Remind us that we are your children
creation
Let the Little Children Come unto Jesus, Carl Bloch, via Wikimedia Commons
Our Overcoming Advocate
Jesus and the woman taken in adultery, Émile Signol via Wikimedia Commons
There was a time when I did not exist
Yet you have created me;
I did not beg you for a wish
Yet you have fulfilled it;
I did not come into the light
Yet you have seen me;
I had not yet appeared
And you have taken pity on me;
I had not appealed to you
Yet you have taken care of me;
I did not raise my hand
Yet you have looked at me;
I had not entreated you
Yet you were merciful to me;
I had not uttered a sound
Yet you have heard me;
I had not groaned
Yet you have lent an ear.
With eyes that knew the future, you saw
The crimes of my guilty self
And yet you have fashioned me;
And now, I who have been created by you
and saved by you
and have been tended with such care,
Let me not completely perish by the blow of sin.
That is but the slanderer’s invention;
Let not the fog of my stubbornness
Triumph over the light of your forgiveness;
Nor the hardness of my heart
Triumph over your forbearing goodness.
Gregory of Narek, 951-1003, Armenian monk and mystical theologian
Yet you have created me;
I did not beg you for a wish
Yet you have fulfilled it;
I did not come into the light
Yet you have seen me;
I had not yet appeared
And you have taken pity on me;
I had not appealed to you
Yet you have taken care of me;
I did not raise my hand
Yet you have looked at me;
I had not entreated you
Yet you were merciful to me;
I had not uttered a sound
Yet you have heard me;
I had not groaned
Yet you have lent an ear.
With eyes that knew the future, you saw
The crimes of my guilty self
And yet you have fashioned me;
And now, I who have been created by you
and saved by you
and have been tended with such care,
Let me not completely perish by the blow of sin.
That is but the slanderer’s invention;
Let not the fog of my stubbornness
Triumph over the light of your forgiveness;
Nor the hardness of my heart
Triumph over your forbearing goodness.
Gregory of Narek, 951-1003, Armenian monk and mystical theologian
Complete Book of Christian Prayer, freely modified
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1 John 2:1
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.
But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous.
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Question
When you consider that God knew we would choose our own way instead of his,
yet his plan offered salvation regardless,
how does that knowledge help us when we sin blatantly again?
Understanding the Mystery of your Incarnation
Adoration of the Christ Child, School of Jan Joest, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
O Lord Jesus Christ,
make me worthy to understand
the profound mystery of your holy incarnation,
which you have worked for our sake and for our salvation.
Truly there is nothing so great and wonderful as this,
that you, my God, who are the creator of all things,
should become a creature,
so that we should become like God.
You have humbled yourself and made yourself small
that we might be made mighty.
You have taken the form of a servant,
so that you might confer upon us a royal and divine beauty.
You, who are beyond our understanding,
have made yourself understandable to us in Jesus Christ.
You, who are the uncreated God,
have made yourself a creature for us.
You, who are the untouchable One,
have made yourself touchable to us.
You, who are most high,
make us capable of understanding
your amazing love
and the wonderful things you have done for us.
Make us able to understand the mystery of your incarnation,
the mystery of your life, example and doctrine,
the mystery of your cross and Passion,
the mystery of your resurrection and ascension.
Angela of Foligno 1248-1309 Italian Franciscan tertiary
make me worthy to understand
the profound mystery of your holy incarnation,
which you have worked for our sake and for our salvation.
Truly there is nothing so great and wonderful as this,
that you, my God, who are the creator of all things,
should become a creature,
so that we should become like God.
You have humbled yourself and made yourself small
that we might be made mighty.
You have taken the form of a servant,
so that you might confer upon us a royal and divine beauty.
You, who are beyond our understanding,
have made yourself understandable to us in Jesus Christ.
You, who are the uncreated God,
have made yourself a creature for us.
You, who are the untouchable One,
have made yourself touchable to us.
You, who are most high,
make us capable of understanding
your amazing love
and the wonderful things you have done for us.
Make us able to understand the mystery of your incarnation,
the mystery of your life, example and doctrine,
the mystery of your cross and Passion,
the mystery of your resurrection and ascension.
Angela of Foligno 1248-1309 Italian Franciscan tertiary
Long ago, at many times and in many ways,
God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,
whom he appointed the heir of all things,
through whom also he created the world.
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature,
and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
After making purification for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high
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How do you understand the incarnation of God’s son?
How do you understand the incarnation of God’s son?
It is your home
Utah Arches National Park, via pickpak
Bright moon, scattered stars; so solitary is creation.
The universe which God has created is especially
silent on this night.
It waits with bated breath
for the Lord of Creation to return.
The universe belongs to God,
it is his home.
Silence reigns supreme.
The flowers of the field sway gently
in the moonlight.
This night, the vast earth awaits
the homecoming of our Creator God.
The vast earth and open fields belong to God,
they are his home.
Bethlehem lies dreaming.
In his gentle mother’s arms,
the babe sleeps peacefully this night.
The City of David awaits
the homecoming of David’s descendant.
The town of Bethlehem belongs to him,
it is his home.
My bones, my flesh, my blood, my lungs and my heart,
were all made by his hand.
This night, my heart is at peace,
awaiting my Creator’s return.
My heart belongs to him,
it is his home.
Advent prayer from China
The universe which God has created is especially
silent on this night.
It waits with bated breath
for the Lord of Creation to return.
The universe belongs to God,
it is his home.
Silence reigns supreme.
The flowers of the field sway gently
in the moonlight.
This night, the vast earth awaits
the homecoming of our Creator God.
The vast earth and open fields belong to God,
they are his home.
Bethlehem lies dreaming.
In his gentle mother’s arms,
the babe sleeps peacefully this night.
The City of David awaits
the homecoming of David’s descendant.
The town of Bethlehem belongs to him,
it is his home.
My bones, my flesh, my blood, my lungs and my heart,
were all made by his hand.
This night, my heart is at peace,
awaiting my Creator’s return.
My heart belongs to him,
it is his home.
Advent prayer from China
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Micah 5:2
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
Micah 5:2
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
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How do you recognize God’s presence in creation?
How do you see God’s presence in Jesus? Within yourself?
How do you recognize God’s presence in creation?
How do you see God’s presence in Jesus? Within yourself?
God’s rescue operation and new creation
Lord, we dream about justice.
We glimpse for a moment,
a world at one, a world put to rights, a world where things work out,
where societies function fairly and efficiently,
where we not only know what we ought to do but actually do it.
And then we wake up and come back to reality.
…from the very beginning, two thousand years ago,
we the followers of Jesus have always maintained that
You took the tears of the world and made them Your own,
carrying them all the way to Your cruel and unjust death
to carry out God’s rescue operation,
and that You took the joy of the world and brought it to new birth
as You rose from the dead and thereby launched God’s new creation.
N.T. Wright, 1948-, British New Testament Scholar, retired bishop
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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:
The old has gone, the new is here!
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting people’s sins against them.
And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
Praise to God in heaven
The Throne In Heaven, by Davin Arries, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
How small a part of you do we see, God?
Only a partial picture.
Who can understand the thunder of your power?
Touching the Almighty, we cannot comprehend you.
You are excellent in power, judgment , and justice.
You are exalted far above all blessing and praise.
You have prepared your throne of glory in the heavens, high and lifted up.
Before you the seraphim cover their faces.
And in compassion to us you hold back the face of that throne,
spreading a cloud upon it.
You make your angels spirits, and your ministers a flame of fire.
Thousands of them minster to you,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before you,
to do what you ask.
They excel in strength, and obey your word.
And we come by faith, hope and holy love into spiritual communion
with the innumerable company of angels,
and the spirits of just people made perfect.
We come to the general assembly and church of the firstborn,
in the heavenly Jerusalem.
You are worthy, O Lord, to receive blessing, and honor, and glory, and power.
For you have created all things.
You created them to do your will and to praise you.
We worship the one who made heaven and earth,
the sea and the fountains of waters.
The one who spoke and it was done.
Who commanded, and it stood fast.
The one who said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
And you made it all very good, and it continues this day according to your word,
for everything serves you.
The day is yours, the night is yours.
You have prepared the light and the sun.
You have set all the borders of the earth.
You have made summer and winter.
You uphold all things by the word of your power,
and by you all things exist.
The earth is full of your riches; so is the great and wide sea.
The eyes of all wait upon you, and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand and satisfy the needs of every living thing.
Amen.
Matthew Henry, 1662 – 1714 British Presbyterian minister and author
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But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem.
You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,
to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.
You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant,
and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Prayer for Holy Saturday
Lamentation of Christ, Andrea Mantegna, via Wikimedia Commons
Today a tomb holds him who holds the creation in the hollow of his hand;
a stone covers him who covered the heavens with glory.
Life sleeps and hell trembles, and Adam is set free from his bonds.
Glory to your dispensation, whereby you have accomplished all things,
granting us an eternal Sabbath, your most holy Resurrection from the dead.
What is this sight that we behold? What is this present rest?
What is this sight that we behold? What is this present rest?
The King of the ages, having through his passion fulfilled the plan of salvation,
keeps Sabbath in the tomb, granting us a new Sabbath.
Unto him let us cry aloud: Arise, O Lord, judge the earth,
for measureless is your great mercy and you reign forever.
Come, let us see our Life lying in the tomb,
for measureless is your great mercy and you reign forever.
Come, let us see our Life lying in the tomb,
that he may give life to those that in their tombs lie dead.
Come, let us look today on the Son of Judah as he sleeps,
and with the prophet let us cry aloud to him:
You have lain down, you have slept as a lion;
who shall awaken you, O King?
But of your own free will you rise up,
who willingly gives yourself for us.
O Lord, glory to thee
Mattins, Holy Saturday, Orthodox
The Oxford Book of Prayer slightly modernized
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The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph
and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it.
Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes.
But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.
teach us to love what you have created
Our Father, God, Creator of all your different children,
teach us to love what you have created.
Teach us to see people one by one
and to acknowledge them as our Father’s children,
our brothers and sisters:
not to pigeonhole them;
not to hammer them into unnatural molds of our own making,
but to rejoice in our differences,
accepting people as they are
– different but of equal worth –
each one a part of God’s creation,
showing something of his love and glory.
Sybil Phoenix, 1927-, Guyanese born British community worker
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May the God who gives endurance and encouragement
give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,
so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you,
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you,
in order to bring praise to God.
Prayer at Election Time
Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash
Heavenly Father
source of all truth and wisdom,
source of all truth and wisdom,
who knows and loves the whole creation,
watch over our nation at election time:
that truth may prevail over distortion,
wisdom triumph over recklessness
and the concerns of every person be heard.
Lord Jesus,
who chose the way of the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane,
help us to turn our backs on self interest
and to support policies that sustain the poor,
watch over our nation at election time:
that truth may prevail over distortion,
wisdom triumph over recklessness
and the concerns of every person be heard.
Lord Jesus,
who chose the way of the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane,
help us to turn our backs on self interest
and to support policies that sustain the poor,
the vulnerable and the frightened people of this world.
Holy Spirit,
who brought understanding
Holy Spirit,
who brought understanding
among myriad peoples and languages at Pentecost,
give to all your people a passion for peace
and inspire us to work for unity and cooperation throughout the world
give to all your people a passion for peace
and inspire us to work for unity and cooperation throughout the world
and in our political life together.
Lord, we give thanks for the privileges and responsibilities
Lord, we give thanks for the privileges and responsibilities
of living in a democratic society.
Give us wisdom to play our part at election time,
that through the exercise of each vote,
your Kingdom may come closer.
Protect us from the sins of despair and cynicism,
Protect us from the sins of despair and cynicism,
guard us against the idols of false utopias
and strengthen us to make politics a noble calling
that serves the common good of all.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
Unboxed Worship, Box Hill Baptist Church, Australia
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First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings
be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions,
that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
Son of God, deliver us
Photo by Johannes Plenio via Pexels
You who guided Noah over the flood waves:
Hear us.
You who with your word recalled Jonah from the deep:
Deliver us.
You who stretched forth your hand to Peter as he sank:
Help us, O Christ.
Son of God, who did marvelous things of old:
Be favorable in our day also.
Scots Celtic Prayer
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The Lord is king! He is robed in majesty.
Indeed, the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength.
The world stands firm
and cannot be shaken.
Your throne, O Lord, has stood from time immemorial.
You yourself are from the everlasting past.
The floods have risen up, O Lord.
The floods have roared like thunder;
the floods have lifted their pounding waves.
But mightier than the violent raging of the seas,
mightier than the breakers on the shore—
the Lord above is mightier than these!
Your royal laws cannot be changed.
Your reign, O Lord, is holy forever and ever.
Indeed, the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength.
The world stands firm
and cannot be shaken.
Your throne, O Lord, has stood from time immemorial.
You yourself are from the everlasting past.
The floods have risen up, O Lord.
The floods have roared like thunder;
the floods have lifted their pounding waves.
But mightier than the violent raging of the seas,
mightier than the breakers on the shore—
the Lord above is mightier than these!
Your royal laws cannot be changed.
Your reign, O Lord, is holy forever and ever.