Slow your breath down- Future of Forestry

First Coming - Madeleine L'Engle

He did not wait till the world was ready,
till men and nations were at peace.
He came when the Heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.

He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine.

He did not wait till hearts were pure.
In joy he came to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame
he came, and his Light would not go out.

He came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh
the Maker of the stars was born.

We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!


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art found here

Blessing for Advent

Be praised, O God, for the blessings around us that point to you.
Be praised, O God, for the signs of this holy season that awaken us in wonder.
Praise for the steadfast green of this tree, like your love, enduring all seasons.
Praise for the light that illuminates our darkness, like Christ, who brings light to the world.
Join our voices with those of the trees and all the creation who sing at your coming:
Glory to God in the highest and peace to God's people on earth.
Amen

Human Rights Day

Oh God, all peoples have their origin in you

and it is your will to gather them
as one family in yourself.

Fill the hearts of all people with your love

and the desire to ensure justice

for all their brothers and sisters.

By sharing the good things of the earth,

may we secure justice and equality for every human being,  an end to all division, 

and a human society built on love and peace.

We make this prayer in Jesus’ name. 

Amen

Advent Calendar

He will come like last leaf’s fall.
One night when the November wind
has flayed the trees to bone, and earth
wakes choking on the mould,
the soft shroud’s folding.

He will come like frost.
One morning when the shrinking earth
opens on mist, to find itself
arrested in the net
of alien, sword-set beauty.

He will come like dark.
One evening when the bursting red
December sun draws up the sheet
and penny-masks its eye to yield
the star-snowed fields of sky.

He will come, will come,
will come like crying in the night,
like blood, like breaking,
as the earth writhes to toss him free.
He will come like child.

- Rowan Williams

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art by He Qi can be found here

Once in Royal David's City - Aled Jones and Libera

Advent

Advent Prayer- Creighton Univ.Online Ministries

God of Strength,

I need your courage.

You offer to make firm the knees that are weak.

Only you know how frightened I so often am.

And you do offer me strength.

There is the promise of your Son's coming

and knowing that you will save me.

I can't do this on my own

no matter how often I think I can.

Give me the humility to ask for your help

and open heart to accept

your healing and love in my life.

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artwork found here
prayer found here

There Was a Time: An Advent Poem

There Was a Time: An Advent Poem

There was a time when there was no time,
When darkness reigned as king,
When a formless void was all that there was
in the nothingness of eternity,
When it was night.
But over the void and over the night Love watched.
There was a time when time began.
It began when Love spoke.

Time began for light and life, for splendor and grandeur.
Time began for seas and mountains, for flowers and birds.
Time began for the valleys to ring with the songs of life,
and for the wilderness to echo with the wailing of wind
and howling of animals.
And over the earth, Love watched.
 
There was a time when time began to be recorded.
A time when Love breathed and a new creature came to life.
A new creature so special that it was in the image and likeness of Love
Of Love who is God.
And so man was born and the dawn of a new day shone on the world.
And over man, Love watched. 
 
But there came a time when the new day faded.
A time when man who was like God tried to be God.
A time when the creature challenged the creator.
A time when man preferred death to life and darkness to light.
And so the new day settled into twilight.
And over the darkness, Love watched. 
 
There was a time of waiting in the darkness.
A time when man waited in the shadows,
And all creation groaned in sadness.
There was waiting for Love to speak again--for Love to breathe again.
And kings and nations and empires rose and faded in the shadows.
And Love waited and watched. 
 
Finally, there came a time when Love spoke again.
A Word from eternity--a Word
Spoken to a girl who belonged to a people not known by the world
Spoken to a girl who belonged to a family not known by her people
To a girl named Mary.
And all creation waited in hushed silence for the girl's answer.
And Mary spoke her yes.
And Love watched over Mary.

And so there came a time when Love breathed again
When Love breathed new life into Mary's yes.
And a new day dawned for the World
A day when light returned to darkness, when life returned to dispel death
And so a day came when Love became man--a mother bore a child.
And Love watched over Love--a Father watched His Son. 
 
And, lastly, there came a time when you and I became a part of time.
Now is the time that you and I wait.
Now we wait to celebrate what the world waited for.
And as we wait to celebrate what was at one time, we become a part of that time
A time when a new dawn and a new dream and a new creation began for man.
And as a part of time, Love waits and Love watches over us.

Fr. Joseph Breighner

Irish Prayer

I arise this day

with love in my heart,

through the warmth of the sun,

the radiance of the moon,

freedom of the wind,

joy of rushing water,

splendor of fire,

stability of the earth,

serenity of the stars and,

the wisdom of silence.

I embrace this day

through the grace of life to guide me

and the promise of love to inspire me.

art work found here

etsy store for Meredith Bub is here

Psalms readings for today

Psalm 16

   A miktam by David.

 ¹Protect me, O God, because I take refuge in you.
 ²I said to the Lord,
  “You are my Lord. Without you, I have nothing good.”
³Those who lead holy lives on earth
   are the noble ones who fill me with joy.
⁴Those who quickly chase after other gods multiply their sorrows.
   I will not pour out their sacrificial offerings of blood
  or use my lips to speak their names.
 ⁵The Lord is my inheritance and my cup.
   You are the one who determines my destiny.
 ⁶Your boundary lines mark out pleasant places for me.
Indeed, my inheritance is something beautiful.
 ⁷I will praise the Lord, who advises me.
   My conscience warns me at night.
⁸I always keep the Lord in front of me.
   When he is by my side, I cannot be moved.
⁹That is why my heart is glad and my soul rejoices.
 My body rests securely
 ¹⁰because you do not abandon my soul to the grave
     or allow your holy one to decay.
¹¹You make the path of life known to me.
   Complete joy is in your presence.
      Pleasures are by your side forever.

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Beautiful artwork found here

The trustful willingness to live without closure

“Come, Lord Jesus” is a leap into the kind of freedom and surrender that is rightly called the virtue of hope. The theological virtue of hope is the patient and trustful willingness to live without closure, without resolution, and still be content and even happy because our Satisfaction is now at another level, and our Source is beyond ourselves.

We are able to trust that the Lord will come again, just as Jesus has come into our past, into our private dilemmas and into our suffering world. Our Christian past then becomes our Christian prologue, and “Come, Lord Jesus” is not a cry of desperation but an assured shout of cosmic hope!

Adapted from Preparing for Christmas with Richard Rohr, p. 5

Love Revealed

This is what Trinity Wall Street says about their 2010 online advent calendar:

Trinity Wall Street’s 2010 Advent Calendar, Love Revealed, takes a look across America at young people who are growing into wisdom, advocating for change, and creating a better world, particularly through partnerships with churches and church programs. Stories this year are drawn from the Episcopal Service Corps, the All Our Children public-school advocacy program, and other innovative church initiatives involving youth and young adults.

I applaud their efforts and happily share their calendar here:

http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/news/features/2010-advent-calendar