A Prayer for the New Year

Loving God, be with us all in this New Year that is coming.  Guide us all to find and walk the paths of peace and love.  Help us to see that any who are different are your children, too, and help us to treat all people with the dignity and respect that they deserve.  Help us to rid ourselves of the violence that seems to be so ingrained in us, and teach us how to live peacefully side by side.  Help us to live in your love, always!  AMEN

Thinking...

The world oft seems

To be a dismal place

Full of petty hates and fears

Spread by ignorance and stupidity

Of people around

Who do not see

Their neighbor as a brother or sister.

And they breathe contempt

Of anyone

Who is different

In any way

Refusing to accept others

As people,

Children of God,

With their own lives, loves,

And dignity.

And I move and live

In this world

Wondering

How it will all turn out.

Found

photo by: Arthur Clark

Found;

No longer alone.

A hand to touch

A voice to hear

That says,

“I care about you.”

 Found.

Found,

A path to follow

A guide to lead me

To show me

The way to go.

Found.

Lost

Lost,

And alone.

Walking among the crowds

With no one

To hold my hand.

Lost.

Lost,

And wandering

Fining no path

To guide me back.

Lost.

Valuable

You are valuable,

My friend.

You are very precious

In God’s sight

And no one

Can take that

Away from you.

Walls

There have ever been

Walls

Dividing us

Each from the other.

Man and woman,

Parent and child,

Each of us

Has built a wall

Around about

To keep all others out;

Nor will we break them down

For anyone.

But there is One

Come to us now

Who will break down

All the walls

We have built

So carefully.

The Candle

There once was

A candle small

That tried to light the world.

But the world

Was much too large

And the darkness

That covered it

Too thick

For that one little candle

To break through

On its own.

But then it lit

Another candle

And that candle lit two;

And as the flame passed on,

The world grew brighter still

Till at last

The dark was banished

From the world

Forever more.

Peace

Peace will begin with a child;

For a child has not learned

To hate and fear

What he or she

Does not understand.

Peace will begin with a child;

For children do not know

That they should

Hate and fear

People who are not

Made exactly like them.

More

More than the baby
Laid in the manger,
He grew up
And we cannot
Keep Him there.

More than the teacher
Or the healer
Of the sick,
He moved on,
And we cannot
Find Him there.

More than anything
We can think of;
Lord and Saviour
Of the world,
Loving all people,
Look and find Him
Everywhere.

A new Year's Prayer

I watched a party

On New Year’s Eve.

I saw the people

Drinking, dancing, having fun;

At peace for the moment

With the world

And with each other.

Oh Lord, that the peace

And happiness of this night

Could overflow

To the world

And that all people

Should find in each other

A brother and sister

Too precious to be destroyed.

So grant this, my prayer,

That in this new year, Lord,

True peace and brotherhood

Shall come to all your people.

Blessings

I stop now to count

My blessings one by one.

Now at the end of the year

I name the sum of them

And give thanks to God

For them all.

I count them all aloud;

Friends, many friends;

A family that is happy;

A job to occupy me;

Freedom to act and think

As I want to;

Health, life, and love.

Yes, most of all – love.

The love of all

And God’s love for me

And all mankind.

    Written 1966

Kingdom of Love

     Hope for the Kingdom of love, which shall come.  It is in this kingdom that all shall live in peace, nor shall any put down any other.  No person will be made to feel that they are less than any other person.  And God's love will be there for all, for all are His children. 

     Work for the Kingdom of love and let all people know that God's love is there for them.  This is what Christmas is all about, God's love made manifest, walking among the people, showing all how they were to live in peace. 

     Live as Christ did, loving all people, sharing God's love with all, and the kingdom will come sooner.  For the more we live in love and in Christ, the more the kingdom is present in this world.  And let God's love flow through us all out to the whole world, that all the world will know God and His love.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!  to all of you who come this way.  And thank you for the acceptance that I get from you!  May you have all of the great things in life.  And may God dwell with you, always!!!

Photo by: Betty Q Smith

Two birth announcements:

From:  Mary and Joseph
Born: a son
Name: Jesus;  Hebrew: Yeshua
Place: Bethlehem, a stable
         Every place was taken.  At least it was private.
Date:  not known, no calendar
Weight: not sure, no scales available, but he
         appears to be normal.



From:  Yahweh
Born: a Son
Name: Yeshua
Place: Bethlehem; a stable
Date: no calendar - does it matter?
Weight: normal
Note to all:  this is the One destined.
He will save all those who will believe and
follow, living the way He will teach.

Service 31 Christmas

Look and see

Here is the word

Made flesh.

Let us praise God,

For in this baby boy

Love has come

To dwell among us.

Here is the Word of God,

There from the beginning.

Come and know the love

Sleeping in this place.

Loving God,

Your Word

Is here with us.

Forgive us

When we do not hear

What you are saying.

Forgive us

When we hear

But turn away

And go another way.

Help us now

To hear your Word

So that we will

Always go your way.

The Word is here

Among us,

And forgiveness

Is always ours.

Come now

And see the gift

That our God

Has given for all,

The Word in flesh

And laying

In a manger.

And let God's Word

Fill your life

So that you

Will always know

That you are loved.

Imagine 9

Photo by:  Ronald Caldwell

Just imagine

If we let God

Lead us all

And teach us

How to truly love,

And treat all others

With gentleness

And respect.

Just imagine

What could happen!

A Prayer

Loving God,

Come to us now

And teach us

How to love

As you love us.

Help us

To love ourselves

And to pass that love

To all your people

Throughout the world.

Show us now,

In the midst

Of tragedy and despair

What love really is.

Imagine 8

Think what

Could be done

If we imagine,

Then put those ideas

Into action.

Just imagine!

Wrap Me

photo by:  Arthur Clark

Wrap me ‘round

With your love,

Let me know

That always

You are there.

Wrap me ‘round

With your love

Help me to remember

That all people

Are your people.

Wrap me ‘round

With that love

That is better

Than anything

This world can give.

Imagine 7

For this time,

This year,

Let us imagine

That we can build

A new world

Where all people

Will have a place

And be accepted

By all others.

Learn Peace?

Peace,

Will there ever

Be any peace?

When, oh God,

Will all your children

Learn to live together

And treat each other

As brothers and sisters?

Will we ever, dear God

Learn how to live

Together in love?

Imagine 6

Imagine that all

Will learn the love

That accepts people

Who are different

As human

And worthy

Of being loved.

Meditation

Creator of all that is,

We come to you

Opening ourselves

To your presence

And letting you in.

Eternal One,

Always there

Even before time began,

Help us to more fully

Know who you are.

Light of the world,

Light up our lives

And help us see

All people around

As brothers and sisters.

Lover of all,

Show us that love

That is bigger

And more complete

Than what we know.

Love One Another

photo by:  Arthur Clark

Love one another;

This should be

Our highest goal.

Love one another,

And do not stint

In any way

Love one another,

Even all those

You would like to hate.

Love one another

And always God

Will walk with you.

Imagine 5

photo by: Arthur Clark

Imagine that wars

Will cease to be,

And all people

Around the world

Will learn to live

Together in peace.

God Remembers

God remembers

Who we are

And of what

Were created!

God remembers

That we are weak

But always

Loves us anyway!

Imagine 4

Imagine there is

Clothing enough

For all people,

Enough that no one

Need worry again.

Peace Will Come

Peace will come

When all people

Have freedom

To live their lives

In safety. 

Imagine 3

Imagine shelter

For all people

And no one ever

Need be homeless.

Gifts

photo by:  Ronald Caldwell

Gifts given freely

Without conditions.

All that is good

Can be ours

If we will but ask.

Gifts given freely,

The basic needs

Of our lives

Are ours always

When we will ask.

Gifts given freely,

There for all people.

No one can take

That gift of love

Away from us all.

Imagine 2

photo by:  Betty Q Smith

Imagine there is food

Enough for all

And no one

Ever goes hungry

Or thirsty;

For all will have

What they need.

Give Christmas

by Terry Lee Ousley (c) 1999  Ousley Music/BMI

Lord, let me give Christmas to someone each day this year.
Let me give the Spirit of Your love
And spread good cheer.
We don't need a tree or electric lights;
When the Light of the World lights up our lives
The joy of Christmastime is always near!

I do love the Christmas season --
Decorating and parties and jingle bells;
All the shopping for the perfect presents;
Holiday movies and Holiday smells!
But the gift I want to give this year
And give without delay
Is the gift of Love that was given to us
On that very first Christmas Day!

Lord, let me give Christmas to someone each day this year.
Let me give the Spirit of Your love
And spread good cheer.
We don't need a tree or electric lights;
When the Light of the World lights up our lives
The joy of Christmastime is always near!

Imagine 1

photo by Betty Q Smith

For this space of time,

Let us imagine

That a better world

Is coming to us,

A world

Where all people

Will learn peace.

Come Christmas

            Come Christmas!  Come here to us and live within us all!  Come Christmas, and show us what you really are, and teach us how to live in that love shown so many years ago!  Come Christmas, and help us all to see that all people are children of God, and loved.  For we do forget that when trouble comes.  Come Christmas and show us what love really is!

Peace?

Peace,

Will there ever

Be any peace?

When, oh God,

Will all your children

Learn to live together

And treat each other

As brothers and sisters?

Will we ever, dear God

Learn how to live

Together in love?

Waiting

Waiting,

Waiting for the time;

When will it come,

When will all

Pain and sorrow cease?

Waiting,

Waiting for the one

Who will come to us

And give to us that

Which we want – release.

Waiting,

God, where are you

When will you come

To give to all

Of your people peace?

Sing

Sing out,

Sing, and praise God.

Let the world know

How much our God

Loves us all!

Sing!

Imagination

Imagine a world

That is different

That is better

Than what we have.

Imagine a world

Where Justice lives

And people

Live in peace.

Imagine that love

Is always around

And is free

For all people.