Celtic Odyssey

Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace. ( Luke 1.78-79 ) As I am writing this, we are counting down the days and waiting with bated breath, our hearts filled with hope and anticipation, for the arrival of God in our midst. While we are waiting for this, my mind quickly jumps to how God arrived so long ago - a babe in a manger - and a question comes rushing to the fore: What does this tell us about God? What does this tell about our images of God? What does this helpless child lying in swaddling clothes tell us about our understanding of God’s nature and character? And to go just a bit further, how do these questions (and their responses) shape us who are followers of this God whom chose to be seen as a helpless babe in a manger? It is with these questions in mind that I reflect on my latest reading, The Imitation of Christ by T

Loving God, you have poured out upon us the new light of your incarnate Wisdom: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine fourth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Saviour, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Loving God, you have given your only-begotten Child to take our nature, and to be born this day of a virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Savior Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Purify our conscience, Loving God, by your daily visitation, that your Child Jesus Christ, at the coming in glory, may find in us a home prepared for Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Stir up your power, O God, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Savior, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever.  Amen.

This is the Wordle for my blog. I like the font ( Gentium - it’s my favorite) and I really like the fact that God is the largest word with Jesus, Nature, and One, pretty much tying for second. ~~~ In the Grace of the Three in One, Jack+, LC

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

‘All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.’ So goes one of the most famous quotes of all time. It was given by Julian (or Juliana) of Norwich. She lived in England during the mid to late fourteenth century and died in the early fifteenth century (roughly a hundred years before Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses ). When she was thirty, she suffered a terrible illness for which she was bed-ridden. What is interesting about that is that she prayed for this, These Revelations were shewed to a simple creature unlettered, the year of our Lord 1373, the Thirteenth day of May. Which creature had afore desired three gifts of God. The First was mind of His Passion; the Second was bodily sickness in youth, at thirty years of age; the Third was to have of God’s gift three wounds. Apparently, God answered her prayer - so let’s be careful for what we pray! But what is fascinating  to me is that she was even allowed to publish her book, Revelations of Divine Love

Loving God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Child, Jesus Christ, came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when Christ shall come again in glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through the One who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

All loving and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Child, the Ruler of rulers and Chief of chiefs; Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under your most gracious rule; through Christ who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit; one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

I AM bending my knee In the eye of the Father-Mother who created me, In the eye of the Child who died for me, In the eye of the Spirit who cleansed me, In love and desire. Pour down upon us from heaven The rich blessing of Your forgiveness; You who are uppermost in the City, Be patient with us. Grant to us, Saviour of Glory, The fear of God, the love of God, and God’s affection, And the will of God to do on earth at all times As angels and saints do in heaven; Each day and night give us Your peace. Each day and night give us Your peace. ~~~ Carmina Gadelica (adapted)

Blessed God, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” ( John 14.6-7 ) From these words, people often take Jesus to mean that he is the only way to heaven. But, last night (or early this morning, however one wants to take it) in the sacred place between evening and morning, I saw this in a different way. What if ‘the way, the truth, and the life’ refers to the image or understanding of God and not how to get to heaven? That is, what if Jesus was saying (and it seems to me that this could be the case), ‘God’s way of acting, of doing, of loving, and caring, is seen through my way of acting, of doing, of loving, and caring. God’s life is seen in my life; in the way that I treat others and love them and my ways of non-violence and justice and peace and reconciliation. God’s true image is seen in me - the way I live and act

O God, whose blessed Child came into the world that the works of the devil might be destroyed and we might be made children of God and heirs of eternal life; Grant that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves as Christ is pure; that, when Christ comes again with power and great glory, we may be made like Christ in your eternal and glorious realm; where Christ lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Earlier this month, my Abbott, Dr Andy Fitz-Gibbon, posted a blog reflecting on the prophet Jeremiah and ancient Israel in exile. I didn’t reply to that post because the book I read for this month’s reflection dealt with just that topic: Hopeful Imagination - Prophetic Voices in Exile , by Walter Brueggemann (you can also get the paperback version here ). In the book, Brueggemann looks to three prophets during Israel’s exile in Babylon - Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah (2Isaiah actually). The book is a great read and is very helpful for those people who are feeling that they are in some kind of exile right now (and, if you are a Christian, Brueggemann feels that one should feel that way). In the introduction, Brueggemann stated, ‘The governing metaphor for this literature is that of exile . In this brief definitive period in Old Testament faith pastoral responsibility was to help people enter into exile , to be in exile , and depart out of exile ’ (pg 11). With that as his foundation, B