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I am sitting in our dining room looking out onto the snowiest landscape I have ever seen here in Seattle. About 12" of snow covers our yard and garden and there is the possibility of more to come. We are all anticipating a white Christmas.
The fun aspect of the snow is that it has forced us all to slow down and enjoy life a little more. Everyone is walking rather than driving and as I tramped around the neighbourhood taking photos I said hello to people I normally only see at our annual street party. The kids have been out sledding and last night we sat around a cosy fire making a dent in the mountains of cookies we had baked for the open house we intended to hold last night.
Yesterday was a good day for quiet reflection and a great opportunity to write some liturgies for Christmas and Epiphany that I will share with you over the next few days
Joy to the world our Saviour comes Not in power, not in might but in in the tenderness of love He comes as the promise of life hidden in a mother's womb This is the time we believe once more thta perfect love casts out fear That generosity transforms scarcity into abundance That righteousness overcomes oppression with justice This is the time we are assured That God's light has come into the world And the darkness will never overcome it.
"He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousnes. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.In many ways, this has become the testimony of my life. The first time I can remember being overwhelmed by the generosity of God was during my early days onboard the Mercy Ship M/V Anasastsis. We were stuck in Greece trying to resurrect this old ship, with very little money and very few resources. We decided to call a 40 day fast to seek God's guidance for the future. We would meet for prayer every morning in a room that looked out over the Mediterranean Sea. One day towards the end of our fast we looked outside and notices something flashing in the sunlight. "The fish are jumping" someone called and we raced outside to find fish jumping out of the sea and stranding themselves on the beach. We actually collected 8,301 fish that morning - and that isn't counting the ones that got away. It was as though God was saying - in my time and in my way I will provide the harvest. That was almost 30 years ago and though the Anastasis is no longer with us Mercy Ships is still providing medical and surgical help to thousands in Africa God has poured out that same kind of generosity throughout my life. I have always had enough for my daily needs and a generous amount to give away and I am not just talking finances here. God has given me generous gifts and talents which have multiplied as I have shared them with others in ways that continue to astound me. God has also given me generous friendships and colleagues. Tom & I have friends literally all over the world. God's generosity isn't confined to the pages of the Bible or to some deep distant past. It is present all around us today too but often we don't see it because we hold to ourselves the things that God intends us to share. The feeding of the 5,000 began with the generous act of sharing by a young boy who was probably hungry willing to reach out to others with the little that he had. The miraculous way in which God provided for Elijah through the widow and her son only occurred because she was willing to share her last meal. I think that we only become aware of the abundance of God when we share our limited resources with others a theme which I have already reflected on in my post What I Learned from Stress in Times of Financial Crisis. But we also only become aware of the generosity of God when we look for it in the everyday events of our lives. If we focus on our own needs we can easily get caught in a mentality of scarsity and feel that we don't have anything to share... and that makes us more and more acquisitive and less generous. What do you think? Where have you become aware of the generosity of God in these days of scarsity?
About this time of the year here in Seattle people start to look askance any time that you mention zucchini - it seems to proliferate wherever you look. This year it is a little late but it is still there. For most people it is a little overwhelming but as far as I am concerned you cannot get too much of it. Everyone seemed to enjoy my chocolate zucchini muffins so much (we actually had them for dessert on Sunday) that I thought I would share another of my favourite zucchini recipes. I call these granola muffins because I make them in huge batches and freeze them.
When Tom & I travel I can grab a few for those early morning plane trips on which one no longer gets breakfast. If you are on a tight budget this is a great way to save a little money. I estimate that making the muffins they probably cost about 20 cents each - if you bought them at the airport they would cost anything from $1 - $2 each and I don't think that the bought ones are nearly as good. When I travel on my own I often throw in some extras for breakfast because I hate sitting in a restaurant on my own particularly in the early morning. They are also great for when unexpected guests arrive - I always think that a cup of tea is not complete without something to eat with it. Enjoy!
MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06 by AccuChef (tm) www.AccuChef.com
Title: Oatmeal, Zucchini & Cranberry Muffins
Categories: Muffins
Yield: 45 Servings
2 c wheat flour
4 c rolled oats
4 t cinnamon
4 c grated zucchini, or 2 c zucchini & 2 c carrot
1 1/2 c brown sugar
2 t baking soda
4 t baking powder
1 c Pumpkin Seeds, or sunflower seeds
1 c cranberries, dried
1 c pecans, chopped
1 c applesauce
1 c yoghurt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c vegetable oil
2 t vanilla extract
2 Bananas, overripe mashed
2 c All Purpose Flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease muffin cups Into a large bowl,
sift together the flour, oatmeal, sugar, baking soda, baking powder,
cinnamon. Stir in the zucchini, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, pecans,
and applesauce. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs,
yogurt, and vanilla. Add this mixture to the flour mixture, stirring
the batter until just combined. Spoon the batter into greased cups.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes for mini muffins and 25 to 30 minutes for
regular muffins or until springy to the touch. Let muffins cool in tins
and turn them onto a wire rack.
Per Serving: 190 Cal (37% from Fat, 9% from Protein, 54% from Carb); 4
g Protein; 8 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 3 g Mono Fat; 27 g Carb; 3 g Fiber;
11 g Sugar; 59 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 118 mg Sodium; 22 mg Cholesterol;
AccuPoints = 3.9
----- (Adapted from Psalm 72:1-10, & Amos 5:24)
God let your justice and fairness flow like a river that never runs dry
Please help those of us who are rich to be honest and fair just like you, our God.
May we who have such abundance be honest and fair with all your people, especially the poor.
Let peace and justice rule every mountain and fairness flow as a river that never runs dry.
God let your justice and fairness flow like a river that never runs dry
May we your people defend the poor, rescue the homeless, and crush everyone who hurts them.
May we be as helpful as rain that refreshes the ground, to those who are treated unjustly.
Let the wholeness and fairness of your kingdom live forever like the sun and the moon.
God let your justice and fairness flow like a river that never runs dry
Because you our God rescue the homeless and have pity on those who hurt
May we who are rich stand up for the poor and let peace abound until the moon fades to nothing.
Let God’s kingdom of justice and fairness reach from sea to sea, across all the earth.
God let your justice and fairness flow like a river that never runs dry
Today is Ascension Day - the day on which we commemorate Jesus ascension into heaven where he now sits at the right hand of God. For me this day is closely associated with Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit which we celebrate next week. Here is a liturgy I wrote recently that focuses on this, though I must confess most of the credit must go to our St Alban's rector John Leech whose sermon last week I have drawn on heavily.
God whose glory fills our world
God whose life is closer than breath
God whose love is stronger than death
God, this God of life and love
Has sent an advocate to save us
Jesus Christ the righteous, now at the right hand of God
Not to condemn but to bring full life
Not to accuse but to redeem
Not to reject but to draw close
God, this God of life and love
Has sent an advocate to save us
Jesus Christ the righteous, now at the right hand of God
God who hears the cry of our seeking souls
God who sees the pain of our suffering bodies
God who feels the loss of our grieving spirits
God, this God of life and love
Has sent an advocate to be with us forever
The Spirit of truth abides with us eternally
Before us to teach and lead,
Within us to comfort and heal,
Around us to shield and protect,
God, this God of life and love
Has sent an advocate to be with us forever
The Spirit of truth abides with us eternally
LITURGY FOR LENT
Leader: God all loving and all caring, We come before you with hesitant steps and uncertain motives All: Our hearts are parched from wandering in a desert of sin Leader: We want to sweep out the corners where sin has accumulated And uncover the places where we have strayed from your truth All: Our hearts are parched from wandering in a desert of sin Leader: We ask for courage to open our eyes and unstop our ears That we may be aware of all that distracts us from a whole hearted commitment to Christ All: Our hearts are parched from wandering in a desert of sin Leader: We want to see ourselves as you do and live our lives as you intended Expose in us the empty and barren places where we have not allowed you to enter All: Our hearts are parched from wandering in a desert of sin Leader: Reveal to us our half-hearted struggles Where we have been indifferent to the pain and suffering of others All: Our hearts are parched from wandering in a desert of sin Leader: Create in us a clean heart O God and put a right Spirit within us Nurture the faint stirrings of new life where your spirit has taken root and begun to grow All: Our hearts are parched from wandering in a desert of sin Leader: We long for your healing light to transform us, for you alone can make us whole In your mercy shine upon us O God and make our path clear before us
Ps 103
Joel 2: 1-2, 12-17
Matt 4:1-11
Reflect on the gospel and spend some time thinking about those things that vie for your attention and distract you from a whole-hearted commitment to Christ. Think particularly of ways you discriminate against others who are part of God’s international community · Because of race, class, gender or colour · Because of culture, disabilities or body type· Because of intellect or educational differences
Write down your areas of struggle on a piece of paper. If you have a wooden cross available nail or tape your distractions to the cross. Alternatively you may like to place them in a fireplace or a bowl and set them alight. Discuss how you could use this Lenten season to bring reconciliation and healing in these places Leader: God you are good and upright and you instruct sinners in your ways Show us how to break down the barriers separating us from each other, All: Lead us through the wilderness sin has created to find new life Leader: Forgive us for the times we have abandoned the poor, the disabled and the homeless, Teach us to live by the law of love in unity, peace and concord All: Lead us through the wilderness sin has created to find new life Leader: Forgive us for the ways we exclude people of different race, culture or gender Guide us that we may come to mutual understanding and care, All: Lead us through the wilderness sin has created to find new life Leader: Draw us into your community to embrace those with whom we need to be reconciled Grant that all who seek to heal divisions between peoples may have hope All: Lead us through the wilderness sin has created to find new life Leader: Show us your ways, O Lord < Teach us your paths and guide us towards your truth For you are God our Saviour and our hope is in you O God of peace and love, You came in Jesus as our peace, And broke down the dividing walls Be with us as we count the cost of our responsibilities To our neighbours near and far (Akuila Yabaki, Fiji)
Amen
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