Christmas Day

What can be done to show [God's] glory? So often the answer to this lies in the small and local gestures, the unique difference made in some particular corner of the world.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams

Some children from disadvantaged backgrounds at a Christmas party at St Nicholas Anglican Church, Matroosfontein, Cape Town, South Africa

Christmas Eve

You are not here by accient
You are an irreplaceable part of a much bigger Story

Prayer

Before prayer does anything else, prayer changes you - Justus Marcus

The young girl is a child of the community of Matroosfontein, at the opening prayer of their Christmas party, hosted by St Nicholas' Anglican Church. She is also so much more than these words can articulate and the camera translate.

Stuck

If you feel stuck - it helps sometimes to turn around and go in the opposite direction...

The young boy, in the picture I took this Saturday past, is facing one of the coolest directions. He's oriented - deeply - inspite of the difficult circumstances in which he is now stuck. I hope, as he grows up, he will remember this direction and place to turn too...

He is a child of the community of Matroosfontein, at the opening prayer of their Christmas party, hosted by St Nicholas' Anglican Church. He is also so much more than these words can articulate and the camera translate.

Inhabit Your Life Fully

John O'Donohue said - and I paraphrase, "Don't postpone your life".

Karen Armstrong says, "There is a purposefulness, not a purposelessness about being here..." She continues to say, "Become fully conscious of your predicament", to which I would like to add, don't ask the Spirit of Christ - necessarily - to take it away, but to show you a Way into it - and right through it.

Do not be afraid appears 366 times in our Christian Scriptures, there must be a reason for this beyond being an interesting statistic. You are not alone. The angel God has set aside for you is (t)here too...

Photo: Looking across the Atlantic Ocean at Hout Bay. I notice now, the proverbial "silver lining”

Press Pause

Give God a chance to find you in your busyness today.

Hit the pause button. Be still and begin to know God, yourSelf, others and the world in new and significant ways. Breathe in gratitude; breathe out all that knots you up. Spend a minute or more suspended in this Sacred Space wherever you are - that's also where God is...

The Angel of this Hour longs to meet you, and pray with you, and lift you a little closer towards God. Press Pause... When you Pause, don't forget to pray for Zimbabwe

I took this photo on Sunday at a Youth Weekend held in Bainskloof outside Wellington

Angels and Prayer

John Klimakos teaches on guardian angels and prayer. Bishop Justus Marcus used to say, "Before prayer does anything else, prayer changes you". In the video, I enjoyed making the disciple John transform into an image of our galaxy, the Milky Way, at the height of his prayer.

The video uses an excerpt from John Williams' "Schindler's list" and Peter Howson's 2005 pastel on paper, "John II".

I suggest you let the video buffer first. You do so by hitting the play button then, when it kicks in, you pause by hitting it again. Only press play to watch once the line has turned completely grey

Zimbabwe

Please bring Zimbabwe and other painful realities of our peoples and planet under the wing of your prayers and thoughts every day.

The Angel at midday(Sext) is perhaps a good time to do so. Traditionally, all over the world, people pray for peace at this hour. Your prayers and positive actions are not lost in the universe.

The noonday Angel is blowing a trumpet, rousing us to make courageous resolutions. You, your prayers and positive actions can be a significant part of the Peace we long for in the world. Don't underestimate the small or big things God is calling you to do and be.

The Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, issued a Statement on Zimbabwe today, you can read it here:

http://archbishop.anglicanchurchsa.org/2008/12/statement-on-zimbabwe.html

Kindness

Archbishop Desmond Tutu said

"Nothing is ever lost in this incredible universe of ours. Acts of kindness and courage don't just evaporate. They impregnate the atmosphere".

You can be a meaningful part of these acts of kindness this Advent (and always). Say a kind word. Do a kind thing. Be a kind person (to yourself and others). It is as simple or as difficult as that.

Image is from the Hubble Space telescope

A Sacred Home

No matter where you are in the world, or on your life’s path, there is a Sacred Home you can never leave; an ancient place to which you will always belong.

Helped by your guardian angel and the gift of your breath, you can return to this spiritual place – from which you Begin and to which you Belong.

Sit calmly in the presence of the Christ and your guardian angel for a minute or more. If you become distracted (like I do, then close your eyes). Acknowledge Christ’s Holy presence and the presence of your guardian angel through a gentle smile or word. Stay there for a while.

Whatever you do, relax. Drop your shoulders; they’re not meant to be bunched up over your ears. And don’t forget to breathe – deeply, deliberately and calmly.

TS Eliot said, “Home is where we start from”. When you open your eyes, or return to your day, start from this place.

Miracle

Albert Einstein said there are two ways to live your life. One, as though nothing is a miracle. The other, as if everything is...

If you are reading this, then you are participating in the miracle. Act from this sacred place today to bring God's blessings upon all who will come your way. It is as simple or as difficult this.

Advent and Angels Video

I posted the "Advent and Angels" video on YouTube

It can be viewed here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXo4sWtwR1w

When you watch the video,
why not allow God and the Angels
to pull you into and out of yourself.
Why not give the Light of your Guardian Angel
a chance to seep into you and your bones,

and then out of you - into the wounds and wonders of the world.

In your Watching
Be Hopeful

Be Yourself

Be Swept
Be Carried Away
More deeply into
the Realities and Gift of
this One Sacred Day...

Offer this Day
and all that arises within you to the Lord.

The Angel God has assigned to you, is (t)here with you too...

Earlier this year, at his 77th birthday, Archbishop Tutu said, "Nothing is ever lost in this incredible universe of ours. Acts of kindness and courage don't just evaporate. They impregnate the atmosphere". If you are reading this, you can be a meaningful part of these Angelic Acts this Advent (and always)

One Day - Eight Opportunities to Pray

By following the Eight traditional Offices that divide up the Christian day into Pockets of Prayer:

Vigil - sometime in the deep heart of night
Lauds - at dawn
Prime - whenever you start your working day
Terce - midmorning (when you take your first tea or coffee break)
Sext - at noon
None - at about 15:00ish
Vespers - when it’s time to flick the light switch
Compline - just before you go to bed

You are given Eight Opportunities to meaningfully pray and, by so doing, better yourself and better the world.

This Advent, parishioners of St John's have committed themselves to praying at least two of these Offices:

One - at a time when we are at our freshest or best
Two - at a time when we are flagging or at our worst

You are welcome to join us wherever you are in the world, trusting that the Angel of the Hour will come and pray with you.

At one of these Divine Offices today - duties which can be real joys, please remember to pray for those whose lives are affected and infected by HIV/AIDS. You may even pray now... and the Angel of the Hour will pray with you. Always Pray as you can (for me, this means the shorter the better) or sometimes, I simply shut up in the face of the Great Mystery of it all.

The Eve of Advent

The word Advent means "arrival" or "coming".

Some say that ever since we've looked up at the starry skies, we've longed for the arrival of a holy Child to point us to a better future.

For Christians, Jesus the Christ comes not only to point the way, but we believe the Christ once said, "I am the way..." - a lovely play upon words. In the Hebrew Scriptures, God calls Godself, "I Am".

Perhaps Jesus the Christ was also saying, "God is the Way. There is a better Way, I will show you that Way. Come... this way. Don't be afraid. I will not leave you. As God sent angels to me when I was disoriented, so will I send them to orient and be with you".

Spend a moment now in silence and ask God to send an Angel to people and places experiencing disorientation, danger, disaster, despair, divorce, dis-ease, dying or death...