so long is over. The malls strip their elaborate decorations and junk their remaining Christmas stocks with huge 50-70% off sales. The Christmas wreaths and trees are thrown out for the garbage collectors and our frenzied activities give way to a low grade depression.
Christmas isn’t really over. In the sixth century it was decided that celebrating Christmas just for a day didn’t provide time to celebrate all the joy that Christ’s birth brought into the world. They made Christmas into a twelve day festival that ended with a feast on the Eve of Epiphany on January 5th to celebrate the coming of the wise men and the emergence of God’s eternal kingdom. Yep that’s right, for those of us who are Christ followers, the 12 days of Christmas begin with Christmas Day they don’t end there as many malls would have us believe. In countries where this understanding of Christmas has not been co-opted by the commercialism of our society Christmas trees are not decorated until Christmas Eve and remain in the house sparking with light and life until the Eve of Epiphany.
What I love about this season of Christmas is that that in many ways we have it to ourselves. The consumer culture has discarded the season. We are just beginning to celebrate,
This is the season when we are meant to celebrate with joy and gratitude the wonder of a God whose love is so great that he sent a much loved son to dwell amongst us. How incredible! How wonderful! Lets take advantage of every day of the Christmas season.
Of course it isn’t all about joy and good feelings though. Those of you who are familiar with the liturgical calendar are aware that this is also the feast of St Stephen the first martyr, a reminder that coming to the manger and taking the coming of the Christ child seriously is not about fuzzy feelings and a warm glow.
If you are looking for music to celebrate the Feast of St. Stephen and Boxing Day as this second day of Christmas is known in commonwealth countries, consider Good King Wenceslas. The story of this carol is about Wenceslas braving harsh winter weather to give alms to the poor on the Feast of Stephen (Dec. 26th). The text, by John Neal, is from 1853; the tune ‘Tempus adest floridum’ is from the 13c Finnish collection Piae Cantiones.
Now is a great time to reflect on how we want to follow Christ throughout the year. Now is the time to think about how we focus our entire lives on that deep longing within our hearts for the wholeness, peace, and abundance of God’s emerging new world.
For me the more relaxed season after Christmas Day is a great time to think about my observances throughout the year. Tom & I usually take on of our retreats during these days. This year we will not be doing that but I still plan to take time to sit quietly and listen for the voice of God sharing with me hopes, expectations and longings for the coming year.
It began some years before we had children, in a dark winding alley filled with bright color and exotic scents. My husband and I were given the gift of going to Jordan and Israel the winter after we married. We wandered the Old City in Jerusalem, sipping murky sweet demitasse of Turkish coffee and wondering at the rich cacophony of culture, history and life compressed together. Although we didn’t have much money for souvenirs, finely carved olivewood figures representing the nativity, arranged on dusty shop shelves, kept calling my name. This, we decided would be our remembrance- an olive wood manger scene to shape our family Christmas traditions for years to come.
We chose with care. Peering in shop after shop we found our favorite craftsmen and we compared quality and prices. Gentle Joseph leaning in to the baby, a graceful but tired looking mother Mary- donkeys that almost looked curious- they were practically perfect. Our dilemma came in finding a nativity with a baby Jesus who didn’t look like a miniature Elvis. Yes, that was a problem. Nearly every holy family we were drawn to, sported a suave little white Jesus with a full pompadore hairdo and a coy grin. When we finally found a sweet brown-faced olivewood Jesus with only a little hair we knew we’d found what we were seeking.
From that time on, as soon as our fresh evergreen tree went up each year, the olive wood figures were arranged front and center. Placed on a mantle, the piano or a prominent cabinet- where they could be touched and moved about and enjoyed- they were reminders of a real family with a real baby long ago.
By the time we had preschool children I knew that I wanted my girls to know this little Jesus not only as a real baby from long ago, but as a companion and a light today. Knowing God as the one who came as a real incarnate, flesh and blood, baby with a diaper to change and who, at the same time, embodies the mystery of the God of eternity here with us now, changes things.
When we are looking forward to meeting someone we get ready. We may or may not be patient when we wait, but wait we must. And preparing ourselves while we wait makes the waiting better in every way. Till that point in our house, Jesus in his manger always made his appearance along with the whole nativity entourage- no waiting. Here’s the Christmas tree, and, here’s Jesus and friends. The Advent season when our girls were three and seven we decided to slow down and prepare ourselves for Jesus to appear.
We talked about our plan and introduced it to our faith community at that time, a small non-denominational church with no liturgical or Advent practices. What might happen for each of us if we were to all focus on preparing to meet Jesus each day of Advent? We started with a bale of hay and an invitation to make a soft welcoming bed for Jesus in each of our homes. The first Sunday in Advent that bale of hay was situated at the front of the sanctuary. Each household (with children or no children) was given a brown bag to fill with hay to take home with this invitation:
Pay attention to your words and actions. Notice if you are expressing gratitude or kindness for others. When you do—add a piece of hay to make a manger bed for Jesus. If you notice someone else being kind or grateful, add hay for those expressions too. Before we knew it we had a veritable kindness fest going on, and a growing, welcoming manger bed for our olivewood Jesus boy to make his appearance in.
The hay was messy and the pile grew happily larger over the weeks of Advent…and anticipation for Jesus arrival grew daily—as did our awareness that we were changing our own habits and our treatment of each other as we prepared. The waiting became joyous rather than anxious. Our meaningful nativity scene had never seemed more special. On Christmas Eve we were ready. We lit our last Advent candle and brought that wooden baby out to his cushy bed. Eyes glowed and we all knew, something remarkable had taken place.
On Christmas morning, every household gathered their beds of hay and brought those straws of kindness, intention, preparation and gratitude—the symbols of our anticipation for meeting and welcoming the Christ-child — to the front of the sanctuary. We brought our stories of how we had not only made room for Jesus to arrive, but in the process, made more room inside ourselves, more room for each other, and more room for love. There was never a better-looking heap of hay on church carpet as there was that Christmas morning.
21 years later that messy pile of hay and the willing spirits of the small people who made it grow quickly can still instruct me. How will I create room inside myself this Christmas Season? Who can I make welcome at my table? Am I able to I slow down enough to notice my own words and actions? When do I stop and affirm an ordinary kindness in someone else? How often do I simply stop to breathe- and clear out internal space? Can I choose to quiet my own thoughts so that I really hear others, especially those who may think differently than I? Who do I make room for? How can I cultivate anticipation and joy instead of harried activity? What will I choose and what will I invite those around me to choose?
How will we each create messy managers of welcome and love this Christmas? What kind of a manger can we create in this world together? And who will we invite to join in?
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Kelly Bean is a local and international leader and consultant as well as an author and activist for positive change in the community and around the world. From United Nations Commission on the Status of Women panels, to mud huts in Rwanda, to a variety of venues around the USA, to living rooms in her own city of Portland, Oregon, Kelly Bean encourages community building for the sake of a better world.
Community Cultivator http://www.kelly-bean.com/about/
Author http://www.kelly-bean.com/, http://www.kelly-bean.com/blog/
International Executive Director http://www.africanroad.org/
Co-founder http://womensconvergence.com/
Co-founder and Consultant http://greatergood.works/
Alleluia, the waiting is over, Jesus Christ has come,
The promised One of Christmas in now present in our midst.
May we let the chaos settle and turn from our distractions,
May we notice the places that shimmer with his presence.
Alleluia, love comes down at Christmas,
Beloved son of God, Saviour of the world we welcome your coming.
A child born as one of us to make all things new,
A Saviour birthed to bring righteousness and justice for all.
Watch for the signs and listen for the messengers,
Stand on tiptoe, shout for joy and trumpet the good news,
God’s miracle has come down from heaven,
Alleluia the Christ child has come.
May this child of Christmas come to us and give us hope,
May he grow in us and show us life, may he speak to us and teach us love,
Alleluia something new is emerging something new is being birthed,
Jesus has come and we open our hearts to be his home.
“I am the Lord’s servant…may it be to me as you have said.”-Luke 1:38
It’s Advent again. Which means that my thoughts are turning to Mary again.
Mary. A woman who was highly favored, who pondered things in her heart, who was responsive to the Divine invitation before her. A woman who was willing to open all of herself- even the very cells of her body, her most intimate parts- to God.
Whoa.
This kind of opening is radical. It is risky. This kind of opening risks it all- one’s life plans, one’s relationships, one’s reputation, one’s physical well-being, one’s very life- for God.
[I mean, seriously?! Opening the very cells of one’s body to receive the God-fetus? Talk about vulnerable!]
This kind of opening requires so much trust and faith that the God of Jesus is indeed the God of Love and Life, whose invitation leads to salvation and great joy.
Mary clearly thought that this opening, this Inbreaking reality, was deeply good news that led her to heart-expanding praise. Salvation has come! The hungry will be filled! There will be justice and peace on earth!
Mary’s Magnificat response reveals her entrance into this joy:
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me– holy is his name…” (Luke 1:46-49)
For Mary, opening herself to the Inbreaking reality led her to ecstatic, joy-filled worship as she encountered the salvation of God.
This opening to salvation, however, also led Mary into dark, difficult places. I think of the blessing and the prophetic word that Simeon spoke to Mary when he said of her boy, “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul, too” (Luke 2: 34-35).
Mary didn’t just open herself to receiving in her son the Savior of the World; she also opened herself to receiving the one who would become the Suffering Servant. And his suffering (all the way up to his murder) inevitably became her suffering. And the suffering of her neighbors- the mothers of innocent children who were slaughtered because her child posed a threat to the powers who felt threatened by Jesus- inevitably became her suffering, too. “A sword will pierce your own soul, too.”
Mary teaches me that opening oneself to God means opening oneself to all of it- to the deep, abiding, ecstastic joy and peace that comes through encounter with the liberating Word–the proclamation that salvation is coming to all people–and also to the soul-piercing pain that one feels when one encounters the depths of one’s own suffering and the sufferings of others. It means opening oneself to the Love that also reveals injustice and evil for what it is.
It hurts that in this time of Advent expectancy there are millions of black boys and men who are locked away for the entirety of their earthly lives with no hope of ever getting out. It hurts that there are millions of people in this country who will go to bed hungry tonight. It hurts that there are children in the Middle East who are being struck down with drones at the hands of the US military.
It hurts that there is not peace on earth. (How can one even pretend to proclaim that, in light of Ferguson, of Marysville, of Syria…?)
It makes me wonder how God can bear it, how God can continue to keep God’s heart open to loving this world.
Because everything in me wants to close up, close off, protect myself from facing suffering because it hurts so much. And it hurts that I even have the privilege that affords me a choice about whether to engage the pain or not just because I have white skin and a support system with enough money that I don’t need to worry about where my next meal will come from.
I sometimes feel powerless against the onslaught of pain that comes when I keep my heart open to love.
So, why did Mary do it? Why did she open up the cells of her body for God to take up residence and then to come forth into this pain-full world to die? Why did she open up her heart to love and raise this child, knowing from the beginning that she couldn’t protect him from the powers that would speak against him, that would eventually shed his blood)?
“This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.” Is this the purpose of the soul-piercing: that disorientation, disillusionment, and the realization that things are not as they should be are necessary so that the knowledge of salvation can be realized? Is this soul-piercing a prerequisite for liberation and deliverance? Is it necessary to be pierced so that we can be emptied in order to be filled? Does this soul-piercing serve to bring us the knowledge of salvation?
This soul-piercing reveals to me not only the immensity of pain, suffering, and sin in the world, but also my own pain, suffering, and sin. It reveals the ugliness and sin that prompts me to turn away from the pain of my brothers and sisters, grasping for things that would keep me “safe” and “comfortable” while leaving others to fend for themselves. It shows me that I am not only capable of inflicting suffering on myself and others, but that I do. And that I, along with this world, am in desperate need of a Savior.
It hurts to be pierced to the core. But the piercing is what enables me to experience the deep, abiding joy and peace that comes from encounter with God’s Love. And oh, how worth it the soul-piercing is for the experience of encountering the deep peace and joy of God that is born of Love!
Mary’s choice to receive her Savior-Son shows me that encounter with God necessarily means that one will experience the soul-piercing sorrow and the heart-burning joy, and that you can’t have one without the other. That to experience the heart-burning consolation of encounter with the Risen Christ, one must experience the soul-piercing pain of Golgotha. And perhaps the extent to which we enter into the joy that Love has made a home with us is what enables us to continue to enter into the pain.
I am comforted that the Living Word- the One Whose Spirit pierces my very heart–knows what it means to be pierced, too. And that he knows what it is to be raised. The fullness of sorrow and pain.
In both Jesus and Mary, I hear the invitation to open myself to Love and to receive and enter into experience the other. Like mother, like son. Like Son, like mother.
For me, opening myself to Love this Advent means entering into joy that salvation has come. It means proclaiming the coming of Immanuel, insisting that God is in fact with this world despite evidence to the contrary. It also means considering how I am being called to enter into true com-passion by being with my brothers and sisters in their joy and pain. It means asking God to fill me with God’s love, that I might live as an embodiment of that Love in this world.
What are you being invited to this Advent?
May we all, like Mary, ponder this question in our hearts and open ourselves to respond to the invitation God places before us.
Kari Rauh is a spiritual pilgrim on the journey with Jesus who lives and works as a massage and craniosacral practitioner in Seattle, WA. She encounters the Divine in authentic conversations around the dinner table, giving and receiving hugs, watching birds, and eating Thai food.”
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