Month: December 2017

Respect

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respect-1Since women are becoming ever more conscious of their human dignity, they will not tolerate being treated as mere material instruments, but demand rights befitting a human person both in domestic and public life. Pope John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, April 1963

It is interesting that this was written in 1963. With #me too in the news the pope saw the problem many years ago. There are two versions of the creation of humans in the Bible. One has woman created from a rib of Adam and here is the other one.

Genesis 1:27 So God created humankind[e] in his image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

In this version male and female were created equally. Women must be respected.

Loving God,  you created us in your image. Remind us to respect both sexes equally. AMEN

This moment will be gone

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Why is life sped up so? Why are thing so terribly, unbearably precious that you can’t enjoy them but con only wait breathless in dread of their going? Anne Morrow Lindbergh, “Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead”

dance

Each day and each moment is precious. Do we recognize that? Do we stop long enough to enjoy the day, the hour, the minute? We are so busy planning for what comes next that we miss the most joyful moments. Stop and see! Look around you! This moment will never come again.

Understanding God, you see us letting precious moments pass us by. Help us to stop and see the life that is right in front of us. Show us how to appreciate when and where we are. Remind us to thank you. AMEN

Hope

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Prayer breathes hope, and a prayer without hope is a sinful prayer. John Sergleff of Cronstadt (1829-1908}, My Life in Christ.

hope4This brings the question why pray if we don’t have hope? Advent is the season of hope. A season of expectation. We are waiting….waiting for everything to change forever. Cling on to hope, pray with hope, wait with hope.

Gracious God, you have promised us the one to come. We will bear the waiting and continue to hope. AMEN

Opinions

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The only sin which we never forgive in each other is a difference of opinion. Ralph Waldo Emerson

opinion 2We all have our own opinions. In today’s world there are more opinions than people. Opinions are often given in very loud voices. We want to make ourselves heard. But we also need to hear. We have to respect that others may have different ideas and stop talking long enough to listen. We should be willing to listen to others and be silent enough to listen to God. Listen!

Understanding God, you created us as individuals and gave us minds to think. Help us to allow others to express their thoughts and help us to listen for yours. AMEN

Heartbreak

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broken heart2God breaks the heart again and again and again until it stays open. Hazrat Inayat Khan quoted in “The Exquisite Risk by Mark Nepo

I don’t think God wants us to have pain and grief in our lives. but without it how can our hearts learn to be open? A closed heart seems to be sufficient unto itself. It doesn’t expect to be broken. When it is we are just like Humpty Dumpty. We are broken. But God can come in and mend the cracks and holes. Let Him in.

Loving God, you only want the best for us but sometimes we are crushed by grief and pain . Help us to turn to you in our loss and let your love mend our hearts. AMEN

Rest

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Rest and laughter are the most spiritual and subversive acts of all.    Anne Lamott in”Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith”

Heaven forbid that we should sit still and fold our hands in our laps. The world would fall apart if we stopped and rested, took an afternoon off to do nothing but laugh with our friends or rest in the hammock in the yard. Look what we have done to ourselves. We have lots of new technology so that we can have more leisure time and now even leisure time is work. Will we learn again what our forbears knew? How to enjoy each other ….how to sit and rest and think and listen for God.

laughter 2

Expectations?

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Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. Tom Hanks in “Forest Gump”

expectationsBoy! is that the truth! We never know what is coming from day to day. Many times it is not at all what we expected or wanted. Something that really looked yummy to us can turn out to taste really bad. We have to learn to spit it out, learn from it and move on.

Lord of Wisdom, we need to learn from our mistakes. We need your help to put them behind us and move forward….seeking ever to be nearer to you. Help us Lord. AMEN

So alone!

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One of the greatest of human needs is having someone wonder where you are when  you don’t come home at night. Margaret Mead

We do need each other. Many of us live alone. Many of us are alone though we live with others. Society has evolved technically but has it made our loves any better? We are more stressed, more distant within our own walls. We have less real contact with others. Many of our relationships are superficial when we long for someone to touch our soul.

we-need-each-other-960x510We are so alone! And yet…God is with us. God can reach that place that so craves communion. Turn to God.

“For I will be with you always, even to the ends of the earth.”

God, filler of our emptiness, come to us now and touch our souls. Thank you for being with us in our loneliness. Help us to find our true companionship in our Christian Community with you. AMEN

Share Christ

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francisNo matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.               Robin Williams

We have to be careful about our words. They can do a great deal of harm. They can also do a great deal of good. If we don’t speak out about Christ and share his message who will?

Loving God, give us the words to share Christ. Give us the wisdom to use our word carefully. AMEN

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memoryDo we remember to ask God’s forgiveness for the wrong things that we do? Sometimes I think we just push them to the back of the mind and let it go. God will forgive us if we ask. Then there is the challenge of believing that we have, in fact, been forgiven.

Loving God, you are ready to forgive us. All we have to do is ask and then believe it. AMEN