From Beliefnet.com:
Advent Prayer, Day 19: Let Your Light ShineThursday December 17, 2009
Categories: Advent, Advent Prayer, Bible, Prayer
By Claudia Mair Burney
Thursday, the third week of Advent
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe in him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world." John 1:6-9
I believe it's possible to take Jesus' saying we are the light of the world, and use it to puff ourselves up with pride. But a careful look at John the Baptist's humility can set us straight. We are not the light. If we're honest, we can admit that on our own we're shrouded in inner darkness. At our best we merely reflect the numinous light of Christ. This takes the confusion out of our call to be witnesses. We don't have to have everything right and know all there is to know about Jesus. All we have to do is testify--tell what we know--about him. This alone is a reason to rejoice.
Light of the world,
I'm so glad that you are the light, and I can only be light by being close enough to you to reflect your radiance. Help me to stay in your presence, so that I can share your light well. If there is any sense of self-importance in me, please take it away. I only want to tell others what I have seen, and what I know of you. You are love. This I know. So make me a lover, of you and others. I rejoice that you've given me your light, and I need not wallow in darkness anymore. Bring light to the whole world.
"Come, Lord Jesus."
Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/prayerplainandsimple/2009/12/advent-prayer-day-19-let-your-light-shine.html#ixzz18KyR3mZw
Day Nineteen:
Be Not Afraid
And the angel said unto them,
Fear not: for, behold, I bring you
good tidings of great joy.
In a world threatened by terrorism and war, the 2000-year-old message of the Christmas angels--"Fear not"--is especially welcome. In an age of anxiety, Christians have found comfort in the angels' words to Mary and the shepherds.
Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/Advent/Advent-Day-19.aspx#ixzz18KycPV7y
Be Not Afraid
BY: Kathleen Norris
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Scripture: Malachi 3.1—4, 4:5—6; Luke 1:57—66
THE PROPHET MALACHI, chosen in church tradition to conclude the Hebrew Scriptures, has for us today both a blessing and a warning. Yes, the Lord we seek will come, suddenly, to his temple. "The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?"
This passage is echoed in the Revelation to John, when the angel opens the sixth seal, and all who have trusted more in their own strength and wealth than in God—"the kings of the earth and the magnates and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free"—flee in terror to caves and hide among rocks. They call to the mountains, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
The infant Jesus who comes at Christmas is much easier to welcome than the one crucified at Calvary. And even less so, the one who will come at the end of time, the risen Lord returning, suddenly, and without warning. When this Jesus comes to find us, our first instinct is to hide. Who can endure his anger over what we have done to the creation, to each other, and to ourselves?
It helps to ask ourselves the question Jesus so often asks the disciples:
"Why are you afraid?" It helps to recall the burning bush God set before Moses, for God's fire did not destroy it. If we truly trust in God, we find more assurance than terror in the thought that God wants to purify us, so that everything evil in us turns to ash, and only the good remains.
God's just anger is a refiner's fire: to suffer it is not a gentle thing, but the end result is pure beauty.
Today's Gospel tells of Elizabeth giving birth, and Zechariah speaking again, his voice restored as quickly and mysteriously as it was silenced. Both mother and father stun their relatives by insisting, against the well-established custom of using names from within the family, that this child is to be called John. This seems a small thing today, when children are sometimes named after characters in soap operas, but at the time it was enough to be talked about throughout Judea. It was enough to induce fear. This child was named by God, and it does not go easy for those who are so touched by God's hand. "What, then," the people wondered, "will this child become?"
I hear, in that question, a restating of Malachi's truth. The Lord we desire may indeed be close at hand, but it will not be easy for us to accept his call. If we continue reading in the Gospel, we find the song that Zechariah sings in praise of God, called the "Benedictus" in church tradition, and commonly recited at Morning Prayer. In this song, we find that it is not merely John the Baptist, but we ourselves who are addressed: "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins."
This was John's calling, and it is our own, a truth both consoling and terrifying. We are enslaved, by selfishness and addiction and all the wreckage that sin can wreak on the world, but are we willing to risk being freed? Do we dare to enter that dangerous new country, leaving sure comforts behind? Perhaps it is time to surrender, open our hearts, and accept the wonder of Christmas by saying, with Karl Rahner, "We have no choice. God is with us."
Prayer
O Emmanuel, ruler and lawgiver
desire of the nations,
savior of all people:
Come and set us free, Lord our God
Reprinted from God With Us: Rediscovering the Meaning of Christmas/Edited by Greg Pennoyer & Greg Wolfe Copyright 2007 by Greg Pennoyer Used by permission of Paraclete Press
Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2007/12/Be-Not-Afraid.aspx#ixzz18KysSVJB
A Christmas Message for Those Sore Afraid
The intimidating Santa in my kindergarten classroom whispered an important part of the Christmas message: 'Do not be afraid.'
BY: Richard Mouw
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It happened over a half century ago, but I still remember clearly the day that Santa Claus came to our kindergarten classroom. In scheduling Santa's surprise visit, the teacher must have thought it would be a treat for all of us. What stands out in my memory, though, is the fright it gave me when he came through the door shouting in a loud voice. But every year during this season, I also remember a whispered message of comfort that I received from that same Santa on that day long ago.
Our teacher had arranged for Santa to make a dramatic entry one afternoon. We were all sitting at our desks doing our typical kindergarten thing, when suddenly the door burst open, and in came a large bearded man in a red suit with white trimming. "Ho, ho, ho, boys and girls!" he bellowed. He continued to shout: "I'm here to find out who has been naughty and nice this year!" I was terrified, and knew my classmates were too.
Santa sat in a chair in front of the class. Again he spoke in what seemed to my five-year-old ears like a thundering voice: "I would like you children to take turns sitting on my lap, and I'm going to ask you questions about what you would like for Christmas this year! And I want to check to see whether you deserve to receive any presents at all! Who will be first?"
Santa scanned the room. None of us made a move. Finally, he pointed his finger straight at me. "That young man there. Come up here and sit on my lap." I was frozen to my seat, but Santa coaxed me forward. Reluctantly I made my way to his chair. Santa took hold of me with strong hands and placed me on his lap. He could not help but feel my trembling body.
Then an important thing happened. The person playing the role of Santa that day, it turned out, was a man from our church, Mr. Cooper. I knew him well, although I did not recognize him in his disguise. Sensing my fright, Santa whispered in my ear, in a gentle voice that only I could hear: "Richard! It's OK. It's me, Mr. Cooper. Don't be afraid."
As soon as I figured out what was going on, I relaxed. I was able to answer Santa's questions. His voice took on a much kinder, reassuring tone for the rest of his visit. And when it was clear that I could handle my encounter with Santa Claus, the rest of the class seemed to relax as well.
I think about that encounter with Santa every Christmas season. As I have gotten older, it's become obvious to me that he was an important bearer of the Christmas message for me that day in the kindergarten classroom. "Don't be afraid," he told me.
Whether Mr. Cooper realized it or not, when he whispered those words to me he was expressing a major theme in the Bible's account of the events leading up to the birth of Jesus. Mary was frightened when the angel came to tell her she was pregnant, and the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid." The angel also visited Joseph to encourage him to marry his pregnant fiancée: "Do not be afraid," the heavenly messenger said to him.
And then there was that wonderful night when the shepherds were suddenly surrounded by the bright light of God's glory as an angel appeared to them. "And they were terrified," the Gospel writer tells us. But the angel spoke these words again: "Do not be afraid; for see-I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord."
This year, once again, I need to hear the words that Mr. Cooper spoke to me as a child-words that are also the message of the Christmas angels. "Do not be afraid." I always knew in an intellectual sort of way that people in many parts of the world live in daily fear of death and mass destruction. But those fears have now come very close to home for me-and for all of us who live in North America and other "advanced" societies. Our buildings, our planes, our military fortresses-none of these feel as safe as they did only a few years ago.
I am glad, then, that we can celebrate Christmas again. I've heard the Christmas message many times before, but some words will come to me this year with new meaning and as a new source of comfort. "Do not be afraid." I'm thankful to Mr. Cooper for whispering that message to a frightened child. But I am even more thankful that God sent the angels to say those words to people long ago-and to all of us today who see the birth of the baby Jesus as the most significant event in all of history.
The Christmas story tells me that the vulnerable baby who lay in the manger is "God with us." God knows what it is like to be afraid. And when God's messengers tell me that I do not have to be afraid anymore in the deep places of my being, I can get on with the important task of living the life that God wants me to live.
Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2002/12/A-Christmas-Message-For-Those-Sore-Afraid.aspx?p=2#ixzz18KzKWVRd
How to Face Fear: 10 Bible Verses To Inspire Courage
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How to Face Fear: 10 Bible Verses To Inspire Courage
Everyone feels afraid at some point -- whether it's a gnawing, anxious feeling or a paralyzing phobia. Any change, even positive changes like marriage or a promotion, can prompt feelings of fear. The Bible offers powerful alternatives to those voices, reminding readers repeatedly, "Do not be afraid." Click through this gallery to find Bible verses to help you overcome fears and anxieties in your life.
(From the New International Version unless otherwise noted)
Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2008/09/How-to-Face-Fear-10-Bible-Verses-To-Inspire-Courage.aspx#ixzz18KzWj1Mu
I Will Fear No Evil
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)
Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2008/09/How-to-Face-Fear-10-Bible-Verses-To-Inspire-Courage.aspx?p=2#ixzz18Kze8jli
I Will Help You
For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. (Isaiah 41:13)
Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2008/09/How-to-Face-Fear-10-Bible-Verses-To-Inspire-Courage.aspx?p=3#ixzz18KzlPk4J
You Will See The Deliverance
Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again." (Exodus 14:13)
Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2008/09/How-to-Face-Fear-10-Bible-Verses-To-Inspire-Courage.aspx?p=4#ixzz18KzsZwdD
Be Strong and Courageous
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)
Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2008/09/How-to-Face-Fear-10-Bible-Verses-To-Inspire-Courage.aspx?p=5#ixzz18Kzz0GyC
A Spirit of Power and Love
For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7) (American Standard Version)
Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2008/09/How-to-Face-Fear-10-Bible-Verses-To-Inspire-Courage.aspx?p=6#ixzz18L05CrUT
Of Whom Shall I Be Afraid?
The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)
Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2008/09/How-to-Face-Fear-10-Bible-Verses-To-Inspire-Courage.aspx?p=7#ixzz18L0BwqcK
The Angel Said To Her
But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God." (Luke 1:30)
Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2008/09/How-to-Face-Fear-10-Bible-Verses-To-Inspire-Courage.aspx?p=8#ixzz18L0I3pjn
I Bring You Good News
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." (Luke 2:10)
Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2008/09/How-to-Face-Fear-10-Bible-Verses-To-Inspire-Courage.aspx?p=9#ixzz18L0OmcAv
We Say With Confidence
So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can Man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6)
Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2008/09/How-to-Face-Fear-10-Bible-Verses-To-Inspire-Courage.aspx?p=10#ixzz18L0V3FBr
Peace I Leave With You
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)
Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2008/09/How-to-Face-Fear-10-Bible-Verses-To-Inspire-Courage.aspx?p=11#ixzz18L0b1yB5
Threadbare Worshippers
The shepherds understood babies, and they understood animals. The chilly manger scene made sense.
BY: Jim Bishop
EmailShareIn this imaginative retelling of the Nativity story, shepherds from nearby hills come to honor the Christ child. Excerpted from The Day Christ Was Born with permission of HarperSanFrancisco.
The people of the town scorned the shepherds. They were wanderers. They had no roots. They seldom married and, when they did, they stripped the soil from the hillsides, exposing the soft white rock beneath. The men carved apartments in these hills, and raised their families remote from the towns.
Some were dozing, a few were watching, when the deep night sky was split with light. It was brighter than day, more like staring at a noon sun, and the sleeping shepherds awakened and, in fear, hid their eyes in the folds of their garments. After a moment, the intense light faded, and an angel appeared in bodily form, standing in air over the valley.
The herders were terrified and their sheep began to run in tight circles. "Do not fear;" the angel said slowly, and the words seemed to echo off both sides of the valley of Bethlehem. Some of the men took heart and looked up. Some did not. "Listen," the angel said, "I bring you good news of great joy which is in store for the whole nation."
Good news? This would make any Jew open his eyes and lift them to the skies. They had been afraid of the justice and vengeance of God for centuries. They had worshiped carefully, with respect for all of the nuances of ritual, for fear that God might be displeased and visit unhappiness upon their people. Now-good news?
They looked up hopefully and the angel spoke again. The voice seemed to permeate the valley. "A savior," the angel said, "who is the Lord Messias, was born to you today in David's town. And this will serve you as a token: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and cradled in a manger."
The shepherds repeated the words. "A savior ... Lord Messias ... David's town ... infant in a manger." There was nothing frightening in that news. The angel had spoken correctly. It was good news. It was better than good news. It was the long-awaited news. It was the thing which had been promised by God a long time ago. It was the advent of him who would save the people of the world.
They were still dwelling on the wonders of God and his works when the angel was joined by hundreds of others, who appeared brightly in the night sky, and began to sing in a heavenly chorus:
"Glory to God in the heavens above,
and on earth peace to men of good will."
Slowly, the angels floated across the sky and disappeared. The shepherds approached each other in the darkness and asked: "What did you see?" "Did you hear as I heard?" "Is it true that the Son of God has come to save the twelve tribes of Israel?" "You are sure that this is not the work of some evil Egyptian magician who would steal our flocks?" They babbled awhile, and one said: "Let us go over to Bethlehem and find out the truth about this thing the Lord has made known to us."
The shepherds came in, the cowls down off their heads. Their hair was long and ringleted, the beards trembled with murmured prayer, the hands were clasped piously before their chests. In the flickering yellow light of the oil lamp, they saw the child-mother, seated on straw. She was looking over the side of an old manger. The men lifted themselves a little on their toes to peer over the sides. Inside was an abundance of white swaddling clothes. An aura of light seemed to radiate from it.
The shepherds were torn between wonderment and happiness. This little baby was God and the Son of God, but he was also a helpless, lovable infant. Their hearts welled with joy and the stern, deeply bronzed faces kept melting into big grins, which were quickly erased as the sheep men recalled that they were in the presence of the King of All Kings.
The scene in a chilly manger, warmed by the bodies and breathing of the animals, was, to the shepherds, closer to their hearts than if the Messiah had come on a big cloud with trumpeting angels. They understood babies, and they understood animals. They murmured with delight that God would see fit to come to earth in an abode only slightly less worthy than their own homes in the hills.
They remained kneeling, clasping and unclasping their hands, and staring at the face of the infant, as though trying to etch on their memories the peaceful scene, the tiny ruddy face, the serenity of the mother, who, by the grace of God, had had her baby without pain. They were men of such poverty and humility that their colored threadbare cloaks spoke more eloquently than their tongues. Their adoration came from full hearts.
If there was any wonderment in Mary's heart, she did not show it. After a while, the shepherds stood and, in the mariner of the Jews, apologized for intruding. They addressed their remarks to Joseph because to speak to Mary would have been immodest. They asked Joseph if he had seen the angels and he said no. They related all that had happened to them in the valley. Joseph shook his head. Mary nodded toward the sleeping baby, as though she and he alone understood that this was only the first of many great world events.
The shepherds left, praising God, and in their joy awakening people to tell them that the promised Messiah had come. Everything, they said, had been revealed exactly as the angel in the sky had said it would be. Most of their audience ordered them to go in peace. Thus, if one can say that the place of birth was small, humble, a place of animals and odors, then one can also say that the first apostles were the most humble and scorned of men.
Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Inspiration/2004/12/Threadbare-Worshippers.aspx?p=2#ixzz18L0t9J5h
Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Inspiration/2004/12/Threadbare-Worshippers.aspx#ixzz18L0mI24K
Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2002/12/A-Christmas-Message-For-Those-Sore-Afraid.aspx#ixzz18KzC7j9T
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