Message of 12-25-09
Published: Sat, 12/19/09
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
- Note: there will be no Weekend Edition of Daily Spiritual Seed
this week.
- - -
MESSAGE OF THE DAY
It is here, in the thing that happened at the first Christmas, that
the most profound unfathomable depths of the Christian revelation
lie. God became man;... the Almighty appeared on earth as a
helpless human baby, unable to do more than lie and stare and
wriggle and make noises, needing to be fed and changed and taught
to talk like any other child... The more you think about it, the
more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as this
truth of the incarnation.
- James I (J. I.) Packer
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SCRIPTURE READINGS
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Ps. 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29; Lk
1:67-79
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever";
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
"I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations."
"He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the rock, my savior.'
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
- from
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
Have you ever stayed up all night just to experience the dawn - the
gradual dimming of the stars as light gently pushes back the
darkness revealing the now? Somehow all is refreshed, brilliant -
light has come.
Christmas is just this - Light blessing the now. Christmas is not
the end of the Advent waiting and journeying. It is the dawn of
Advent. It is Light blessing and sanctifying the journey, the
waiting itself.
Who waits for whom? Who blesses whom? Parents, siblings, buddies
and lovers pensively wait for those who are engaged in ministry,
mission and service to come home. Parents eager with anticipation
wait for the infant soon to be born. Parents, friends and
strangers compassionately journey with the lost and forsaken.
Longingly families and friends wait for the estranged. The outcast
in yearning wait for welcome. The hungry in trust wait for the
cook. The homeless in hope wait for the host. The jobless in
faith wait for the employers. The imprisoned desiring freedom wait
for the visitor. And children everywhere joyfully wait for the
anticipated delight.
And so I walk, and I knock, and I wait. At times I sleep. At times
I awake. At times I am cold. At times I am warmed. At times I am
hungry. At times I am nourished and nurtured.But in the hush of
Christmas I am invited to witness the gift of the Light that shines
in the now. I am invited to notice and to receive the sanctifying
presence within my journey, my waiting. I am invited to sing
Alleluias to the Christ in my life. To Jesus who walks with me in
the now - wherever and however that is.
And the goodnews: Christmas is for all of God's children.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SPIRITUAL READING
- "Enjoying One Moment at a Time"
from: "Reflecting on the Serenity Prayer," by Philip St.
Romain, D. Min.
see http://www.liguori.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=6735
- Three Experiences of Time (Pt. 1)
Time is an interesting phenomenon-something that physicists have
puzzled over for decades. What concerns us here is not a scientific
understanding of time but our experience of it. There are three
possibilities.
The first and most common experience people have is of time as
linear. This is sometimes called horizontal or chronological time
and refers to our experience of time as a movement from past to
future. Our recognition that things have a beginning and an end is
an example of this. Knowing this, we experience our lives to be
unfolding from our conception toward our death, and this gives us a
sense of being on a time line. Time seems to have a quantitative
dimension. If we are young, we believe we have plenty of time left
to live, and we don't think much about death. If we are old, we
might feel that we are running out of time, and depending on how we
have lived our lives, we feel happy or sad about time. Then there
are all the other time lines that stress or excite us. We might
look forward to a celebration, but we might also dread Monday
morning and going back to work; we might eagerly anticipate a visit
with a friend, but we might also dread a scheduled confrontation.
(Part 2 of 10-part series)
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Amazon.com gift cards - good for any occasion
- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067L6TQ/?tag=christianspiritu
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
PRAYING WITH SCRIPTURE (Benedictine Approach)
1. Relax. Settle in. Be aware that God is here, now, loving you.
2. Read a short passage of Scripture as though God were speaking
directly to you in it.
3. Choose a phrase from the passage that strikes you and repeat it
slowly, prayerfully, non-analytically.
4. When your heart is full, express to God the needs and sentiments
awakened by your meditation. When you're done, read another passage
and repeat steps 3 and 4.
5. If, at any time, you feel moved to simply be present to God in
loving silence, put the Scripture aside and rest in God.
______________________________
* Web Archive: http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?dailyseed
* RSS: http://www.aweber.com/z/rss/?dailyseed