A Christmas gift idea!

Looking for a gift that won't be forgotten or tossed away a few days after Christmas? 

 

Or even if your Christmas shopping is all done (good job!) you might be looking for some answers to questions about your faith: questions that have long been on your mind questions that come up in conversation; questions for which you'd like to have a few good talking points to work with.

 

Fr. Dave O'Leary, a brother priest and good friend, has just published Twelve Tough Question and a Pastor's Response (available on Amazon).  In a dozen brief chapters (each 4-9 pages long), Fr. Dave responds to real questions from real people he has met in his ministry.  And the answers are real as well: concise replies in accessible language, giving inquirers a good footing on which to base their own thinking and further reading.

 

What kind of tough issues does the author tackle?  Questions ranging from Where Do Pets Go When They Die? -to- What's the Church's Opinion on Transgender Issues?  And ten other questions (including a couple of church-state matters) that might very well come up at your dinner table on Christmas day!

 

If you or someone you know might benefit from a knowledgeable survey of some hot-button issues, then this is the book for you!  Although the book is only 74 pages long, it's probably too wide to stuff into a Christmas stocking - but far more valuable than other trinkets you might think of giving.

 

Do your family and friends (and yourself) a favor and order some copies of Twelve Tough Questions! It's a gift that will stay with you well into the new year!

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12 Days of Night Prayer for Christmas - 12

 

When do the Twelve Days of Christmas begin?   On Christmas Day itself - leading us to TWELFTH NIGHT, the eve of Epiphany, January 6.  Through these dozen days, Night Prayer will focus each evening on one of the many gifts the Christmas season brings us.  Tonight: the gifts of Epiphanies...  No partridges in pear trees here - but you can sing my 12 days to the familiar tune!

On the twelfth day of Christmas,

the good Lord gave to me:

    Epiphanies of glory,

    Gifts of the Spirit,

    Jesus' hands to help me,

    God's Word abiding,

    Mercy after mercy,

    New Year beginning,

    Hope for tomorrow,

    - Friends as good as gold -

    Faith in God above,

    Angels sent from heaven,

    Shepherds keeping watch

    And a Child born in Bethlehem town!

 

epiphany, noun: 

    - an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being  

    - a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature 

        or meaning of something  

    - an intuitive grasp of reality through something (such as an event),

        usually simple and striking

    - an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure

    - a revealing scene or moment

 

Is it your very nature, O God, 

    to reveal yourself?

    to make yourself known?

    to disclose your divinity?

    to uncover your glory, offering glimpses

        of your infinite grace, your primal beauty, 

        your incomparable strength, your exquisite justice,

        your invincible power, your endless mercy, 

        your dazzling brilliance, your consummate wisdom,

        your everlasting kindness - of even your infinite being?

Is such your nature, O God, 

    or is it that you simply cannot be contained?

That your glory bursts all boundaries,

    your light consumes all darkness,

that your very being slips infinity, 

    suffusing, seeping into every nook and cranny

        of all that you've created?

 

Whatever the case, O God,

I'm grateful for all epiphanies, 

    large and small, capital or small case e!

I'm grateful for each and every manifestation of your presence,

    your love, your care, your healing touch;

for every self-disclosure of your beauty:

    in the natural world, in every human face,

    in poetry, music and all the arts;

    in your love calling us to love

        as you have first loved us;

    in the work of justice and the harvest of peace;

    in the healing of wounds, great and small;

    in every word of pardon and every act of mercy;

    in your fingerprints, 

        left warm upon the whole of our experience;

    in sacrifice freely made, rendering holy

        the smallest of each human deed;

    in Jesus, the epiphany of all you are,

        of all you offer, of all you'd have us know... 

Put a thousand guiding stars up in the heavens, Lord

    and point me to the many times and places

        where you reveal yourself to me,

    in epiphanies of glory

        as pure and bright and brilliant

    as the star that shone one wintry night

        on Jesus, born in Beth'lem town...

    

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake

and watch over me while I sleep,

that awake, I might keep watch with you

and asleep, rest in your peace...

 

Amen.

Let Your Face Shine Upon Us by Marty Haugen

 

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 Lord, let your face shine upon us,
shine upon us, shine upon us.

1) Listen to my song
hear me when I call, oh Lord my God:
be gracious, hear my prayer.

2) You have called my name,
set your seal upon my heart:
you hear me when I call.

3) Fill me with your joy
grant to me a peaceful rest
to dwell in safety with my Lord.

 

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Epiphany and the 12 Days of Christmas - in 2023!

Those of us who gather in this virtual chapel have been keeping the Twelve Days of Christmas through Night Prayer. Each night, the intro paragraph has mentioned that these 12 days begins on Christmas Day and end on Twelfth Night, the night before Epiphany. And tonight is Twelfth Night!

 BUT..

Many most of us worship in faith communities where  the feast of the Epiphany is transferred  to a Sunday.  So...  this year we'll observe Epiphany on January 8.  But the Twelve Days of Christmas are up - tonight!

So, with the 12 days now behind us, we'll need to hold our spiritual breath until Sunday to celebrate Epiphany!

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12 Days of Night Prayer for Christmas - 11

 

When do the Twelve Days of Christmas begin?   On Christmas Day itself - leading us to TWELFTH NIGHT, the eve of Epiphany, January 6.  Through these dozen days, Night Prayer will focus each evening on one of the many gifts the Christmas season brings us.  Tonight: the gifts of the Spirit...  No partridges in pear trees here - but you can sing my 12 days to the familiar tune!

On the eleventh day of Christmas,

the good Lord gave to me:

    Gifts of the Spirit,

    Jesus' hands to help me,

    God's Word abiding,

    Mercy after mercy,

    New Year beginning,

    Hope for tomorrow,

    - Friends as good as gold -

    Faith in God above,

    Angels sent from heaven,

    Shepherds keeping watch

    And a Child born in Bethlehem town!

 

Any wisdom I claim as my own, Lord,

    is your Spirit's gift to me:

        light and insight for my mind and heart...

 

 When I seek to understand what faith reveals

    your Spirit helps me trust

        in what I can't yet fully grasp...

        

When trying to decide and choose

    your Spirit's moral compass

        guides my path to find your truth...

 

Your Spirit's gift of courage

    gives the strength I need to follow you,

        to walk the way that leads me to your Cross...

Simply that I know you, Lord,

    is knowledge born of grace,

        of your Spirit's blessed anointing...

 

It's your Spirit's nudge that moves me

    to serve and worship you,

          my Creator and Redeemer...

To meet you in my prayer, Lord,

    is the Spirit's gift of reverence,

        of awe before your holy face...

Without your Spirit's gifts, Lord,

    I'd not seek you, I'd not find you,

        I'd not have the peace that only you can give...

It's your Spirit's many gifts, Lord, that

    quicken my faith, enlighten my thoughts

        and open me to sharing life with you...

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake

and watch over me while I sleep,

that awake, I might keep watch with you

and asleep, rest in your peace...

 

Amen.

Two songs for our prayer this evening:

   the first, choral and lush,

   the second a solo voice, a more contemporary sound...

 

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Many Gifts, One Spirit by Allen Pote

   performed by Paduan Suara Gita Swara Jaya

 

 

Hymn of the Holy Spirit by Pat Barrett

 

 

 

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12 Days of Night Prayer for Christmas - 10

 

When do the Twelve Days of Christmas begin?   On Christmas Day itself - leading us to TWELFTH NIGHT, the eve of Epiphany, January 6.  Through these dozen days, Night Prayer will focus each evening on one of the many gifts the Christmas season brings us.  Tonight: the gift of the Jesus' hands...  No partridges in pear trees here - but you can sing my 12 days to the familiar tune!

 

On the tenth day of Christmas,

the good Lord gave to me:

    Jesus' hands to help me,

    God's Word abiding,

    Mercy after mercy,

    New Year beginning,

    Hope for tomorrow,

    - Friends as good as gold -

    Faith in God above,

    Angels sent from heaven,

    Shepherds keeping watch

    And a Child born in Bethlehem town!

 

When I'm anxious and afraid, Lord,

    you take my hand in yours...

 

When I'm lost and all alone,

    your hands reach out and draw me close...

 

When I'm burdened and bent low,

    your gentle hands will lift me up...

When I've nothing left to offer,

    your hands fill my own with grace...

 

When my I'm idle, slacking off,

    your hands will give me work to do...

When I free-fall in confusion,

    your hands catch me in mid-air...

 

When my hands are stiff and weak,

    your strong hands supply my strength...

When I've lost my grip on hope,

    your hands lift me from despair...

 

When I lift my hand in anger,

    your hand stays my arm in peace...

When I start to drift away

    your hands reach to bring me home...

Your hands, O Lord, are gifts to me,

    without them, I'd be lost;

please use my hands to reach and touch

    my neighbors in their need... 

 

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake

and watch over me while I sleep

that awake, I might keep watch with you

and asleep, rest in your peace...

 

Amen.

               

I'm In His Hands by Phil Laeger

   sung by Amsterdam Staff Songsters of the Salvation Army

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I'm in His hands 

I'm in His hands 

Whatever the future holds 

I'm in His hands 

The days I cannot see 

Have all been planned for me 

His way is best 

You see... I'm in His hands

 

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12 Days of Night Prayer for Christmas - 9

 

When do the Twelve Days of Christmas begin?   On Christmas Day itself - leading us to TWELFTH NIGHT, the eve of Epiphany, January 6.  Through these dozen days, Night Prayer will focus each evening on one of the many gifts the Christmas season brings us.  Tonight: the gift of the God's Word...  No partridges in pear trees here - but you can sing my 12 days to the familiar tune!

 

On the ninth day of Christmas,

the good Lord gave to me:

    God's Word abiding,

    Mercy after mercy,

    New Year beginning,

    Hope for tomorrow,

    - Friends as good as gold -

    Faith in God above,

    Angels sent from heaven,

    Shepherds keeping watch

    And a Child born in Bethlehem town!

 

Lord, I never hear you speak 

   as I hear others speak to me

and yet I do hear you speak

    in a thousand different ways...

 

I hear you whisper in the breeze

    and howl in the storm...

 

I hear you speaking

    in my intuition and my conscience 

        in my imagination and my musing,

            in my thoughts, ideas and dreams...

 

I hear the beauty of your voice

    in the turning of the tide 

        and the changing of the seasons...

I hear your simple wisdom speak

    in all that's true and pure and just...

 

I hear your voice proclaimed in scripture,

    ever ancient, ever new...

I hear the music of your spirit

   sounding deep within my soul...

 

I hear your mercy and compassion

    and your healing consolation

in the words of those who pardon me:

    my family, friends and neighbors...

I hear you when you speak, Lord,

    in the silence of my prayer,

when you tell me in the stillness

    that you're with me, by my side...

I listen with keen longing,

    with all my heart and soul,

I listen for your gentle voice

    calling me by name...

 

Speak to me and let me hear

    your counsel, cry and call;

whisper, shout and sing to me

    your gracious saving word...

 

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake

and watch over me while I sleep

that awake, I might keep watch with you

and asleep, rest in your peace...

 

Amen. 

Two songs this evening, the first a contemporary piece

with a contemporary sound; the second also a contemporary

composition but in the style of hymnody. You don't have to

choose - feel free to pray with both!

               

Word of God, Speak  by Mercy Me

 

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Speak, O Lord by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

 

 

Speak, O Lord, as we come to You 

To receive the food of Your Holy Word. 

Take Your truth, plant it deep in us; 

Shape and fashion us in Your likeness, 

That the light of Christ might be seen today 

In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.

Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us 

All Your purposes for Your glory. 

 

Teach us, Lord, full obedience, 

Holy reverence, true humility; 

Test our thoughts and our attitudes 

In the radiance of Your purity. 

Cause our faith to rise; cause our eyes to see 

Your majestic love and authority. 

Words of pow’r that can never fail— 

Let their truth prevail over unbelief. 

 

Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds; 

Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us— 

Truths unchanged from the dawn of time 

That will echo down through eternity. 

And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises, 

And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us. 

Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built 

And the earth is filled with Your glory.

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12 Days of Night Prayer for Christmas - 8

 

 

When do the Twelve Days of Christmas begin?   On Christmas Day itself - leading us to TWELFTH NIGHT, the eve of Epiphany, January 6.  Through these dozen days, Night Prayer will focus each evening on one of the many gifts the Christmas season brings us.  Tonight: the gift of mercy after mercy...  No partridges in pear trees here - but you can sing my 12 days to the familiar tune!

 

On the eighth day of Christmas,

the good Lord gave to me:

    Mercy after mercy,

    A New Year beginning,

    Hope for tomorrow,

    - Friends as good as gold -

    Faith in God above,

    Angels sent from heaven,

    Shepherds keeping watch

    And a Child born in Bethlehem town!

 

Of all your gifts, Lord,

    the one I least deserve,

    the one I cannot merit,

    the one I cannot earn

    the gift I need the most

        - is your mercy...

I need it the most

    - because I need it so often!

 

I fail to love as you call me to love

    but in your mercy, 

        you forgive me...

Then I fail again to love as you ask

    and again in your mercy, 

        you pardon my sin...

And then yet again, 

    I fail to love as you bid me love

and again and again and again,

    you forgive me, Lord,

    you wash me clean,

        as fresh and bright as new fallen snow... 

In the new year ahead make me grateful, Lord

    for the gift of your unending mercy!

Let me never presume on your kindness

    or take your mercy for granted!

 

Make me grateful, Lord,

    that in spite of my foolish and selfish ways,

your mercy waits to welcome me back

    to the warmth of your loving embrace...

 

And send your Spirit to move me to mercy:

    in my words, in my deeds, in my stubborn heart,

        in my attitudes, feelings and thoughts;

    in letting go resentments and grudges  

        and taking steps toward making peace;

    in serving my neighbor, especially the poor,

        and welcoming strangers to feel at home...

May the mercy I share, the mercy I give

    mirror your mercy to me, O Lord:

        restoring and healing,

        sweet and refreshing,

        gentle and calming,

        strong and consoling,

        unfailing and faithful,

        unending and fruitful,

    the mercy that opens my heart to faith,

        my faith to love

            and my love to hope in you...

 

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake

and watch over me while I sleep

that awake, I might keep watch with you

and asleep, rest in your peace...

 

Amen. 

 

Tonight's very simple song is for

     reflecting on God's mercy,

    looking for God's mercy,

    grateful for God's mercy,  

    praying to be more merciful...

            

Lord, In Your Mercy

    by Val Goldsack

 

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