Thursday, December 22, 2011
'SOON AND VERY SOON' - ANDRAE CROUCH
Awright!! The King is coming soon! Play the video again, clap your hands, and sing along.
HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE!
From Wikipedia:
The winter solstice occurs exactly when the axial tilt of a planet's polar hemisphere is farthest away from the star that it orbits. Earth's maximum axial tilt to our star, the Sun, during a solstice is 23° 26'. More evident from high latitudes, a hemisphere's winter solstice occurs on the shortest day and longest night of the year, when the sun's daily maximum elevation in the sky is the lowest. Since the winter solstice lasts only a moment in time, other terms are often used for the day on which it occurs, such as midwinter, the longest night or the first day of winter.Before I visited Stonehenge, I thought the stones were much larger. They're surely not small, but I thought they were gigantic.
The seasonal significance of the winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening of days. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the winter solstice usually occurs on December 21 to 23 each year in the Northern Hemisphere, and June 20 to 23 in the Southern Hemisphere.
Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but most northern hemisphere cultures have held a recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time.
THE CIRCUMCISION OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
Samuel H. Kress Collection
Luke 1:57-66
Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.A Collect for Guidance
On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, ‘No; he is to be called John.’ They said to her, ‘None of your relatives has this name.’ Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbours, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, ‘What then will this child become?’ For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.
Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Book of Common Prayer)
O REX GENTIUM
Antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers at Blackfriars in Oxford.
December 22
O Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum,Isaiah 9:7
lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum:
veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.
O King of the Gentiles, yea, and desire thereof!
O Corner-stone, that makest of two one,
come to save man, whom Thou hast made out of the dust of the earth!
His authority shall grow continually,Isaiah 2:4
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onwards and for evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
He shall judge between the nations,Text from Fish Eaters.
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
TWO STORIES OF THE DAY
Dark Night
Counted up all the things she was afraidButter & Sugar
of one night & it took so long she fell
asleep from exhaustion
I like butter & sugar & being alive aFrom StoryPeople here and here.
whole lot & today I'm kind of sad
because with all the latest studies I
figured out I'm going to have to choose.
HANUKKAH BLESSINGS
First Blessing
Borukh Ato Adoynoy Eloyheynu Melekh Ho-oylom Asher Kiddeshonu Be-mitsvoysov Ve-tsivonu Lehadlik Neyr Shel khanuko.Second Blessing
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by His commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the lights of Hanukkah.
Borukh Ato Adoynoy Eloyheynu Melekh Ho-oylom She-oso Nissim La-avoseynu Ba-yyomim Ho-heym Ba-zzman Ha-zze.Third Blessing
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who wrought miracles for our fathers in days of old, at this season.
Borukh Ato Adoynoy Eloyheynu Melekh Ho-oylom She-hekheyonu Ve-kiymonu Ve-higgi'onu La-zzman Ha-zze.The blessings are lovely.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has kept us alive, and has preserved us, and enabled us to reach this time.
UPDATE: According to About.com:
The third blessing is recited only on the first time the Hanukkah menorah is lit. Called the Shehechiyanu, it is an important blessing that thanks God for sustaining us and reminds us to appreciate the goodness in our lives.
O ORIENS
Antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers at Blackfriars in Oxford.
December 21
O Oriens, splendor lucis æternæ, et sol justitiæ:Isaiah 9:2
veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.
O Dayspring, Brightness of the everlasting light,
Son of justice, come to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death!
The people who walked in darknessText from Fish Eaters.
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.
Reposted from last year and the year before...
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
PLEASE PRAY...
Ann Fontaine asks for prayers for her friend Joan's husband, Dale, who had surgery today for a tumor on his pancreas. The biopsy showed cancer, which was discovered early so they are hopeful.
Please pray for a situation in my family that involves several family members, for healing and for a satisfactory resolution to the problems.
O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servant Dale the help of your power, that his sickness may be turned into health, and our sorrow into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Please pray for a situation in my family that involves several family members, for healing and for a satisfactory resolution to the problems.
O merciful Father, who has taught us in your holy Word that you do not willingly afflict or grieve your children: Look with compassion upon the sorrows of your servants for whom our prayers are offered. Remember them, O Lord, in mercy, nourish their souls with patience, comfort them with a sense of your goodness, let your face shine upon them, and give them peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
'EVERYBODY KNOWS' - LEONARD COHEN
Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows that the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
Thats how it goes
Everybody knows
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