Friday, December 13, 2024
Selections from the daily lectionary: Isaiah 48:17-19; Psalm 1; 2 Th 2:13-3:5; Matthew 11:16-19
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| Joshua Tree National Park |
I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17
who teaches you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17
Everybody on earth has a special gift of some sort . . . If you have the gift of music, or the gift of comedy, it’s nothing really to do with you, it’s coming through you . . . Chris Martin
In a recent interview, Chris Martin, the front man of the band Coldplay, described how the song "We Pray" came to him one night when the band was playing in Taiwan:
In a recent interview, Chris Martin, the front man of the band Coldplay, described how the song "We Pray" came to him one night when the band was playing in Taiwan:
“I woke up with this fully formed thing in my head that said 'you’ve got to get out of bed and catch me,' so I got out of bed . . . and this song arrived and it said very clearly to me ‘you’ve got to ask people from different continents to sing on this song in various places’ because this song is about how even people who are enemies with each other still normally pray for the same stuff, and the enemy is not as different as you may think.”
I have spoken with several people recently, who, discouraged by world events, have consciously vowed to make an effort, however small, to bring good to the world. What an amazing project for Advent and beyond--what a wonderful way to prepare the heart for the coming of Jesus.
Some are sending positive news items or reels to friends. Others are turning off, or turning down, the news and committing to attending to needs within their own communities. One friend recently shared a method she is using when interacting in difficult situations with others: MRI -- where she approaches what they are saying with the "most respectful interpretation." "We Pray" and its genesis gives us a fresh perspective on those with whom we differ. We, incredibly and naturally, can be united in prayer.
The prophet Isaiah tells us God will teach us what is best for us. This need not be a passive process on our part--Jesus says "Let your light shine." This will manifest differently in each of us. Look around at our brothers and sisters in our own parish of St. Augustine's--what a dazzling array of gifts! If we are able to fully surrender, to go in our lives to "where the heat is," think of the extraordinary light we can bring to this world. Let's lift each other and love ourselves. Thanks be to God.
by Alison Goodwin
we found our true place singing in a million
million keys the human hymn of praise for every
something else there is and ever was and will be:
the song growing louder and rising.
(Listen, I, too, believed it was a dream.)
million keys the human hymn of praise for every
something else there is and ever was and will be:
the song growing louder and rising.
(Listen, I, too, believed it was a dream.)
"We Pray" by Coldplay
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