Here is a prayer that I wrote for Ash Wednesday this year. It can in fact be used throughout Lent as a centering prayer for a Lenten discipline. I had planned to make it into a meditation video but have not had time. Maybe later in Lent.
We have chosen to fast
Not with ashes but with actions
Not with sackcloth but in sharing
Not in thoughts but in deeds
We will give up our abundance
To share our food with the hungry
We will give up our comfort
To provide homes for the destitute
We will give up our fashions
To see the naked clothed
We will share where others hoard
We will free where others oppress
We will heal where others harm
Then God's light will break out on us
God's healing will quickly appear
God will guide us always
God's righteousness will go before us
We will find our joy in the Lord
We will be like a well watered garden
We will be called repairers of broken walls
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Christmas Eve Prayer
Rejoice this night with all the hosts of heaven
For Christ our Saviour is born.
He has come to foreigners travelling from afar,
He has come to shepherds outcast in the fields,
He has come bringing joy to the world.
He has come,
Heralding God's eternal world of peace and justice.
May we make ourselves a part of it,
And look into the light of Christ.
[caption id="attachment_2218" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Nativity scene by He Qi"]
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It is already Christmas Eve in Australia and New Zealand so I hope you will forgive me for mixing Advent reflections and Christmas prayers today. I should probably put the Advent reflection up first this morning but as I am still an Australian I thought that I would start the day with a Christmas prayer.
Rejoice, rejoice Christ our saviour has come
Cast off the works of darkness
Put on the ways of light
And clothe yourself with Christ
Put on love to surround you
Put on hope to guide you
Put on joy to sustain you
And clothe yourself with Christ
Rejoice on this dawn of righteousness
Rejoice for this day of justice
Rejoice in the prince of peace
And clothe yourself with Christ
[caption id="attachment_2219" align="alignnone" width="169" caption="Native American Nativity"]
[/caption]
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It is already Christmas Eve in Australia and New Zealand so I hope you will forgive me for mixing Advent reflections and Christmas prayers today. I should probably put the Advent reflection up first this morning but as I am still an Australian I thought that I would start the day with a Christmas prayer.
Rejoice, rejoice Christ our saviour has come
Cast off the works of darkness
Put on the ways of light
And clothe yourself with Christ
Put on love to surround you
Put on hope to guide you
Put on joy to sustain you
And clothe yourself with Christ
Rejoice on this dawn of righteousness
Rejoice for this day of justice
Rejoice in the prince of peace
And clothe yourself with Christ
[caption id="attachment_2219" align="alignnone" width="169" caption="Native American Nativity"]
[/caption] 
[caption id="attachment_2199" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Lighting the Christmas Carousel[/caption]
Christmas is definitely in the air. Last night we attended a performance of the Messiah - part of our yearly pre-Christmas tradition and this morning I have been baking furiously getting ready for our Open House this evening at which event I will ignore Advent tradition and light all the Christmas candles including my Christmas carousel.
But the preparations have not been without mishap.
I managed to put twice the amount of butter as I should have in my base for pecan slice (squares) - which just meant that I now have a whole plate of coconut currant slice as well as I obviously had to double the flour too. Hope all the people who said they are coming actually turn up tonight. Fortunately I have already made shortbread, fruitcake - the real English kind and dips galore.
Ricci is making lemon squares, and cookies, Tom is doing a fruit plate and we will have loads of wonderful punch. Here is my favourite recipe
64oz bottle cranberry/ raspberry juice (make sure it is 100% juice)
960z bottle apple juice
12 whole cloves
6 cinnamon sticks
4 - 2 inch lime or lemon rind curls
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
And for a special treat 1 - 2 cups brandy.
Combine all ingredients except brandy in a large saucepan, bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add brandy as desired and serve. I love this punch because it is not real sweet, it adds a wonderful fragrance to the house (no need to invest in any of those artificial chemical air fresheners and it improves with keeping. It is great hot or cold and loaded with vitamin C so obviously good for those colds and flu that seem to be plaguing all of us at the moment.
For our open house tonight I will probably treble this recipe - fortunately we have a really large saucepan I can make it in.
Here is my shortbread recipe. It is passed down from my Scottish grandmother though you can find a similar recipe on many food blogs and sites. After all there is not much you can do to lay claim to a simple recipe like this. The real secrets are using real butter and rice flour.
Anyhow just in case you think that I am getting a little too carried away with the frivolity of the season let me also point you towards a great Christmas reflection that I was directed to this morning. it reminded me once more of the true message of Christmas and of the gift of a Saviour who comes to us not in the rich and the powerful but in the poor and the vulnerable.
On the Threshold of Christmas by Dave Perry
Lighting the Christmas Carousel[/caption]
Christmas is definitely in the air. Last night we attended a performance of the Messiah - part of our yearly pre-Christmas tradition and this morning I have been baking furiously getting ready for our Open House this evening at which event I will ignore Advent tradition and light all the Christmas candles including my Christmas carousel.
But the preparations have not been without mishap.
I managed to put twice the amount of butter as I should have in my base for pecan slice (squares) - which just meant that I now have a whole plate of coconut currant slice as well as I obviously had to double the flour too. Hope all the people who said they are coming actually turn up tonight. Fortunately I have already made shortbread, fruitcake - the real English kind and dips galore.
Ricci is making lemon squares, and cookies, Tom is doing a fruit plate and we will have loads of wonderful punch. Here is my favourite recipe
64oz bottle cranberry/ raspberry juice (make sure it is 100% juice)
960z bottle apple juice
12 whole cloves
6 cinnamon sticks
4 - 2 inch lime or lemon rind curls
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
And for a special treat 1 - 2 cups brandy.
Combine all ingredients except brandy in a large saucepan, bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add brandy as desired and serve. I love this punch because it is not real sweet, it adds a wonderful fragrance to the house (no need to invest in any of those artificial chemical air fresheners and it improves with keeping. It is great hot or cold and loaded with vitamin C so obviously good for those colds and flu that seem to be plaguing all of us at the moment.
For our open house tonight I will probably treble this recipe - fortunately we have a really large saucepan I can make it in.
Here is my shortbread recipe. It is passed down from my Scottish grandmother though you can find a similar recipe on many food blogs and sites. After all there is not much you can do to lay claim to a simple recipe like this. The real secrets are using real butter and rice flour.
Traditional shortbread
- 250 g butter, softened
- 1/3 cup(75g) fine grained white sugar (caster sugar in Australia)
- 3 cups(380g) plain flour
- 1/2 cup(100g) rice flour
- 2 tbsp white sugar
Traditional shortbread
- Preheat oven to 160°C (140°C convection). Grease two oven trays.
- Beat butter and caster sugar in medium bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. In two batches, stir in sifted flours. Turn onto a lightly-floured surface and knead until smooth.
- Divide dough in two portions. Shape each portion, on separate trays, into 20cm rounds. Mark each round into 12 wedges; prick with fork. Pinch edges of rounds with fingers and sprinkle with white sugar.
- Bake shortbread 30 - 40 minutes. Stand on trays for 5 minutes. Using sharp knife, cut into wedges along marked lines. Cool on trays.
So Jesus is born in poverty to change the world. He is the peaceful revolutionary who speaks the inclusive kingdom of God language of love which confounds the power-hungry and domineering elites of our time just as much as it did those of his own era. Christmas is God’s ominously uncomfortable challenge to the comfortable world from the comfortless poor. No space, no room, no joke. read the entire article
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A Thanksgiving Prayer
American Thanksgiving is less than a week away and we are all looking forward to what is fondly called Turkey Day. It is my favourite American custom which I have embraced with great enthusiasm not just because I love good food and good fellowship but because I love the opportunity to think about what I am grateful for and what I have to thank God for. It is a custom which is not celebrated in Australia but I am sure that it will be celebrated over and over in the Kingdom of God.
Wednesday evening Tom & I will be speaking at the Thanksgiving service at St Aidans Episcopal church on Camano Island. A couple of days ago I received a request from a friend for a thanksgiving liturgy. Last night we celebrated a pre-thanksgiving turkey meal with students at the Purple Door. All of these opportunities have focused my attention on the coming of thanksgiving and the fact that I have so much to be grateful for - good, health, good marriage, good community, shelter, food, a job that I enjoy - the list goes on and on. Most of all I am grateful for the gift of Christ and all that he has meant in my life. That is the theme that I have used in this Thanksgiving liturgy.
God we gather to thank you for the many blessings in our lives, And to praise you for your generous goodness which is new every day, To you God we offer our praise and thanksgiving. God to you who created the earth and the heavens, To you who are always merciful and forgiving, To you God we offer our praise and thanksgiving. God to you who call us into relationship with yourself, And give us the gift of family and friends, To you God we offer our praise and thanksgiving. (Pause to remind yourself of all you have to be thankful for) For the universe immense and unknown For the earth on which we live For humankind made in your image Thanks and praise to God our creator For entering human history as one of us For the sacrifice you made for all of us For dying that we might live Thanks and praise to Christ our redeemer For the wonder of your indwelling presence For the comfort of your guidance and direction For drawing us together as one body Thanks and praise to the Holy Spirit our enabler Through your will we are made whole, Through your love we are renewed in body, mind and spirit Through you we become one community from every tribe and nation. Thanks and praise to Father, Son and Spirit through all eternity. Psalm 92 or Psalm 105 The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. 1 Chronicles 16: 7 - 34 The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Colossians 1: 3-6 The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord. Luke 10: 21 - 24 The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. Let us pray together now in the words Jesus taught us. Our Father, who art in heaven hallowed by your name. Your kingdom come your 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 Gracious and generous God we give you thanks For the gift of life for we are made in your image, We think of all those in whom your divine image is still distorted We pray for your mercy and love to rest upon them God in your mercy be with them caring and providing God we give you thanks For our homes that shelter and protect us, We think of those without shelter and water and protection today We pray for your provision to be poured out upon them God in your mercy be with them Abundant and giving God we give you thanks For our food that nourishes and strengthens us, We thing of those without food and nourishment today We pray that you will feed them with the bread of life God in your mercy be with them Loving and compassionate God we give you thanks For our friends and family who love and comfort us in times of need We think of those who are alone and feel abandoned God comfort and surround them that they may sense your presence God in your be with them Gracious and generous God We remember all the gifts you have given us, We remember how lavishly you have provided, We remember how lovingly you have cared, We remember especially that greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ our Saviour, And we give you thanks. Amen
We leave this afternoon for Australia - the house sitter has moved in (well more of a dog sitter actually as Bonnie told us she does not like being alone) and are furiously working to get our contributions for the MSA Seed Sampler done - as well as working on powerpoint presentations for all our venues. No wonder I am feeling a little overwhelmed and as though I am in the midst of turbulent times.
Tom has just completed a new MSA resource entitled Turbulent Times Ready or Not! A Creative Response Manual for Missional Communities 2010. Don’t break out the party hats yet! As we crawl out of the worst global recession in 70 years the troubles are far from over. Turbulent Times Ready or Not! A Creative Response Manual for Missional Communities 2010-2020 will list some of the waves of change that are likely to hammer our lives and communities as we race into the second decade of the 21st century. This study resource also is designed to help you re-imagine create new ways now to live and serve our most vulnerable neighbors. Turbulent Times Ready or Not Manual for Missional Churches 2010- 2020 will be launched with the upcoming Seed Sampler. This is an opportunity to re-imagine how to live and serve God in uncertain times. This PDF manual will be available to download for $10. Check it out here
"Keep it simple, make it meaningful, stick to it" That is some of the best advice that I have ever received on how to establish a new habit. It came to mind as I read this article from Zen Habits
This is a topic that really intrigues me because I find that not only am I not good at changing my habits but most of those in the churches I am involved in aren't good either. I think that the same suggestions for changing a bad habit in this article are good for reinforcing a good habit which is of course what establishing sustainable spiritual practices is all about. What concerns me is that often we don't change our bad spiritual habits because we want a quick and easy fix that takes no discipline and little effort. Changing habits just does not happen like that. What are the most effective ways that you have found to change bad spiritual practices into good ones?Our daily lives are often a series of habits played out through the day, a trammeled existence fettered by the slow accretion of our previous actions.
But habits can be changed, as difficult as that may seem sometimes. Read the entire article
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