Keep Christ in Christmas

The Story Begins Again

The Church calendar helps us tell the gospel story of Jesus. The following simple and succinct explanation of the Church year is given by Brian Zahnd:

ADVENT anticipates the coming of Messiah.
CHRISTMAS celebrates the birth of Jesus.
EPIPHANY remembers the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles.
LENT is the solemn journey to the cross.
EASTER is the celebration of the resurrection.
PENTECOST marks the birth of the church.
ORDINARY TIME (or Kingdom Time) leads us through the year and back to Advent.

Glory to God

Glory to you, O God, Creator and Father,

for the universe in which we live, 

and for men made in your own image. 

Glory to you, O Christ,

who took a human body and redeemed our fallen nature. 

Glory to you, O Holy Spirit, 

who made our bodies the temple of your presence. 

Glory to Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

 whose will it is that we should be made whole

 in body, mind and spirit. 

Glory to God to all eternity.

~ ~ ~ George Appleton (1902-1993)

Grant Us Grace

O Lord our God,

grant us grace to desire thee with our whole heart,

that so desiring, we may seek and find thee; 

and so finding thee we may love thee; 

and loving thee we may hate those sins from which thou hast redeemed us;

for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen

~ ~ ~ Anselm (1033-1109)

How Great Is Your Goodness

How great is your goodness, dear Lord!
Blessed are you for ever!
May all created things praise you, O God,
for loving us so much that we can truthfully speak
of your fellowship with mankind, even in this earthly exile;
and however virtuous we may be,
our virtue always depends on your great warmth
and generosity, dear Lord.
Your bounty is infinite.
How wonderful are your works!

~ ~ ~ St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

A Prayer for Communion (Tozer)

Dear Lord and Savior, we come to your table in faith, for you have told us, "As often as you do this, do it in memory of Me." Help us to celebrate this remembrance of death and resurrection in the very best way we know how. Do then, we pray Thee, overshadow us with Thy very breathing Presence. Breathe on us, O Breath of God; quicken and heal and purify and cleanse. Strengthen and perfect that which is wanting in us. Bless the strangers and the friends who happen to be within our gates today. Dear Lord, make them sense that they have found a home among us as we worship, and to realize that they are just as much "owners" here as we are; for it is the Lord's house and the Lord's table—it is not ours. We are all guests and children in the household—all of us! And we pray that we may love Thee acceptably, for we would not wound Thee again! Thou didst love us with such poured-out love that not even the blood in Thy veins was dear enough to Thee—we were dearer than that blood! All of this we ask in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. ~ ~ ~ A. W. Tozer

PRAYER FOR RESTLESS DISCOMFORT

May God bless you with discontent with easy answers, half truths, superficial relationships, so that you will live from deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, abuse, and exploitation of people, so that you will work for justice, equality, and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you will reach out your hand to comfort them and to change their pain to joy.

May God bless you with the foolishness to think you can make a difference in this world, so that you will do the things which others tell you cannot be done.

If you have the courage to accept these blessings, then God will also bless you with
      happiness—because you will know that you have made life better for others.
      inner peace—because you will have worked to     secure an outer peace for others.
      laughter—because your heart will be light.
      faithful friends—because they will recognize your worth as a person.

These blessings are yours—not for the asking, but for the giving—from One who wants to be your companion, our God, who lives and reigns, forever and ever. Amen.

Sister Ruth Fox, OSB
Sacred Heart Monastery
Richardton, ND

Flavel on the Lord's Supper

“The Lord’s Supper comes to us like a ring plucked off from Christ’s finger, or a bracelet from His arm; or rather like His picture from His breast, delivered to us with such words as these, 'As oft as you look on this, remember me.'” - John Flavel (1627-1691)

Prayer to the God of Creativity

Creator God,
your Spirit enables our own creative abilities as we allow Him to work
through our words, our hands and our imaginations.

We thank you for the beauty of created things,
for pots and bowls moulded
by the skilful manipulation of clay,
for a portrait which captures the essence of a personality,
for the written word which transports us to a faraway place
a poem that captures the raw emotion of a moment,
a prayer that speaks to our heart and soul.

You are present wherever mankind opens its eyes to see, can be heard whenever mankind opens its ears to hear, can be felt as hands are outstretched in faith.

 - John Birch, www.faithandworship.com

PRAYER FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE DAY

O Lord,
grant that I may meet the coming day in peace.
Help me in all things
to rely upon Thy Holy Will.
In every hour of the day,
reveal Thy will to me.
Bless my dealings with all who surround me.
Teach me to treat all that comes to me
throughout the day with peace of soul,
and with the firm conviction
that Thy will governs all.
In all my deeds and words,
guide my thoughts and feelings.
In unforeseen events, let me not forget
that all are sent by Thee.
Teach me to act firmly and wisely,
without embittering and embarrassing others.
Give me the strength to bear the fatigue
of the coming day with all that it shall bring.
Direct my will.
Teach me to pray.
Pray Thou Thyself in me.
Amen.
~ ~ ~ Philaret of Moscow (Russsia/1782-1867)

Prayer for Watchfulness

Keep us, O Lord,
while we tarry on this earth,
in a serious seeking after you,
and in an affectionate walking with you,
every day of our lives;
that when you come,
we may be found not hiding our talent,
nor serving the flesh,
nor yet asleep with our lamp unfurnished,
but waiting and longing for our Lord,
our glorious God forever. Amen.
~ ~ ~ Richard Baxter (1615-1691)

Monk cartoons to make you smile

Just a couple of cartoons I ran across in my clippings.