Dear Friends,
This weekend we celebrate “Little Christmas” or “the Twelfth Day of Christmas” or Epiphany. We, in unison with the Church, are letting echo the amazing wonder that in Jesus, God takes on a human face and human heart and
then invites us to let God do the same in us—this is the primal example of collegiality and solidarity. As we remember the Wise Women and Wise Men that come looking for Jesus, Joyce Rupp reminds us of The Seeker in all of us:
I do not ride on camels
through a wind-swept desert
I do not carry gifts
that are fit for a king,
I do not see the star
that guides the stalwart riders.
Yet, I, too, am seeking.
I, too, am longing.
I go among the busy days
Yearning for the Unknown One.
In the breath of a prayer,
in the care of a friend,
in the beauty of a bird,
a star-like glimpse comes to me.
A flicker of hope arises,
enough to stay in the fray,
to keep searching for the One
who is slowly revealed
in tiny sparks of daily encounters.
Holy One, You who reveal,
make manifest your presence.
Open the eyes of my heart,
Awaken my unattuned spirit.
Bring me to full attention,
so that I come to know,
in my every moment,
your radiant star of guidance.
-Joyce Rupp
We also invite you in your own homes to bless your space as we will bless our community space tonight at liturgy. Naturally, you have been blessing your home space by your very living in it; this blessing consolidates and brings to expression again what you have already been doing. In so doing we join Christian families around the world that use the occasion of the Wise Women and Wise Men from the East arriving at the house of Jesus, Mary and Joseph with gifts to bless our own homes again.
Blessing of our Homes
O God of Light, bless this our home and this our family.
May our home be a place of peace and health.
May each member of this family cultivate the gifts and graces
that You have bestowed,
dedicating our talents and works for the good of all.
Make this home be shelter in the storm and a haven of rest
for all in need of your warmth and care.
And when we go out from this home,
may we bring gifts of love and happiness and peace to all we meet.
As we go about our work, our study, our play,
keep us in your light and in your love.
Help us to recognize you in the epiphanies of our daily experiences.
Bless all who gather here with your gracious presence,
that your love may be our inspiration,
your wisdom our guide,
your truth our light
and your peace our benediction.
Watch out over our going out and our coming in
today and everyday
through Jesus Christ we pray.
God is love
and those who abide in love, abide in God
and God abides in them,
present in the love and care we manifest to each other
in our ordinary lives together.
May God’s light and love continue to live within each of us and move us to be agents of change for peace and for justice in our world,
Ron & Jean