Bless - December 14, 2018

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This season of Advent is one of my favorites of the liturgical year and one of the favorites of almost all the families of this part of the world, since in addition to preparing for Christmas, the tree is bought, the house is decorated and the purchase of gifts for friends and family. It can be a time of stress and at the same time one of happiness since we want to show our love to others with a gift.

During this time six years ago, a tragedy took place that tore at our souls, the killing of mostly children and some adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT.

How can one forget that day? The uncertainty, the fear and the sadness that invaded our homes. To find hope, rebirth, understanding, after such tragedy without God would be impossible.

We asked ourselves where God was at that moment? How did he allow that to happen? Maybe we were even angry with Him.

How to bless God in those moments of difficulty, of impotence? How can we do it? How would those parents or children who had lost their relatives that day on December 14, one so close to Christmas?

I can only say that those innocent children were welcomed into the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ, and they are surely praising Hosanna in the highest next to the angels in heaven.

Whenever we experience happy things or sad and tragic events, we should bless the Lord and have a psalm, hymn or prayer that helps us to be very connected spiritually with our God.

We should trust that He, the creator of everything we see and do not see, loves us and awaits us with open arms even if we do not understand why things happen

My favorite psalm in these times of sorrow is Psalm 103-1: 2

"Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits "...

This psalm fills my soul with tenderness and although I am sad or angry or happy, it does me good and I know that God loves me.

In this Advent we must be prepared with His word by incorporating it into our everyday lives, so that by blessing others, we obtain our own blessings. Amen.

Post byRoxana Videla Olivares

Esta estacion de adviento es una de mis favoritas del año liturgico y una de las favoritas de casi todas las familias de esta parte del mundo, ya que ademas de prepararnos para la navidad, se compra el arbol, se decora la casa y se hace la compra de los regalos para amigos y familiares. Es una epoca de cierto estres y a la vez de felicidad ya que queremos demostrar nuestro amor a los demas con un presente.

En medio de todo este clima, hace seis años atras sucedio una tragedia que nos desgarro el alma, la matanza de los niños y algunas personas mayores en la escuela elemental Sandy Hook, en Newtown CT.

Como olvidar ese dia, la incertumbre, el miedo y la tristeza que invadio nuestros hogares. Como encontrar en medio de todo eso la esperanza, el renacer, el entendimiento, sin Dios seria imposible.

Nos preguntamos donde estaba Dios en ese momento, como permitio que eso sucediera, nos enojamos quiza con El.

Como bendecir a Dios en esos momentos de dificultad, de impotencia?,  como podemos hacerlo?, como lo harian esos padres o hijos que habian perdido a sus familiares? ese dia 14 de diciembre, tan cercano a la Navidad, dia de alegria y reuniones familiares.

Solo puedo decir que esos niños inocentes fueron recibidos en los brazos de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, y seguramente estan alabando Hossana en la alturas! junto a los angeles en el cielo.

Cada vez que nos sucedan cosas alegres o muy tristes y tragicas bendigamos al Señor, tengamos un salmo o himno u oracion que nos ayude a estar muy conectados espiritualmente con nuestro Dios.

El creador de todo lo que vemos y no vemos y que aunque no entendamos por que suceden las cosas confiemos en que El nos ama y nos espera con los brazos abiertos.

Mi salmo favorito en estos casos es el 103-1:2

“Bendice alma mia al Señor, y bendiga todo mi ser su santo nombre.

Bendice, alma mia, al Señor y no olvides ninguno de sus beneficios”…

Eso llena mi alma de ternura y aunque este triste o enojada o feliz, me hace bien y se que a Dios le agrada.

En este adviento estemos preparados con su palabra incorparada cada dia en nuestras vidas, de manera que bendiciendo obtengamos bendicion.

Amen. -

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas”

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From Psalm 28:

        The Lord is my strength and my shield;

                    my heart trusts in him, and I have been helped;

        Therefore my heart dances for joy,

                    and in my song will I praise him.

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” says one popular song you’ve probably heard lately.  But as I go about my daily life, I’m struck by how much it’s sounding like Christmas. Our world right now is saturated with music looking forward to Christmas. It’s everywhere you go, as the song says—in shopping malls, on the radio, in elevators and doctors’ offices, in television commercials and at the movie theatres. I even had Christmas-themed hold music on a phone call yesterday.

These songs—both the secular ones and the traditional Christian hymns—go a long way towards getting is un the holiday spirit.  They remind us of warm, cozy evenings spent with family and friends; they invite us to be jolly and cheerful; they offer solace for people who struggle with anxiety, loneliness, or fear, particularly in this time of year. Many cherish attending a performance of Handel’s Messiah, or of going to a local parish’s service of Lessons and Carols. And I’m sure I’m not alone in looking forward to hearty singing at a midnight service on Christmas Eve.

The world—and the church—often uses music to set a tone, to get us in a particular mindset or mood. But how can we use the music in our lives more intentionally, as a way of responding to God? In Psalm 28, praising God in song is a response to God’s steadfast love. The psalmist, thankful for God’s grace and protection, offers not faint praise but jubilant dance and song.

St. Augustine famously wrote that those who sing, pray twice. In this season of preparation and renewal, consider which familiar songs embody how you might respond to God’s working in your life. Perhaps, this Advent, the quiet expectancy of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” reflects your sense of anticipation. Or perhaps the majesty and awe of “Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending” speaks to your yearning for Christ’s glorious reign. In this season filled with so many familiar songs, which songs can you use in your own prayer life?

Post by Jett McAlister

Before

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It was not always this way. Before there was corruption, there was innocence. Before there was the end of love, there was falling in love. Before death, life. With God though, we can seek better days. Even as the Lord hears your weeping, so too will God hear your plea.

God will hear your supplication. God will accept your prayer. (Psalms 6.)

Post by Matt Handi

Feast of Immaculate Conception of Mary

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By Benjamin Straley

Though a date not found on our Anglican calendars, today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary for our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters, with many large pilgrimages and processions taking place in Latin America and abroad.  And although not defined until as recently as 1854, the Roman doctrine around the Immaculate Conception is certainly consonant with tradition and reason, if not scripture.  I am not here to speculate or ponder the place of Marian veneration in Anglicanism, however; but I would suggest that in Mary we see a sign of profound Hope, which is the theme of this Advent blog series.

When we consider that God, in preparing the way for Jesus, could move through and in the life of Mary to bring about the salvation of the world, we should ponder all that preceded her 'Yes' at Gabriel's Annunciation to her. As the Psalmist says, "Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb; all of them were written in your book..." (Ps. 139, v. 15).

As Rowan Williams points out, "Mary stands for all the history of God's people, the steady knowledge of promise and faithfulness; but she is also the first explicit believer in Jesus: from her womb flows the river of life. And when we echo her 'Yes,' the freshness of God in Jesus flows from the center of our being too." (Footnote)

That we, likewise, can bear Christ to the world around us should fill us with immense hopefulness for the life of that same world; and that God begins working in and through us, even before we are aware of it, leading to those moments where we are called upon to act, should fill us with not only hope - yes - but awe and wonder.

Footnote: Ponder These Things: Praying with Icons of the Virgin. Copyright 2002 by Rowan Williams. Published by Canterbury Press, Norwich, United Kingdom.

Time for Letting Go

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December 15, 2015
Reflection by Tuesday Rupp

Sometimes I do a hand meditation with my confirmation class. With eyes closed, participants are asked to clench their hands into a fist, imagining that they are holding onto all of their cares, worries, fears and anxieties. After a breath or two, I ask them to open their hands, and offer everything up to God. As their teacher I see hands that were discolored with tension release completely, along with shoulders, necks, and faces. It is powerful to observe how much these young people carry, and the need they have for those burdens to be lifted.

The second part of the exercise invites the participants to imagine that God is offering them a gift, placing it in hands now freed of burdens, opened to receive. Finally, they are asked to press that gift into their hearts.

“The sacrifice acceptable to God is the broken spirit; the broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Psalm 51:17

What are holding onto tightly today? How would it feel to offer it up to God? What gift could you

imagine God giving to you today, placing them in your open hands and open heart?

“Open my Heart” by Ana Hernandez and Ruth Cunningham.


 

A Time for Rest

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December 14, 2015
Reflection by Tuesday Rupp

 
“The human being was born restless, but truly in the remembrance of God do hearts find rest.” ­Jamal Rahman, paraphrasing the Qu’ran

“Restless is the heart until it comes to rest in you.” ­ St. Augustine, Confessions

Here in the northern hemisphere, the light dims a bit more each day until the the winter solstice on the 21st of December. I have noticed that my habit and desire in December is to want to follow that light, to go to bed earlier, to read more, drink more tea, to turn over poems in my mind, and let my quiet introvert have her time. In short, I am craving more rest.

At the same time, I feel unsettled. Staying connected to current events ­ to say nothing of a mounting list of holiday tasks ­ means accepting anxiety about the future, as well as frustration in the present. How can I allow myself to rest when I have so much to do, and when so many are suffering?

It is so important to take good care of ourselves ­ the same selves which God has made and
loves ­ in order to do what we are called to do. Rest is necessary for the optimal functioning of body, mind, and I believe spirit. Allowing myself time to rest reduces my anxiety and helps me see the things that I can do and do effectively. Time to rest allows me the space to remember that I am fearfully, wonderfully made, and to connect deeply with the one who made me. That connection with Holy Wonder is life­giving and restorative.

As the light decreases, allow yourself a little more time to rest. Rest in the awareness of God’s astounding love. Even five minutes of rest can change the whole course of your day. This beautiful song by Bernadette Farrell, combining the texts from Augustine and Psalm 90, could help.