Communion Prayer for January 10, 2016.

Join me now in prayer.

Creator, the center of all existence,

Holy Spirit, our Companion while we live,
I treasure your love.

But the man in the upper room
Sharing bread and wine with his friends,

Chose to live as we do.

To pour as much of himself as he could
Into a human vessel.

Fully God, Fully human.

He gave himself to us

In the simplest necessities of life:

Food and drink,
So that we would remember him.

Jesus, Savior.

We remember you now.

Amen.

Communion Prayer January 11, 2015

Join me now in prayer.

Father, you are Creator of all existence

And the Holy Spirit is our Companion.

But at this time,

I choose to think of the man in the upper room

Who knowing suffering and death awaited 
Ate supper with his disciples,

Then commanded them
To do this in remembrance of Him.
Let us do likewise.
In Jesus name,
Amen.

Invitation to Communion January 11, 2015

Join us in Communion
Also know as  the Lord's Supper.

"We welcome all to the Lord's Table

As God has welcomed us."

The Scripture from Mark describing Jesus baptism

Introduces us
To all three members of the Trinity,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Some have said that when Christians

Have a hard time understanding
An aspect of their faith.

They slap a label on it

And put it on a shelf.

The Trinity is such a concept

That is hard to get one's mind around.

To make the Trinity more understandable

Think of the Creator as

"I am,"
As he named himself to Moses.

Jesus is God in action,
The Word.

The Holy Spirit is the Love

That binds the Creator to the Word. 

So the Trinity

becomes

I Am Love in action.
Now join the Three-in-One

And take the cup and bread. 

Lectionary Gospel Reading for January 12, 2014

Matthew 3:13-17
3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.
3:14 John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
3:15 But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented.
3:16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.
3:17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

 Creator, Word, and Love

God complete in three.

 John recognizes that he confronts the Word,

God Incarnate.

John believes he is not worthy to baptize God.

Jesus reassures him with cryptic words.

Jesus chooses to use baptism

To signal his commitment to the Kingdom.

We echo his actions

When we are baptized.

And commit ourselves to the Triune God. 

 Jesus rises from the water

Just as he will rise from the grave.

The Love of God descends on Jesus

Linking Creator and Word with Love.

The Trinity is renewed.

Jesus, the Son of Man,

Has received the blessing of the Creator

Through the Holy Spirit.

That blessing and love will carry him

To Jerusalem,

To Death,

To Resurrection.

Trinity Sunday 2013

 The Trinity proclaims

"I am love in action."

The Creator,

I AM.

 The Christ,

The Word,

God in action.

The Holy Spirit,

The Comforter,

Love.

Together.
I AM Love in action.

Three in one,

Trinity.

Pentecost 2013

On this day,
The Comforter,

The Holy Spirit,

Makes her presence known.
The day is Pentecost.
Fifty days from Easter.
Ten days from Jesus' ascent into Heaven.
God as Comforter comes
As Christ promised.
Jews were celebrating
 The Feast of the First Fruits.
Was this the first harvest for Christ?

Photo by Lawrence CP

Too many turn from Pentecost
In dread

Of emotion,

Of losing control,

Of the Holy Spirit.
What we fear
Does not exist.

Only God,

Three in One,

Exists.
The Holy Spirit
Completes the Trinity.
The Holy Spirit
Is the Love
That binds Creator and Word.
The Holy Spirit
Is God's love
Washing over all people.
Share that love.

Mark's Missing Advent

painting by Karen Soleau

"And it came to pass, in those days,
That Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee,
And was baptized by John in the Jordan."
So we meet Jesus in the Gospel of Mark.
There is no babe, no wise men, no shepherds,
Not even Mary and Joseph.
Mark cares not for the birth
We will celebrate on December 25.
Mark begins at the start
Of Jesus ministry.
A man grown,
Jesus announces himself
By submission to another
To be baptized.
And God speaks:
"Thou art my beloved Son,
In whom I am well pleased."
Jesus knew he was God's word,
Now he receives God's love.
At Advent and Christmas
May we all know
The embrace of the Holy Spirit,
God's love.

God Defines Himself

Does God define himself?
Yes.
"What is your name?"
Moses asks God.
"And God said unto Moses,
"I AM THAT I AM."

"In the beginning was the Word,

And the Word was with God,

And the Word was God."

"And the Word was made flesh,

And dwelt among us..."

So John defines Jesus
As the Word.
God, the great "I AM,"

Speaks creation into existence.
"And God said, Let there be light:
And there was light."
Through speech God acts.

God in action is the Word.

Christ is God in action.

Between "I AM" and the Word

Is Love,
The Holy Spirit,
Uniting Divinity in One.

God is Three in One.
God defines himself:

I AM Love in Action.

Photo by lepiaf.geo

Pentecost

On Pentecost, Peter speaks
To those who have seen
The Holy Spirit come this day.
"Repent and be baptized,"
Peter tells the crowd
And three thousand obey.
Those same words are true today.
We must turn from our failure
To be all God desires us to be
And acknowledge our commitment
Before all.
The words make repentance
Sound easy.
True change is never easy.
Only with the help of the Comforter
Can we turn.
Ask now.

Photo by St.Mary's Episcopal...

Wait for God

This day I pray that your kingdom comes
And comes quickly.
Almost two thousand years have passed
Since you walked this earth.
You sent the Holy Spirit to comfort us,
But sometimes I feel so alone,
I must remember to
"Wait for the promise of the Father."
I will still my thoughts,
Focus on your love and sacrifice.
And pray that I will know your will.
I will wait.