Good morning.
Today is Wednesday,
December 23,
2020.
O Lord,
Let my soul rise up to me as the day rises to meet the sun.
Glory to God,
The Three-in-One,
Creator,
Redeemer,
And Sustainer.
As it was in the beginning,
Is now,
And will be forever.
Amen.
Come let us sing to the Lord.
Let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
Remind yourself that you are in God's presence.
Notice how God may be speaking to you today.
Let yourself dwell on a word or a phrase that catches your attention,
And let your heart simply respond to God in prayer.
Please repeat these words.
Nothing is impossible with God.
Lord,
I believe.
Help my unbelief.
Luke 1,
Verses 26 through 38.
Six months later,
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth to a young woman named Mary.
She was engaged to a man named Joseph of the House of David.
Upon arriving,
The angel said to Mary,
Rejoice,
Highly favored one.
God is with you.
Blessed are you among women.
Mary was deeply troubled by these words and wondered what the angel's greeting meant.
The angel went on to say to her,
Don't be afraid,
Mary.
You found favor with God.
You will conceive and bear a son and give him the name Jesus.
Deliverance.
His dignity will be great and he will be called the only begotten of God.
God will give Jesus the judgment seat of David,
His ancestor,
To rule over the house of Jacob forever and his reign will never end.
Mary said to the angel,
How can this be since I have never been with a man?
The angel answered her,
The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Hence the offspring to be born will be called the Holy One of God.
Know too that Elizabeth,
Your kinswoman,
Has conceived a child in her old age.
She who was thought to be infertile is now in her sixth month.
Nothing is impossible with God.
Mary said,
I am the servant of the Lord.
Let it be done to me as you say.
And with that,
The angel left her.
Please repeat these words.
Nothing is impossible with God.
Lord,
I believe,
Help my unbelief.
I invite you to hold someone before God as we ponder the scripture and hear the words written by Jan Richardson,
A blessing for after.
This blessing is for the moment after clarity has come,
After inspiration,
After you have agreed to what seemed impossible.
This blessing is what flows after elimination departs.
And you realize that there is no map for the path you have chosen.
No one to serve as guide.
Nothing to do but gather up your gumption and set out.
This blessing will go with you.
It carries no answers,
No charts,
No plans.
It carries no source of light within itself.
But in its pockets is tucked a mirror that from time to time,
It will hold up to you to remind you of the radiance that came when you gave your awful and wondrous yes.
We pray in the name of Jesus who taught us to pray,
Our Father which art in heaven,
Eternal God,
Earth maker,
Pain bearer,
Life giver,
Source of all that is and all that shall be,
Not only Father,
But Mother of us all.
May the hallowing of your name echo through the universe.
May the way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world.
May your heavenly will be done by all created beings.
May your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today,
Feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another,
Forgive us.
In times of temptation and test,
Strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure,
Spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil,
Free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love now and forever.
Amen.
Now let us go from this place believing that we will see the glory of God.
Believing that there is a light that shines in the darkest shadows,
A brightness that will never be overcome.
And may the love of the Creator,
The joy of the Spirit,
And the peace of the coming Christ be with you today and forevermore.
Go in peace my friends.
