Diocese of South Carolina

A friend of mine described waiting like sitting on a bench in a beautiful garden, enjoying the presence of God. May it be so for the litigants in South Carolina. Please pray for Her Honor Judge Diane S. Goodstein, that she may have wisdom beyond measure in the dispensation of this case.

Malachi 1:11 (NLT)
But my name is honored by people of other nations from morning till night. All around the world they offer sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of my name. For my name is great among the nations,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

O Lord, may Your name be honored throughout South Carolina from morning till night. Amen.

Ebola prayer–Roll on Jehovah

Psalm 37:5 Young’s Literal Translation
Roll on Jehovah thy way, And trust upon Him, and He worketh,

Jehovah God,
We thank You for the work You are doing in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. Amen.

Honoring parents

Proverbs 30:17 (NLT)
The eye that mocks a father
and despises a mother’s instructions
will be plucked out by ravens of the valley
and eaten by vultures.

The word nahash means “serpent” in Hebrew.

1 Samuel 11:1-2 (ESV)
Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.” But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus bring disgrace on all Israel.”

Our Father in heaven,
We do not have a culture of honor for our elders. We do not show forbearance for the needs of the elderly. We cast aside our parents’ admonitions.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Forgive us for making a treaty with Convenience and Immediate Gratification. Forgive us for seeking to please the world, rather than our parents.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Our nation suffers from lack of vision. We have brought disgrace upon our land and don’t even recognize it.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Take pity, Lord, and snatch people as from the the very flames of hell itself. We are blind. Amen.
Jude 1:23

A prayer for Ebola orphans

This article from Voice of America describes the plight of Ebola orphans.

Psalm 84:3-4 (NIV)
Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.

O God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
You are Lord of the generations. Thank You for all the goodness that You have sown in the land, the bloodlines, and the churches in western Africa.

O Lord, we pray, draw the Ebola orphans ever nearer Your altar that they may find a home.

You are enthroned on the praises of Your people. Bless the homes that teach the little ones to love You.

O Lord, we pray, draw the Ebola orphans ever nearer Your altar that they may find a home.

Thank You for teaching us how to sow goodness and generosity and reap a harvest beyond measure. Hospitality begets hospitality. Stir the hearts of Christians to provide homes and aid to the orphans.

O Lord, we pray, draw the Ebola orphans ever nearer Your altar that they may find a home. Amen.

Prayer for Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby’s healing

Just noticed on the BBC news page that Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has pneumonia.

Please pray for him and his family today:

Heavenly Father, giver of life and health: Comfort and relieve Archbishop Justin, and give your power of healing to those who minister to his needs, that Justin may bestrengthened in his weakness and have confidencein your loving care; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Diocese of South Carolina

Awaiting results of litigation.

Psalm 143:9-10 (ESV)

Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord!
I have fled to you for refuge.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me
on level ground!

Our Father in heaven,
We lean on You and not our own understanding. We lean on Your promise that the words that come out of Your mouth will not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work You sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment You gave them.
We stand in agreement with all the words of Holy Scripture read in the parishes of the Diocese of South Carolina through the centuries. These precious, holy words will not return to You empty-handed. Amen.
Isaiah 55:11

Ebola prayer–seeds of hope

Zechariah 8:12a (NLT)
For I am planting seeds of peace and prosperity among you.

O Lord,
We yearn for a display of Your splendor–people throughout the population of West Africa established like oaks of righteousness. In a good year, an oak tree produces between 70,000 – 150,000 acorns. O, for hundreds of thousands of seeds of righteousness, peace, healing, hope, and prosperity throughout Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea! With You, nothing is impossible. Let it be! Amen.

A Blessed Christmas!

REJOICE CHRIST IS BORN!

All of us at Lent & Beyond wish our readers a joyous Christmas season, filled with the wonder that God chose to come and take on flesh and dwell among us.

Hallelujah!  We have a Savior!

art credit: freechristianresources.org

Electromagnetic jubilation

2 Corinthians 4:6 (CJB)
For it is the God who once said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has made his light shine in our hearts, the light of the knowledge of God’s glory shining in the face of the Messiah Yeshua.

Rejoice, stationary charges and moving charges!
He is loved in the manger and loved before the foundation of the world.
He is loved and He is Love.

Rejoice, waves and quanta!
There is no mean eclipse, no shadow of turning in God-turned-man.
The Bright Morning Star makes day dawn upon us!

Rejoice, static fields and oscillations!
Behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Lamb of God, the descendant of David and the Son of God.

Rejoice, electromagnetic field–continuous, yet discrete!
Rejoice in the good and perfect gift from above. Rejoice in Jesus.

Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. Amen.

Luke 2:13-14, Ephesians 5:14, James 1:17

Diocese of South Carolina

Not by might nor by power but by my spirit.

Our Father in heaven,

We do not forget that the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. Our hope is in You. You are our hearts’ desire.
Help Your faithful servants within the Diocese of South Carolina to be pure in heart. Help them live in obedience to Your truth.  Create in them clean hearts.
Bestow upon the Diocese of South Carolina Your Holy Spirit in good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.  May the diocese prevail not by might, nor by power, but by Your Spirit. Amen.
Zechariah 4:6-10, 2 Chronicles 16:9, Matthew 5:8, Psalm 51:7-17

Ginny Owens: When the Time is Right

One of my favorite contemporary Advent songs.  Ginny Owen’s song “When the Time is Right” captures well the waiting, longing and hope in God’s promises.

Unfortunately the song is not available as a download.  It’s from an album called One Silent Night, released in 2000, a compilation of Christmas songs by various artists.

When the time is right

The sun showed no mercy on the African sand,

another week with no clouds in the sky.

Only days filled with chains and Pharaoh’s commands.

The children of God looked to heaven on high.

They’d cry, “Lord, see our tears; tell us how long.”

Then they’d sing themselves to sleep with this song:

We are not forgotten; we are ever in God’s sight.

He will come to us when the time is right!

He will lead us into freedom;

He will lead us into life!

He will come to us when the time is right!

Centuries go by, and again there are tears.

Now the nation’s held in Caesar’s reign.

There’s a hope that their hearts

have held through the years

and as they sing that familiar refrain,

the answer that came down from heaven’s throne

offered freedom from a bondage far greater than Rome!

We are not forgotten; we are ever in God’s sight.

He will come to us when the time is right!

He will lead us into freedom;

He will lead us into life!

He will come to us when the time is right!

When the time is right!

Ginny Owens – 2000

Diocese of South Carolina

Awaiting results of litigation.

Psalm 138:7-8 (ESV)

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.  The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.  Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Our Father in heaven,

We thank You for the preservation of the Diocese of South Carolina.  Fulfill Your purpose for them by Your steadfast love.  Do not forsake them, for they are the work of Your hands.  Amen.

Excellent Resources related to the “O Antiphons”

A few excellent links for prayers, music and reflections related to the Great “O Antiphons” of Advent:

A wonderful devotional on O Come O Come Emmanuel / the Antiphons from Cardiphonia – This is really worth downloading!

A nice “O Antiphons Prayer Companion” – a 1o page guide on the Antiphons

Christine Sine at Godspace’s list of resources on the Antiphons

MP3s and Musical Notations for each O Antiphon Chant.

A recording:  St. Mark’s Cathedral: An Advent Procession – the Great O Antiphons

 

Advent Poems: William Cowper – The Shining Light

Another post dug up from our 2006 archives…, an Advent favorite that I’m surprised has taken me 8 years to post over here at this version of Lent & Beyond!

William Cowper: The Shining Light

Filed under: Advent Devotionals, Advent 2006

The Shining Light

My former hopes are fled,
My terror now begins;
I feel, alas! that I am dead
In trespasses and sins.
Ah, whither shall I fly?
I hear the thunder roar;
The Law proclaims Destruction nigh,
And Vengeance at the door.
When I review my ways,
I dread impending doom:
But sure a friendly whisper says,
“Flee from the wrath to come.”
I see, or think I see,
A glimmering from afar;
A beam of day, that shines for me,
To save me from despair.
Forerunner of the sun,
It marks the pilgrim’s way;
I’ll gaze upon it while I run,
And watch the rising day.

— William Cowper

West Bank, UN, and patriarchs’ altars

From Fox News:  Arab nations backed Palestinians Wednesday, putting a resolution before the UN Security Council Wednesday that would demand an Israeli pullout from the West Bank and East Jerusalem within two years.

The known patriarch altar sites are located in the land historically called Judea and Samaria, but named the West Bank by Jordan. From 1948-1967, the land was under Jordanian rule. In 1967, it was occupied by Israel. It remains under Israeli military control but, for the most part, has not been annexed. In 1988, Jordan ceded its territorial claims to the PLO.

Noah
–Site unknown (Genesis 8:20)

Abraham
–Shechem (Genesis 12:6-7)
–between Bethel and Ai (Genesis 12:8)
–Hebron (Genesis 13:18)
–Moriah (Genesis 22:2)

Jacob
–Shechem (Genesis 33:20)
–Bethel (Genesis 35:1)

Our Father in heaven,

We see through a glass darkly and do not fully understand what happens in the spiritual realm when an altar to You is established. Are portals opened? Are they everlasting?

We do know this: Your Son Jesus was a carpenter, and He said, I am the door.  He walked throughout Judea and Samaria and said, I am the way. He taught throughout Judea and Samaria and said, I am the truth.  He raised Lazarus from the dead and said, I am the life.

We stand before Your throne in the name of Jesus and cry out for Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done at the patriarch altar sites as it is in heaven.  Amen.