Meditating to Heal

               Proclaim
  
 Proclaim the greatness of our Lord!
 Proclaim the good news to all!
 Proclaim the coming of eternal love for all!
 Proclaim the humility and love
 For those who hear the Word and obey!
 O Creator of all, O majesty of Grace. Let us
 proclaim the lowness, the humility,
 the caring for the least on earth!
 Proclaim that the kingdom of the world 
 is again in our midst!
 Proclaim the patience, kindness, and love of
 Jesus Christ who showed us the way!
 Proclaim the greatness of our Lord! 

 
 
                     Holy – A Simple Advent Prayer
  
      God, you made the earth before us; sanctified our existence by forming us from elements in your creation. You made the earth holy; therefore, we also are holy. As you look upon Your Son, we praise You for being among us. Holy is His name. He brings peace to all who accept Your Word. During Advent, we remind ourselves that His presence and Your Love are gifts we must cherish.
      Each year, you open our door to the Holy One, reminding us that we too are holy in your eyes. May our actions during the holy season let our Love for You and Your Love for us shine brightly, restoring the eternal bond between Us. As Mary said, “Holy is His name.” may we keep His holiness in our lives throughout this coming year.
  
   

 Diamonds! Everybody has them, too many to count; but we walk around keeping them hidden. We listen not; we hear not; we share not. Our diamonds are hidden , in a jewel box, or a safe, out of touch, out of reach, out of sight. Our diamonds are hidden by our pasts, by our fears. 
 We dress in them, in our ears, in our noses, hanging on a change, or around our wrists. We show them off; see, I am rich, rich with my diamonds. Sometimes we put them on the soles of our shoes. Then we return them to our hidey-holes. Hidden, worthless; we think they have value. We think we are rich. How blind we are.
 Take them out; give them away; give them away. After this, look around; see all the diamonds you have. More than before, give them away. If we don’t keep them, we have more, many, many more. Our diamonds are not baubles to hide and bring out only when we try to impress. If we hide them, they fade away and are worthless.
 Our diamonds come from within. They are treasures meant to share. The more we give them away, the more we have. We sparkle like diamonds when we share.
   

 
 Pray
  
 Our ever-present communication with God,
 we pray without ceasing
 living our life as Jesus evinced,
 awaiting God’s response,
 which forever comes.
 Leaving anxiety and affliction
 to wander alone apart from us,
 we receive God’s compassion,
 immediate, everlasting
  joy, and gladness.
 Our humility in prayer
 accords power, love, and self-discipline each day.
  
 The Holy Spirit is forever,
 ever present with divine comfort;
 we dance to its music,
 keeping awake, alert, and forever
 conscious of God’s presence in our lives. 
 We are freed from our problems
 when Jesus walks alongside.
 God hears our prayers
 and always answers, 
 unceasingly, but in His time
 not ours.
 Pray – listen with God. 

 Worship
  
 I worship in my quiet room;
 I need not dress up; 
 I empty myself 
 alone with God.
  
 My room becomes a desert;
 as Jesus went to the desert,
 I face the Lord with all my failures;
 I empty myself in His presence.
  
 My worship flows from my heart;
 my soul magnifies in God’s presence,
 and He smooths my rocky path of life,
 lifting me to the height of Mount Zion.
  
 I cherish my solitude in worship;
 I am closer to God, and
 am able to be humble and honest,
 and obey His words for my life.
  
   

 God rests on day seven
 Jesus suggested, “Come with me 
 by yourselves to a quiet place and rest.”
  
 We rest in God’s presence,
 His angels give protection.
 Our minds are renewed;
 we learn to rely on God.
 In His ever-present being,
 God, our provider,
 gives us fulfillment.
 In our holy resting,
 we feel the power of change,
 realized by our rest,
 our fears are subtracted
 and we find God.
  
  
  
  
  
   

This Advent, we go on the road to Bethlehem, seeking a new birth. We go to find our hear in the person of a poor waif, lying in a manger, surrounded by the creatures that God sent to comfort Mary and Joseph. Unrealized by us, we go searching for a light brighter than anything we could possibly imagine. This is a light shining so brightly that it removes the fear of impending darkness. This light brings us from the depths of our dread of pandemic. We go in search of this light, praying to be lifted from the darkness of our lives. This light brings us deeper into ourselves, into the core of our hearts, where God dwells.

We go this season, finding this baby, born in the darkness of another age, born in poverty, bringing with him a light and a richness that gold cannot compete with; this light, this Good News, we are uplifted by God.

When we go in search of this Good News, we discover that the problems we face in our lives are taken up by someone much more important than us, much more humble than us. But go we must; we go in search of He who .always Loves, and gives, and blesses us. When we go, we find Love; we find the Good News. Let us go.

 He is coming again,
 serving the sweetest life
 only God can bring.
  
 Do be consumed by mundane trials;
 offer them to baby Jesus,
 God’s gift of the sweetest honey,
 Our foundation of life.
  
 Blessed are we who hunger
 for we let not our hearts worry;
 our faith brings God’s peace,
 the honey of our life.
  
 All we have is the Christ child
 soon to reappear to us,
 God’s sweet honey 
 transcending all understanding.
  
 With this Christ child
 guarding our minds and our hearts,
 we shall soon be sweetly nourished.
   

 The Word created us;
 our Lord draws near;
 He speaks and His light shines 
 Within us.
 Listen for The Word,
 for in the beginning
 is The Word.
 In our beginning
 is The Word.
 The coming of The Word
 is the coming of God,
 bringing the Joy of Advent.
 The Word brings the incarnate Christ;
 He is in the beginning with God;
 He is God.
 The Word lives is the world;
 the world yearns for The Word.
 We live in the world and in The Word;
 we yearn for The Word, and
 The Word yearns for us.
 The Word is of God;
 The Word is God.
 Listen, The Word speaks to us;
 it transforms us,
 fulfills our longing,
 our longing to share The Word.
 Join in prayer;
 prayer brings forth The Word;
 The Word speaks, and
 we listen. 

 John, baptizer, mystic,
 purified by the Word,
 baptized with water
 the cleansing spirit of God.
  
 A humble man,
 predicted the coming
 of a man who baptizes
 with the Holy Spirit.
  
 Like John, we now live in a wilderness,
 seemingly lost to all reason;
 John reminds us to trust,
 to turn back to the Source,
  
 turn back to God,
 the Great Forgiver;
 renew our commitment
 to justice and peace.
  
 As we journey from the wilderness,
 we receive Christ’s Love and Grace;
 we strengthen our bonds
 through our holy baptism.