Light

Open unto me

/ Eric Mathews / Leave a comment
 
 
Open unto me, light for my darkness
Open unto me, courage for my fear
Open unto me, hope for my despair
Open unto me, peace for my turmoil
Open unto me, joy for my sorrow
Open unto me, strength for my weakness
Open unto me, wisdom for my confusion
Open unto me, forgiveness for my sins
Open unto me, tenderness for my toughness
Open unto me, love for my hates
Open unto me, Thy Self for myself
Lord, Lord, open unto me!

Howard Thurman, 1899-1981, American author, educator and civil rights leader
___________________________________
 
 
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
   the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
    the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners;
    he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
    but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
 

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we celebrate the coming of our Saviour

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Adoration of the Magi, via Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0
 
Blessed are you, O Christ, our God;
    you were before time began,
    and came to the world to save us.
Blessed are you, Sun of righteousness;
    you shine with the Father’s love
    and illumine the whole universe.
Blessed are you, Son of Mary;
    born a child
    you shared our humanity.
Blessed are you, son of David;
    born to rule,
    you received gifts from the wise men.
Blessed are you, Son of Man;
    baptised by John,
    you saved us from ourselves.
Blessed are you, heavenly King;
    teaching and preaching, healing and comforting,
    you proclaimed the kingdom.
With all the voices of heaven
    we celebrate the coming of our Saviour.
Let heaven and earth shout their praise.
With all the creatures on earth
    we sing and dance at your birth.
Praise and glory to you, O Lord Jesus Christ.
 
David Beswick, 1933 – , Australian Minister and Professor
 
___________________
 
 
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 
On coming to the house, 
    they saw the child with his mother Mary, 
    and they bowed down and worshiped him. 
Then they opened their treasures 
    and presented him with gifts 
    of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

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Jesus Christ the King

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The Christ Pantocrator of St. Catherine’s Monastery at Sinai, 6th Century via Wikimedia Commons

 
You are Jesus Christ, 
    Word of God, Begotten before the light,
    creator together with the Father.
You are the fashioner of man, all in all.
 
Among the patriarchs you are Patriarch;
    in the law, the Law.
Among the priests, Chief Priest;
    among kings, the Ruler;
    among prophets, the Prophet;
    among the angels, Archangel.
In the voice of the preacher, you are the Word;
    among the spirits, the Spirit;
    in the Father, the Son; 
    in God, God.
 
You are King forever and ever.
For you were the pilot to Noah, 
    the guide to Abraham, bound to Isaac,
    in exile with Jacob, sold with Joseph.
You were there with Moses.
In David and the prophets 
    you announced your own sufferings.
You put on bodily form in the Virgin,
    were born in Bethlehem,
    wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger,
    seen by the shepherds, glorified by the angels,
    worshipped by the magi.
 
You were pointed out by John,
    gathered together the apostles, 
    and you preached the kingdom.
You cured the lame, 
    gave light to the blind, 
    and raised the dead.
You appeared in the temple, 
    were not believed on by the people,
    betrayed by Judas, 
    captured by the priests, 
    and condemned by Pilate.
 
You were pierced in the flesh, hung on the tree,
    and buried in the earth.
You rose from the place of the dead,
    appeared to the apostles, 
    were carried up to heaven,
    and are seated at the right hand of the Father.
 
You are the rest for those that are departed, 
    the one who recovers the lost,
    the light of those who are in darkness,
    the deliverer of those who are captive,
    the guide of those who go astray,
    and the asylum of the afflicted.
 
You are the bridegroom of the church,
    the charioteer of the cherubim,
    and captain of the angels.
You are God who is from God,
Son from the Father,
Jesus Christ the King forevermore.
 
Amen.
 
Melito of Sardis, d.180, Bishop of Sardis
Fount of Heaven Prayers of the Early Church
 
_______________________________
 
 
The Son is the image of the invisible God, 
    the firstborn over all creation. 
For in him all things were created: 
    things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, 
    whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; 
     all things have been created through him and for him. 
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 
And he is the head of the body, the church; 
    he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, 
    so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

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prayer to the Holy Spirit

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image, Serbian Monastery, BrankaVV, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

 
 
Good spirit, Holy giver of life . . .  
We are born again in You, created a second time. 
In You is all knowledge, which illuminates our minds 
    so that we might see the Lord, our Savior. 
In Him is life, wisdom, beyond words, 
    knowledge that surpasses the senses, 
    brightness beyond understanding – all life, all power, all glory – 
for He is the God who carries our burdens and forgives us. 
 
Make me entirely Yours. 
Give me life according to Your will. 
Resurrect those parts of me that sin has brought down. 
Enlighten my heart, which is darkened by evil desires, 
   and bring life to my soul, which is dead in its sin. 
Unfurl the threefold mantle of my passions. 
    Have mercy on me in my poverty. 
    Deliver me from every enemy who, from without or within, rises up over me. 
    Deliver me from every evil thing. 
Forgive my reprehensible deeds, and plant your perfect love inside of me.
 
Write your servant’s name in the Book of Life, 
    and give me a good end so that, as I rise victorious over the devil, 
    I might bow confidently before Your kingly throne. 
Make my heart good soil, Lord, and sow it with good seeds. 
Cover me with Your grace like the morning dew, and harvest that which is good: 
    humble prayer, restraint, watchfulness, and tears. 
 
John the Deacon, 15th Century, Orthodox
 
___________________________
 
 
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, 
    for he will not speak on his own authority, 
    but whatever he hears he will speak, 
    and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 
He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

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to crave the graces of your Holy Spirit

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image, Gloucestershire, UK via Pexels
 
 
Lord God, you know I need to call on you for my daily bread.
But how much more reason have I to crave the graces of your Holy Spirit –
    for supplying my soul with heavenly food,
    especially with saving faith.
When I am tossed about with the storms of doubts and fears,
    show me how to lay hold of your word and promises.
Then all the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil,
    will never prevail over me, since I know in whom I have believed.
Increase the light of my faith, 
    that it may daily cast forth more clear beams.
Preserve that faith in the darkness of death,
    that it may guide me to eternal life.
And rule and govern me by your Holy Spirit,
    that I may never lose faith by agreeing to do anything
    that is against the light of my conscience.
Confirm the good work you have begun in me,
    strengthen me inwardly, and preserve me blameless 
    until the day of the Lord Jesus Christ,
    that I may inherit eternal life.
Amen.
 
Robert Parker, c. 1564 – 1614, English Puritan minister and scholar
 
___________________________
 
 
That is why I am suffering as I am. 
Yet this is no cause for shame, 
    because I know whom I have believed, 
    and am convinced that he is able to guard 
    what I have entrusted to him until that day.

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to become people of your light

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Adorazione dei Magi by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo via Wikimedia Commons
 
 
On Epiphany day,
     we are still the people walking.
     We are still people in the dark,
          and the darkness looms large around us,
          beset as we are by fear,
                                        anxiety,
                                        brutality,
                                        violence,
                                        loss —
          a dozen alienations that we cannot manage.

We are — we could be — people of your light.
     So we pray for the light of your glorious presence
          as we wait for your appearing;
     we pray for the light of your wondrous grace
          as we exhaust our coping capacity;
     we pray for your gift of newness that
          will override our weariness;
     we pray that we may see and know and hear and trust
          in your good rule.

That we may have energy, courage, and freedom to enact
         your rule through the demands of this day.
         We submit our day to you and to your rule, 

                                  with deep joy and high hope.
 
Walter Brueggemann, 1933 – 2025,  American Protestant Old Testament theologian
Prayers for a Privileged People
 
________________________________
 
 
After this interview the wise men went their way. 
And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. 
It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 
When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 
They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, 
    and they bowed down and worshiped him. 
Then they opened their treasure chests 
    and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Advent light

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Sovereign Lord,
We thank you for being our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.
In the fullness of time you, the Word, became flesh and dwelt among us …
    full of grace and truth.
Open our eyes to the great significance of the Incarnation,
    for you have visited and redeemed your people.
You have tented among us.
You have come that we might have life!
    O Come, Thou Day-Spring,
        Come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here,
    And drive away the shades of night,
        And pierce the clouds and bring us light.
 
Yes, Lord, pierce the clouds that dim our trust in you:
    the clouds of grief,
    the clouds of loss,
    the clouds of disappointment,
    the clouds that make us wonder in our difficulties,
        Where are you?
 
O blessed Savior, light of my life,
    Holy Ghost, with light divine,
        Shine upon this heart of mine.
    Chase the shades of night away,
        Turn my darkness into day.
In doing this, Lord, I ask that you enable me 
    to henceforth walk in the light.
 
Sun of Righteousness, we do not yet know what we shall be,
    but we do believe that when Jesus shall appear,
        we shall be like him.
So in between these two Advents,
    may our longing,
    our expectation,
    our hope in him
        make us pure even as he is pure.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
 
Wendell C. Hawley,  American pastor
 
____________________
 
 
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; 
    those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

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Allow us to live in today’s Advent

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O Lord, today we know once more, and in quite practical terms,
    what it means to clear away rubble and make paths smooth again.
We will have to know it and do it for years to come.
Let the crying voices ring out, pointing out the wilderness 
    and overcoming the devastation from within.
May the Advent figure of John,
    the relentless envoy and prophet in God’s name,
    be no stranger in our wilderness of ruins.
For how shall we hear unless someone cries out
    above the tumult and destruction and delusion?
 
Your Advent message comes out of an encounter of man
    with the absolute, the final, the gospel.
It is thus the message that shakes – 
    so that in the end the world shall be shaken.
The fact that the Son of Man shall come 
    is more than a historic prophecy;
  it is also a decree, 
    that Your coming and the shaking of humanity 
        are somehow connected.
If we are inwardly unshaken, 
    inwardly incapable of being genuinely shaken,
if we become obstinate and hard and superficial and cheap,
    then You will yourself intervene in world events
    and teach us what it means to be placed in this agitation 
    and stirred inwardly.
 
Allow us to live in today’s Advent, for it is the time of promise.
To eyes that do not see, it still seems that the final dice 
    are being cast down in these valleys, on those battlefields,
    in those camps and prisons and bomb shelters.
But just beyond the horizon the eternal realities
    stand silent in their age-old longing.
There shines on us the first mild light 
    of the radiant fulfillment to come.
From afar sound the first notes as of pipes and singing,
    not yet discernable as a song or melody.
It is all far off still, and only just announced and foretold.
But it is happening. This is today.
And tomorrow the angels will tell what has happened 
    with loud rejoicing voices,
  and we shall know it and be glad,
    if we have believed and trusted in Advent.
 
Alfred Delp, 1907-1945, German Jesuit, executed for resistance to Nazism
Watch for the Light freely adapted
 
_______________________
 
 
In those days John the Baptist came, 
   preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, 
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

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Thanksgiving for Jesus

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Eternal God, our heavenly Father,
From whom comes every good and perfect gift,
we thank and praise your name for all your mercies,
    and for every blessing we have received from you.
We praise you, God, for health and strength,
    for food and raiment,
    for shelter, friends, and family,
    for comfort in sorrow, deliverance from danger,
    strength in weakness, help in adversity,
    consolation in affliction.
For all the tokens of your faithfulness,
    and for all the proofs of your mercy and love, we praise you.
 
We give you thanks, O God, for your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
    No one in history compares with him.
He is the Good Shepherd –
    the One who has guided us each step of the way.
He is the Rock of Refuge –
    the One who has held us securely when all around was sinking.
He is the Bread of Life –
    the One who has satisfied our soul’s hunger.
He is the Light of the World –
    the One who has delivered us from spiritual darkness.
He is the Resurrection –
    the One who is our life and our life to come.
 
Wendell C. Hawley,  American pastor
 
____________________
 
 
And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. 
For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. 
And always be thankful.
Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. 
Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. 
Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 
And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, 
    giving thanks through him to God the Father.

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reveal your divine authority in Palestine

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O rulers be prudent, O judges be disciplined.
Lord, many enemies desire to terminate the people of God in the Middle East.
They throw bombs at churches and blast our holy sites.
Their leaders are like Cain, Ahab, and Herod 
    because they unhesitatingly seek to kill their brothers and sisters.
 
Mercy has become extinct, and there is no compassion in their hearts.
    They destroy unity and make smiling illegal.
    All the refugees and the weak ones are crying out.
O Lord, your helpless boys and abandoned girls are suffering.
    They have been slaughtered like sheep.
Didn’t you promise to build your church?
Why don’t you listen?
 
Palestine, Syria, Egypt and the Arab world are crying out to you.
Please take away this cup.
Speak to the kings and make them reconsider.
Convince them to fear your anger and stop exterminating your people.
 
O Lord, give us great leaders.
Where is the wise Solomon? Where is David, the man after your own heart?
Where are Cyrus and Daniel who spread justice and peace?
O Lord, declare your holy anger against evil systems 
    that champion murder and defilement.
 
Have mercy on sinners but eradicate evil systems.
Deliver sinners but destroy oppressive systems.
Please annihilate slavery, bigotry, colonialism, neo-colonialism, 
    Nazism and dictatorships!
Please destroy every system that is rooted in sin.
 
Why don’t you reveal your divine authority 
    and destroy wickedness in every evil system?
May your people everywhere be able to live lives of quietness and tranquility?
You are the best judge!
 
Yohanna Katanacho, 1967 – , Palestinian Israeli evangelical theologian
 
____________________________
 
 
Why do the nations conspire
    and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
    against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
“Let us break their chains
    and throw off their shackles.”

The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
    the Lord scoffs at them.
He rebukes them in his anger
    and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
“I have installed my king
    on Zion, my holy mountain.”

I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;
    today I have become your father.
Ask me,
    and I will make the nations your inheritance,
    the ends of the earth your possession.
You will break them with a rod of iron;
    you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

Therefore, you kings, be wise;
    be warned, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear
    and celebrate his rule with trembling.
Kiss his son, or he will be angry
    and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
    Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

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