Grace - 5th Day of Advent

Today's word for meditation is Grace.

And the video below may help you with your meditation today.

Activity for Today:  Let someone in line get in front of you.  Yes, your time is valuable, but sometimes, you really need to slow down, appreciate the day and SMILE at the people around you.

Restore - 4th Day of Advent

Psalm 23 is a favorite of many people, and while it talks about knowing that God is with you through everything, it also talks about the restoration of the soul.  In some ways, it's a promise of the coming of Christ, to restore the souls of all mankind:

He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.  - Psalm 23:3

Throughout the Gospels, we watch as Christ physically restores health to those who are ill, sight to the blind, strength to the lame, food to the hungry - but it is humbling to know that it takes His very life to restore the soul of humanity to the condition where we might walk the paths of righteousness once again.

And later in this liturgical year, we see God's love also restore life to Christ once again.  

Restoration in our personal lives can be reflected in restoring a house to cleanliness, a beat-up old piece of furniture to its original beauty, an owie of a child finds the skin restored and pain removed with the kiss of his mother, even polishing a candlestick or silverware to restore the original shine - as a symbol of what Christ restores to us, it's a great place to begin your working meditation today.  Choose something to restore - and think about all that God restores in your own life, as you give a new look to something that also needs restored.

Activity for the Day:  Clean out and donate to Goodwill, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity,  or whatever your favorite charity is today!

Beware - 3rd Day of Advent

And on the 3rd day of Advent, our word is "Beware."  Interestingly, it is not a contraction for "be aware", but rather comes from the Old English verb "warian", which means "to take heed of, to guard against, protect, defend."  So we're once again referred back to being "awake" so that we can be ware of what's "coming."

The Bible actually refers in several places that we should beware, but since this is Advent, we're going to focus on two of the Gospel verses that talk about being on guard against the falsity of men:

Matthew 7:15: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."

Matthew 10:17: "But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues,"

There are many other areas in the Bible that use the word "beware" - Bible Gateway is a great place to look things up, and it's very easy to use.

So in your meditation, think about what and whom you need to beware; think of how you will guard against it; think of how prayer might be worked into it.

Activity for the Day:  Take food to a food bank.  If you're unable to do that, volunteer some of your time to help them out.

Coming - 2nd Day of Advent

Today's word is "Coming", and when you look that up, three phrases stand out most broadly - "coming soon", "coming home" and "coming out."  For now, we'll focus on the first.

From Matthew 24:27 and 30, we know:

For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ...

At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. 

So we know from Christ, Himself, that His coming to Earth will be visible to all.  It's not something that will be hidden - but we must be "awake".  From Matthew 19:15-16, "Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.  But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear."

Something else to consider - if God (and therefore Christ) is outside of time, "soon" doesn't really have a meaning - it's something that implies linear time.  Something to wonder about is how the perception of God changes between the Father and the Son, since the Son actually experienced linear time, and the Father is the one who set it up, but lives outside of it.  Mysteries of faith - they do always give us things to meditate upon.  And that's what this exercise is for - to meditate; to allow your mind and spirit to take you on a journey that will hopefully lead to broader understanding.

Activity for the Day:
Our second task - Meet someone for lunch (or maybe have leftovers from Thanksgiving and invite someone in - or take leftovers to someone shut in and spend some time in fellowship with them).

Awake - 1st Day of Advent

Good morning!  (Or if you're industrious and checking the blog when I finish, good evening!)

Today's word is actually "awake", but in looking for pictures of that word that might be inspiring, I discovered there's a movie by that name, and as I want to focus on the verb form, I added the N. :)  I'd like to thank the Awaken Church in Wenatchee, WA for the loan of their logo - they're a non-denominational Bible Church, and they've got great taste in logos and messages. :)

SSJE (Society of St. John the Evangelist) has a great sermon with many thoughts on which one can meditate regarding being "awake", discussing Matthew 24:37-44.  One portion of it says:

Some of you here today may need to wake up. There may be events in your life right now – very full events or very vacuous events – that God is using to speak to you or lead you. Wake up to it! For others of you, the invitation that God may be giving you now is from another side of Jesus’ personality and another side of his teaching: an invitation to rest in the peace of Christ, to savor the sampling of food that shall last forever, to drink deeply from life, to relax, to abide, to enjoy, to reincorporate the word “leisure” into your soul.

Keep those things in mind as you go through your day - awake to the possibilities within yourself!

Activity for the Day:  Call a friend or family member that you have not talked with in a while.  Maybe you can mention how excited you are that this is the first day of Advent!  Ask what they're going to be doing to get ready for their own holy days - or if they're non-religious, ask what their plans for the holidays are.  Find a way to re-awaken your connection (C'mon, it's my job to make everything come full circle - you had to expect it).  

Preparing for Advent

Well, it's been a while since I've updated on here, but it's again coming up on Advent, one of the two times of the year when I post daily.

First, to catch everyone up on the happenings among the Episcopal community in our little corner of Northwest Montana:

• Holy Trinity is still seeking a part-time priest for the small, but faithful, community of Troy, Montana.  Interested people should contact the Bishop.
• We grieve with the believers in Libby, MT for the desanctification and closing of our sister-church, St. Luke's.  They now meet in each others' homes, much like the believers in the early Church.  Please pray for them.
• The prayer shawl ministry continues strong and vibrant, making shawls, blankets, hats and scarves for the community at large.

Next, this Advent Season, we're going to focus on two things - both of which require your participation!  The first is the Photo Meditation on a word from the Formation and Vocation Offices of the Episcopal Church.  Find a photo that describes the word that will be posted, and share the photo, or share a link where we can find the photo in the comments for the day.

The second is a challenge called "Taking it to the Streets" - practical, every day challenges on what you can do to make Advent special and focused for you and for others you interact with during the season.  Challenge others to do the same.  Create your own methods and things to do.  Educate others in the Episcopal methods of celebrating the Advent season - and remember to listen to others as they educate you on their own traditions.  We're not so different - sometimes we just have different practices or traditions that lead to the multitude of Holy Days in this time of year.  We want others to respect our celebrations, and the best way to do that is to respect theirs - and learn something new in the meantime!

World Humanitarian Day - August 19, 2014

Prayer for the Human Family.

Ebola Outbreaks

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infects our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in the bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on the earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Khadair Refugees

Gaza Families

- The Book of Common Prayer, p.815

Missouri Riots

Syrian Refugees

Unaccompanied Minors