Sun, 30 December 2012
It takes strength to surrender and courage to let go. “. . . Now we are released . . . from . . . what held us captive, so that we may serve in the newness of the spirit” (Romans 7:6). It takes faith to leave the path we know. “LORD; teach me your paths” (Psalm 25:4-5). Let God lead me. Let Spirit lead me, let love lead me home. “When the people of the land enter the presence of the LORD . . . no one shall return by the gate through which he has entered . . . . [This is to be] The year of release” (Ezekial 46:9, 17). Give me strength to surrender, courage to let go of the past, and love to lead me through the best year I have ever seen: two thousand and thirteen. |
Sun, 23 December 2012
Make of my heart a manger, Lord, to receive the newborn Christ Child. Calm my fears, and give me peace, Lord, that I may witness the birth of the Christ Child in everyday experience. Give me a sign, Lord, that the Christ Child is born in the midst of the simple life. In steadfast, stable faith, Lord, I behold the newborn Christ Child in the manger of my heart. That’s what this season of love is about. “If we’ll just keep our hearts as open as a Bethlehem sky, then we can take this feeling with us the rest of our lives.” |
Sun, 16 December 2012
Our Christmastime is filled with Light as we remember to give thanks for Baby Jesus, sent here with love. In our celebrations of this holy time, we laugh, we pray, we love, we dance, we sing out loud, and we forgive differences. We think of the moment when the angelic revelation came to the shepherds keeping the night watch with their flocks, and in this moment, all is well in the world, without a doubt. That’s what this season of love is about. “If we’ll just keep our hearts as open as a Bethlehem sky, then we can take this feeling with us the rest of our lives.” |
Sun, 9 December 2012
How many more shopping days until Christmas? How many more days are left on earth? Let’s count our days aright, dismissing worries about the Mayan Calendar and about all the days of our lives. Let’s pray this prayer, every day! |
Sun, 2 December 2012
The Heart Sutra is possibly the best known text of Mahayana Buddhism, and is said to be the pure distillation of wisdom. This relatively short selection of ancient wisdom is part of the much larger collection of about 40 sutras composed between 100 BCE and 500 CE. As with most Buddhist scriptures, simply believing in the teaching of the Heart Sutra is not the point, for it speaks of a Truth that cannot be grasped only by intellect. The idea is to keep the words of this simple prayer in our hearts so that true understanding unfolds by grace through sincere practice of peacefulness, fearlessness, and love. We find that these essential teachings are echoed in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures as well. The “Bodhisattvas” mentioned in the Heart Sutra are idealized pure minded souls who express perfect love and experience “Nirvana” – the bliss of perfect freedom and peace. “The Bodhisattvas rely on the Perfection of Wisdom, and so with no delusions, they feel no fear, and have Nirvana here and now. All the Buddhas, past, present, and future, rely on the Perfection of Wisdom, and live in full enlightenment.” |