Spring reflections
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
December 18, 2010: Third Saturday of Advent, Year A
Reflection (The readings are below, for your reference)
I am moved by today’s readings because each of them is the story of God’s presence in the face of disaster. Jeremiah speaks of justice despite exile. The psalm speaks of blessing despite poverty and violence, and the gospel, speaks about Joseph’s transcendent compassion, inspired by God’s dreams.
How are YOUR dreams guiding you today? Will you welcome God into your heart? Will you try to see possibility and love rather than judgment? This is a challenge for me, how about you?
Namaste! Amen!
The Readings
Jeremiah 23:5-8
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
Therefore, the days are surely coming, says the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought the people of Israel up out of the land of Egypt’, but ‘As the Lord lives who brought out and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the land of the north and out of all the lands where he had driven them.’ Then they shall live in their own land.
Psalm 72:1,12-13,18-19
O God, with your judgment and with your justice,
endow the leaders.
They shall have pity for the needy and the poor;
they shall save the lives of the poor.
From oppression and violence they shall redeem them,
and precious shall their blood be.
Blessed be the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be God’s glorious name for ever;
may the whole earth be filled with God’s glory. Amen and Amen.
Matthew 1:18-25
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel’,
which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
With one exception, the readings are from the website below, with adjustments to make the text more inclusive. The Psalm is from Psalms Anew, St. Mary’s Press, 1986.
Friday, December 17, 2010
December 17, 2010, Third Friday of Advent, Year A
Reflection (The readings are below, for your reference)
Today’s readings are all about family and family trees. How appropriate, as we make our preparations to be with families of birth and families of choice this Christmas (God help us!)
I like Jesus’s long family tree and I especially like that the only women cited are Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, the wife of Uriah, all of whom have a story that is tinged with a bit of scandal (just sayin’).
What do YOU like (or dislike) about today’s readings?
However you survive the festivities, may the mountains bring you peace, may your name be blessed and may the nations proclaim happiness.
Namaste! Amen!
Genesis 49:2,8-10
Assemble and hear, O descendants of Jacob;
listen to Israel your father.
‘Judah, your family shall praise you;
your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
your ancestor’s offspring shall bow down before you.
Judah is a lion’s whelp;
from the prey, my child, you have gone up.
He crouches down, he stretches out like a lion,
like a lioness—who dares rouse him up?
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and the obedience of the peoples is his.
Psalm 72:3-4,7-8,17
The mountains will bring peace for the people,
and the hills justice.
They shall defend the afflicted among the people,
save the children of the poor,
and crush the oppressor.
Virtue shall flower in their days,
and world peace till the moon is no more.
May they rule from sea to sea,
and from the river to the ends of the earth.
Blessed be their name forever;
their name shall remain as long as the sun.
In them shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim their happiness.
Matthew 1:1-17
An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.
So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.
With one exception, the readings are from the website below, with adjustments to make the text more inclusive. The Psalm is from Psalms Anew, St. Mary’s Press, 1986.
The Readings
Thursday, December 16, 2010
December 16, 2010, Third Thursday of Advent, Year A
Reflection (The readings are below, for your reference)
“Enlarge the site of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out”. We are invited to be as loving as God and God’s tent is ENORMOUS.
“Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning” so do not be afraid!
“I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” This is VERY GOOD NEWS if you are feeling a little like the least today.
Which lines from today’s readings jump out at YOU?? [Add your comment below.]
Namaste! Amen!
The Readings
Isaiah 54:1-10
Sing, O barren one who did not bear;
burst into song and shout,
you who have not been in labour!
For the children of the desolate woman will be more
than the children of her that is married, says the Lord.
Enlarge the site of your tent,
and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
and strengthen your stakes.
For you will spread out to the right and to the left,
and your descendants will possess the nations
and will settle the desolate towns.
Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;
do not be discouraged, for you will not suffer disgrace;
for you will forget the shame of your youth,
and the disgrace of your widowhood you will remember no more.
For your Maker is your husband,
the Lord of hosts is his name;
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
the God of the whole earth he is called.
For the Lord has called you
like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
like the wife of a man’s youth when she is cast off,
says your God.
For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.
In overflowing wrath for a moment
I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,
says the Lord, your Redeemer.
This is like the days of Noah to me:
Just as I swore that the waters of Noah
would never again go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
and will not rebuke you.
For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Psalm 30:2,4-6,11-13
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
Sing praises to the Lord, O you God’s faithful ones,
and give thanks to God’s holy name.
For God’s anger is but for a moment;
God’s favour is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
As for me, I said in my prosperity,
‘I shall never be moved.’
You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you for ever.
Luke 7:24-30
When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who put on fine clothing and live in luxury are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.”
I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.’ (And all the people who heard this, including the tax-collectors, acknowledged the justice of God, because they had been baptized with John’s baptism. But by refusing to be baptized by him, the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves.)
The readings are from the website below, with tiny adjustments to make the text more inclusive.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
December 15, 2010, Third Wednesday of Advent, Year A
Reflection (The readings are below, for your reference)
John the Baptist implores helplessly from prison whether Jesus could possibly be THE ONE, “Surely there be some mistake! THE ONE I have been preparing for must surely be LIKE ME: Someone who follows the example of the previous Hebrew prophets, lives austerely, challenges sinful rulers, calls for repentance, promises God's justice … that is THE ONE who is to come. Not this person who hangs with a sleazy bunch, receives foot rubs, and preaches love. So I ask you, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’”
Perhaps, our God really is the God of love, of peace, of forgiveness. Could it be?
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
What do you think?
Namaste! Amen!
The Readings
Isaiah 45:5-8,18,21-25
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
besides me there is no god.
I arm you, though you do not know me,
so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is no one besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I form light and create darkness,
I make weal and create woe;
I the Lord do all these things.
Shower, O heavens, from above,
and let the skies rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation may spring up,
and let it cause righteousness to sprout up also;
I the Lord have created it.
For thus says the Lord,
who created the heavens
(who is God!),
who formed the earth and made it
(who established it;
and did not create it a chaos,
and formed it to be inhabited!):
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
Declare and present your case;
let them take counsel together!
Who told this long ago?
Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the Lord?
There is no other god besides me,
a righteous God and a Saviour;
there is no one besides me.
Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
By myself I have sworn,
from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness
a word that shall not return:
‘To me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear.’
Psalm 85:9-14
Surely God’s salvation is at hand for those who fear God,
that all glory may dwell in our land.
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
The Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before God,
and will make a path for God’s steps.
Luke 7:18-23
The disciples of John reported all these things to him. So John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ When the men had come to him, they said, ‘John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” ’ Jesus had just then cured many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind. And he answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’
The readings are from the website below, with tiny adjustments to make the text more inclusive.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
December 14, 2010, Third Tuesday of Advent, Year A
Reflection (The readings are below, for your reference)
It’s never too late. Thank God – it’s never too late! If you are feeling ashamed, fear not, God will wipe away your disgrace. If you are struggling, it’s never too late to begin again. If you are lost, it’s not too late to find your way. If you have said “No” it’s not too late to say “Yes.” If you are over-burdened, it’s not too late to shed a “Yes” or two (with a kind explanation, of course). If you feel no loving kindness for yourself or others, it’s not too late to change that. Start where you are and go from there.
It’s never too late.
How will you begin anew this Advent?
Namaste! Amen!
The Readings
Zephaniah 3:1-2,9-13
Ah, soiled, defiled,
oppressing city!
It has listened to no voice;
it has accepted no correction.
It has not trusted in the Lord;
it has not drawn near to its God.
At that time I will change the speech of the peoples
to a pure speech,
that all of them may call on the name of the Lord
and serve God with one accord.
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
my suppliants, my scattered ones,
shall bring my offering.
On that day you shall not be put to shame
because of all the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;
for then I will remove from your midst
your proudly exultant ones,
and you shall no longer be haughty
in my holy mountain.
For I will leave in the midst of you
a people humble and lowly.
They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord—
the remnant of Israel;
they shall do no wrong
and utter no lies,
nor shall a deceitful tongue
be found in their mouths.
Then they will pasture and lie down,
and no one shall make them afraid.
Psalm 34
I will bless you Lord at all times;
your praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in you Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt God’s name together.
This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
and was saved from every trouble.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear God, and delivers them.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears,
and rescues them from all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the broken-hearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Matthew 21:28-32
‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.
The readings are from the website below, with tiny adjustments to make the text more inclusive.
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