Third Sunday of Advent

Joshua 23:1-16

Psalm 81:(1) 2-9 (10-16) (OR Psalm 95)

Luke 3:23-38

Hebrews 4:1-11 (12-16)

      

DECLARATION OF FORGIVENESS [from GREATER ATTENTION: LERW, YEAR D]

It is the Lord your God who has fought on your behalf, keeping your foes and enemies at bay. It is Christ Jesus himself, the Son of God, who has done all things well, and fulfilled God’s promise of a Savior. Therefore, hold fast to the Lord your God, and be very steadfast to observe and do all that he has commanded you, for by the grace of Jesus Christ we are forgiven and saved.

Good Friday (D) — A Prayer of Confession and Declaration of Forgiveness

Ezra 9:5-15 OR Jeremiah 25:15-38 OR 2Chronicles 7:1-22

Psalm 88

Luke 23:(1-12) 13-49

1Peter 4:1-19

Prayer of Confession [see Ezra 9]

O Lord our God, how can we lift our faces to you, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens. From the days of our ancestors to the present, we have been deep in guilt, and we are ashamed of all our iniquities. For we have forsaken your commandments and filled the land from end to end with uncleanness. And now, our God, what shall we say? Here we are before you in our guilt, and no one can face you who may claim to be righteousness, no one but Jesus Christ, the Righteous One himself. After all that has come upon us for our sins and our great guilt, you, our God, have not punished us as our iniquities deserve; you have not forsaken us, but have extended your steadfast love to us, to give us new life in Christ. Forgive us, therefore, O merciful God, for the sake of your gracious Son, Jesus Christ, that his great suffering and his redeeming work might bring us fully into eternal fellowship with you, and that we might commit and commend our spirits, as he has done, into your loving and gracious hand.

Declaration of Forgiveness [see Luke 23; 1Peter 4]

Truly Jesus our Messiah came not to save himself, but to save sinners. In his suffering on the cross, and in his prayer that even his executioners might be forgiven, he who was found guiltless has atoned for our guilt and secured the salvation of all those who, though formerly his enemies, now trust in him whose love covers a multitude of sins. For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to you who were once dead in your sins, so that you too might live in the Spirit as God does, no longer by human desires, but by the will of God and with all the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ, in whom we are forgiven and to whom, with the Father and the Spirit, belongs all glory and power, forever and ever. Blessed be God forever! Amen!

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time*

Job 34:1-20

Psalm 28

Matthew 6:7-15

Hebrews 13:9-14 (15-16) 17-25

       

OPENING PRAYER [from GREATER ATTENTION: LERW, YEAR D]

O God our Father, your Son and our Lord Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. We realize, in light of the constant changes and challenges we face, that have no lasting city here on earth, but we look for the city, the new Jerusalem, that is to come. Through your Son and in his Spirit, we offer you our continual sacrifice of praise, the fruit of those who confess his name. Accept then our songs and prayers of praise and adoration, and strengthen our hearts with grace, for we seek the bread of your presence, and we gather at the table where your Son has offered the blood of the eternal covenant, in whose name we pray.

The Secret of Salix Babylonicus

UPDATE: As I was saying ...

BUMPED (Originally posted Jun 22): If you are interested in reading more about the origins of this story, see this related post.

UPDATE: Here is the FB page for SSB.

There are countless people under such tremendous stress just now, many depressed, many bereaved, many sick, many wounded, many undergoing persecution for their faith; there is so much deep need on so many fronts. On one level, this little book is just a short story, a parable (to be more precise), so perhaps one should not expect too much of it. On another level, however, the need of the world is so great that one would be negligent if one were to keep in reserve the most modest palliative or source of consolation that might ease, however slightly, the burden of just one despairing soul. Written in 1997 and fully illustrated for the first time, The Secret of Salix Babylonicus, has much wisdom and encouragement to offer, despite (and perhaps owing to) its brevity and simplicity. May it be a blessing to you, dear reader, and a source of inspiration, encouragement, and hope to you and to any and all with whom you "share" it. [Thank you for liking it on FB. Bear in mind though, that Shares reach further, and the ministry of the willow is all about the long reach.]

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