The Second day of Christmas

By

Today is the second day of Christmas.
...a day that reminds us that, even after the wrapping paper is torn away (even after the events and errands settle down) God is still with us. The spirit and joy of Christmas continues.

We're reminded that the star that shone at the birth of Christ marks the beginning of his life on earth  and the start of the wise men's journey (--not their arrival. We'll celebrate that on January 5th, "Epiphany Sunday").

So yes, it's the second day of Christmas. The journey continues!


A Prayer for the Christmas Season 
from The United Methodist Book of Worship, pg279. 

Holy God, heaven and earth are met
in the newborn Child, Savior of the world.
We celebrate his birth;
for in him you come to be close to us, that we might be close to you.

Especially, we give thanks
for the birth, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and all he means to us...
for prospects of peace in the world...
for confidence in your almighty love...
for those who generously give...
for those who graciously receive...
for the Church’s nurturing us in the faith... 

God of all mercy,
as you have come in Jesus Christ to be our guest,
inspire our hearts to a hospitality
that welcomes all your children in his name.

Especially we pray
for those who have not heard your good news...
for the sick and suffering...
for those who know no laughter, only tears...
for those who govern and rule...
for those enslaved by tyranny...
for prisoners of addiction or abuse...
for the Church as a refuge for the needy...   

All this we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Seventh Symbol of the Jesse Tree: 12 Tribes of Israel

By
Image
Seventh Symbol of the Jesse Tree: 12 Tribes of Israel And Israel (previously named Jacob) had 12 sons who didn't all get along (despite their Father's dying attempt to gather them together for blessing and peace...). These sons became the 12 tribes of Israel. Genesis 49:1-28  God could have chosen any tribe or any family lineage--God could have skipped the family drama and tribal violence of the Old Testament tribes, but God chose to remain faithful to those ancient promises. God chose to root new  life and new  peace in a previously violent story. Praise be to God!  Just for fun: Which of the Twelve Tribes of Israel are you? (online personality quiz)  Tribe of Jesus: · Matthew 1:1–6 and Luke 3:31-34  describe Jesus as the tribe of Judah . ( “Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.” ~Revelation 5:5) ·   Mary, Jesus’ mother, was also related to ...
Read more

Eleventh Jesse Tree Symbol: Gideon's Clay Pitcher

By
Image
Eleventh Jesse Tree Symbol: Gideon's clay pitcher The Israelites enter the promised land, but the next generation stops worshipping God. When enemy armies attack and conquer them, the  Israelites turn back to God and cry out. God--in grace--raises up a judges (like Gideon) who leads Israel back to victory.  Gideon 6:11-16, 7:19-23 (or all of 6-8 if you're feeling ambitious)   Gideon--Peace by Karlie Harper I love the story of Gideon because it is an underdog story. In this story we see a man who is so full of doubt of himself that he does not recognize the Spirit of the Lord sitting right in front of him. For someone like me who battles doubt and anxiety, this story is particularly meaningful.  In the verses we see the Lord trying to build up Gideon’s courage by calling him a “might warrior” and telling him “Peace, do not be afraid”. But Gideon, not unlike myself, doesn’t listen to his Lord right away. If we read the story we go on to learn how Gideon—...
Read more

Twelfth Symbol of the Jesse tree: Ruth's wheat

By
Image
Jesse Tree Symbol #12: Ruth, shaft of wheat I n the days of the Judges, famine left an Israelite woman named Naomi widowed and without both her sons. As she moved back to her hometown, one daughter-in-law (Ruth) stayed with her. This  penniless  foreigner--this outsider--Ruth was cared for and brought in to the Israelite family tree... the roots of Christ  Ruth 1:6-9,15-18; 2:1-12 and 16 Matthew 1:1-5                                       Reflection b y Peg Powell After reading these passages in Ruth, I was reminded of one of my favorite stories. Long ago, there was a mayor who lived with his only son in the hills of China. None of them in this village owned a horse, but one day, out of the blue, a stallion appeared at the mayor’s home.  All of the people exclaimed, “How lucky you are.” The mayor said, “We’ll see.” A few days later, the stallion disa...
Read more