The
church year doesn’t align with secular time in many respects. The church new
year is Advent 1. Cultural New Year falls much closer to the Feast of the
Epiphany when we recall the visit of the Magi. However, in another way,
Epiphany is a church new year. Advent is preparation for the Coming of Christ
and Epiphany is the manifestation-the sharing of Christ in the world.
Many
of us make new year’s resolutions and then soon forget them or let them slip
by. There is one resolution that I hope to carry into 2014 for more than just a
week or 2. That is PRESENT.
Present
is one of those interesting words in the English language that has many
meanings and many usages. It is a noun as in now and a noun in the sense of a
gift. It is an adjective when used to define being somewhere. It can even be a
verb when you give something or recognize someone or bring to mind.
Keeping
all this in mind, I hope to accept the Present (gift) of the Present (time) and
to be Present (actively there) to the Present (gift and Person) of God in me,
while I Present (offer) God’s Love to those around me as a Present (offering)
in the Present (now).
I
boiled it all down to one word-well one acrostic:
Prayer
Response
Empowered
Simply
Engaged
Now
Thanks
Response
Empowered
Simply
Engaged
Now
Thanks
I
challenge you to come up with one word that summarizes your hope for your faith
walk in 2014. Maybe you want to put your own words into the acrostic for
PRESENT…
Next time we'll start a series on Teresa of Avila's prayer "Christ has no Body now but yours".
Today I
offer to you this prayer from the Diocese of the Rio Grande blog. It is a
Syrian Orthodox Prayer for the New Year which embodies Present and being
Present.
We praise You for Your unequaled greatness.
Thank You for the year behind us and for the year ahead.
Help us in Your new year, Father, to fret less and laugh more.
To teach our children to laugh by laughing with them.
To teach others to love by loving them.
Knowing, when Love came to the stable in Bethlehem, He came for
us.
So that Love could be with us, and we could know You.
That we could share Love with others.
Help us, Father, to hear Your love song in every sunrise,
in the chirping of sparrows in our backyards,
in the stories of our old folks, and the fantasies of our children.
So that Love could be with us, and we could know You.
That we could share Love with others.
Help us, Father, to hear Your love song in every sunrise,
in the chirping of sparrows in our backyards,
in the stories of our old folks, and the fantasies of our children.
Help us to stop and listen to Your love songs,
so that we may know You better and better.
We rejoice in the world You loved into being.
Thank You for another new year and for new chances every day.
We pray for peace, for light, and for hope, that we might spread them to others.
so that we may know You better and better.
We rejoice in the world You loved into being.
Thank You for another new year and for new chances every day.
We pray for peace, for light, and for hope, that we might spread them to others.
Forgive us for falling short this past year.
We leave the irreparable past in your hands,
and step out into the unknown new year knowing You will go with us.
We accept Your gift of a new year and we rejoice in what's ahead,
depending on You to help us do exactly what You want.
In Jesus name, We pray, Amen
We leave the irreparable past in your hands,
and step out into the unknown new year knowing You will go with us.
We accept Your gift of a new year and we rejoice in what's ahead,
depending on You to help us do exactly what You want.
In Jesus name, We pray, Amen
