A prayer for the coming of Christ in My Life

Father God,

Thank you for the advent gifts of hope, peace, joy and love.
By accepting and opening thse gifts in my life, I realize that I need a savior.  Because I accept Jesus, your Son as my Savior my life is forever changed.

May I always be the face of forgiveness- just as Jesus forgave sins and so opened communications between God and man as well as each other. Give me courage to be forgivness in a society that expects revenge as payment for hurt.

May I always be the face of nonviolence, treating others as I myself would want to be treated. Give me the ability to see your presence in each heart so that I may treat others as I would treat God, for he truely exists in each created person.

May I always be the face of unconditional love, a love that is freely received and given. Give me the ability to walk a mile in the shoes of others, and to see that you walk with and love them as you surely do patiently with me.

In doing these things, not on my own power but yours, Father, may the fruit of your gifts and your work with in me be a world that knows your love, where justice and peace shall kiss.

I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Joy

The joy of children
Returned to absent parents
See heaven on earth.

The joy of parents
Returned to absent children
Live heaven on earth.

The joy of heaven
Returned to lifeless earth
Witness Peace and Love.

Prayer for Peace in Syria

GOD OF COMPASSION,

LISTEN TO THE CRIES
OF THE PEOPLE OF SYRIA.

Give comfort to those who suffer
because of the violence,
console those who mourn their dead,
and strength to neighboring countries
to welcome the refugees.

Convert the hearts of
those who resort to arms
and protect those who
work to promote peace.

GOD OF HOPE,

inspire leaders to choose
peace instead of violence
and to seek reconciliation with their enemies.
Inspire compassion in the universal Church
for the Syrian people and give us hope
for a future of peace based on justice for all.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
Prince of Peace and Light of the world.

AMEN.

Prayer of My Mission

My God has gotten me through past job losses.
My God has been with me through family crises
My God has gotten me through cancer, depression and loneliness.
I am a man on a mission traversing this life
Spreading but one message:
My God is love
And he loves every person I meet, touch or even hear about today.
I accept that love, and true acceptance means that I need to love them too.
That's kind of scary, until I realize that the God who has seen me through this life
Is the only power I have that will let me achieve that love.
Lord be my power today and every day.
Let me be your face to one of your beloved today.

I remember you my friend

I remember you my friend.
I'm glad to know that you were mine
Shared Days we were close,
Some Days we were far away;
These Days blur into yesterday.

Now in God You are today
The laughing sun
The crying rain
Far above the time given pain.
For all todays even when memory fades.

My friend stands in my life
So filled by friends
Even such as these
Wih Bodies gone.

I would not lie, would not forget
The touch that makes a life.
Touch shared in time
I tucked away
Within the heart,
By the heart the touch
returned to life.

The Wrong Funeral

God is so powerful and He speaks to us in so many wonderful ways,  even through a story passed along in email.  God bless you the reader,  the writer of this piece, and my dear sister who sent this to me. - PK  AND WE THINK GOD DOESN'T TALK TO US? Consumed by my loss, I didn't notice the hardness of the pew where I sat. I was at the funeral of my dearest friend - my mother. She finally had lost her long battle with cancer. The hurt was so intense; I found it hard to breathe at times. Always supportive, Mother clapped loudest at my school plays, held a box of tissues while listening to my first heartbreak, comforted me at my father's death, encouraged me in college, and prayed for me my entire life. When mother's illness was diagnosed, my sister had a new baby and my brother had recently married his childhood sweetheart, so it fell on me, the 27-year-old middle female child without entanglements, to take care of her. I counted it an honor. "What now, Lord?" I asked sitting in church. My life stretched out before me as an empty abyss. My brother sat stoically with his face toward the cross while clutching his wife's hand. My sister sat slumped against her husband's shoulder, his arms around her as she cradled their child. All so deeply grieving, no one noticed I sat alone. My place had been with our mother, preparing her meals, helping her walk, taking her to the doctor, seeing to her medication, reading the Bible together. Now she was with the Lord. My work was finished, and I was alone. I heard a door open and slam shut at the back of the church. Quick footsteps hurried along the carpeted floor. An exasperated young man looked around briefly and then sat next to me. He folded his hands and placed them on his lap. His eyes were brimming with tears. He began to sniffle. "I'm late," he explained, though no explanation was necessary. After several eulogies, he leaned over and commented, "Why do they keep calling Mary by the name of 'Margaret?'" "Because, that was her name, Margaret. Never Mary, no one called her 'Mary,'" I whispered. I wondered why this person couldn't have sat on the other side of the church. He interrupted my grieving with his tears and fidgeting. Who was this stranger anyway? "No, that isn't correct," he insisted, as several people glanced over at us whispering, "her name is Mary, Mary Peters." "That isn't who this is." "Isn't this the Lutheran church?" No, the Lutheran church is across the street. "I believe you're at the wrong funeral, Sir." The solemnness of the occasion mixed with the realization of the man's mistake bubbled up inside me and came out as laughter. I cupped my hands over my face, hoping it would be interpreted as sobs. The creaking pew gave me away. Sharp looks from other mourners only made the situation seem more hilarious. I peeked at the bewildered, misguided man seated beside me. He was laughing too, as he glanced around, deciding it was too late for an uneventful exit. I imagined Mother laughing. At the final "Amen," we darted out a door and into the parking lot. "I do believe we'll be the talk of the town," he smiled. He said his name was Rick and since he had missed his aunt's funeral, asked me out for a cup of coffee. That afternoon began a lifelong journey for me with this man who attended the wrong funeral, but was in the right place. A year after our meeting, we were married at a country church where he was the assistant pastor. This time we both arrived at the same church, right on time. In my time of sorrow, God gave me laughter. In place of loneliness, God gave me love. This past June, we celebrated our twenty-second wedding anniversary.  Whenever anyone asks us how we met, Rick tells them, "Her mother and my Aunt Mary introduced us, and it's truly a match made in heaven." If you Love God for all the marvelous things he has done for you, send this on to others. REMEMBER, God doesn't make mistakes. He puts us where we are supposed to be.

Life begins...

You can choose to do it alone
with someone else
or with God...

Walk to the edge.
Listen hard. Laugh. Play with abandon.
Practice wellness.
Continue to learn.
Choose with no regret.
Appreciate your friends.
Lead or follow a leader.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.

-Mary Anne Radmacher

I have made my choice. I am alive in Christ.

A Prayer to Avoid Entitlement

The Jewish people have a beautiful prayer form, a kind of litany to which the response is always "Dayenu!" (It would have been enough!).

  

They list, one by one, the mirabilia Dei, the wonderful works of God for their people and themselves, and after each one, shout out DAYENU! As if to say, "How much is it going to take for us to know that God is with us?!" It builds satisfaction instead of feeding dissatisfaction.

  

If we begin our day with any notion of scarcity, not-enoughness, victimhood, or "I deserve," I promise you the day will not be good--for you or for those around you. Nor will God be glorified.

  

Maybe we all should begin our days with a litany of satisfaction, abundance, and enoughness. God, you have given me another day of totally gratuitous life: my health, my eyes, my ears, my mind, my taste, my family, my freedom, my education, clean water, more than enough food, a roof over my head, a warm bed and blanket, friends, sunshine, a beating heart, and your eternal love and guidance.

  

To any one of these we must say, "And this is more than enough!"

by Richard Rohr

Gods goodness is so overwhelming that even one of his deeds would have been enough.  He has not only provided for my lifetime, but that of my family, friends and enemies.

Just to be. A child of God. Dayenu!