Dear Tau Members, It appears that most folks can meet on December 22nd. Bro. Ed will be with us. I am happy to host the meeting mostly because we'd have the piano to help us sing Christmas carols. I'm trying to get Ed to give a short something or other on Franciscan spirituality and Christmas. Send in your votes as to what carols you want to sing and I'll start a spreadsheet tallying the votes! Just kidding. I'll be ready to play anything. I apologize for taking this long to get this out. There has been a lot to do in organizing help to empty out Tau House in the next couple weeks.
We'll have our Christmas potluck. Maybe you could let me know what you'd like to bring so we have a varied menu.
The notice in Ed's blog about meeting at the café is not correct so please disregard it. He should be changing it. Perhaps when we meet in January we could work out the details of meeting places for the next few months.
Peace and Prayers,
Billy
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Know God's Character - Advent refections
It's important that we know God's character. Why? It gives us discernment. If we don't know the character of God, how can we ever know who is from God and who is not from God? Here are three character traits of God that help me stay in tune with who He is and what He is doing:
1. Justice: God is a God of justice. That word justice is so awesome because it means that He will always make anything that's wrong right. This helps me to not worry when I am mistreated because I know God will bring justice. It's who He is.
2. Goodness: God is good, this fact never changes. And He's good all the time, not just once in a while or when things go your way. Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him" (NIV). When things are bad, I find great encouragement in God's goodness.
3. Holiness: God is holy and righteous, and He desires to make us holy, pure and clean, free from the defilements of sin. To be honest, it has helped me in my walk with God to realize that whatever He does is right, whether I like it or not. This helps me to stay in sync with Him.
These three traits are not the only characteristics of God, but they are some of the most significant and powerful ones to me.
I encourage you to spend some time looking up these traits, and other traits of God that are important to you. When you study who He is, the Holy Spirit will help you incorporate His traits into your own personality. Begin to practice them in your daily life, and see what God does... You won't be disappointed.
Prayer Starter: God, You are wonderful. Your justice, goodness, holiness, and countless other traits amaze me and remind me of how great You are. Continue to remind me of Your character so I can become more like You...... Amen.
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Peace and all good,
Brother Ed, OFM
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Know God's Character - Advent refections
It's important that we know God's character. Why? It gives us discernment. If we don't know the character of God, how can we ever know who is from God and who is not from God? Here are three character traits of God that help me stay in tune with who He is and what He is doing:
1. Justice: God is a God of justice. That word justice is so awesome because it means that He will always make anything that's wrong right. This helps me to not worry when I am mistreated because I know God will bring justice. It's who He is.
2. Goodness: God is good, this fact never changes. And He's good all the time, not just once in a while or when things go your way. Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him" (NIV). When things are bad, I find great encouragement in God's goodness.
3. Holiness: God is holy and righteous, and He desires to make us holy, pure and clean, free from the defilements of sin. To be honest, it has helped me in my walk with God to realize that whatever He does is right, whether I like it or not. This helps me to stay in sync with Him.
These three traits are not the only characteristics of God, but they are some of the most significant and powerful ones to me.
I encourage you to spend some time looking up these traits, and other traits of God that are important to you. When you study who He is, the Holy Spirit will help you incorporate His traits into your own personality. Begin to practice them in your daily life, and see what God does... You won't be disappointed.
Prayer Starter: God, You are wonderful. Your justice, goodness, holiness, and countless other traits amaze me and remind me of how great You are. Continue to remind me of Your character so I can become more like You...... Amen.
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Advent Reflections 2013
Advent is a season that seems to get lost in our culture. Because we so often think of the month of December as “the Christmas season” and use this time to busily prepare our homes for the holidays, we often neglect to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ. My hope is that these reflections will provide a way of making your Advent journey more meaningful.
One way to prepare our hearts and more fully experience Jesus’ coming is through deepening and growing in our relationship with God. Because God is so much greater than our minds can even begin to comprehend, we can only know God through glimpses, through reflections. That is what these are: reflections. My hope is that they will provide a means of knowing God deeper, and that by exploring various images of God, God will become more real to you.
The idea of using images of God came to me while reading about the “O Antiphons.” These are different names and images for God, traditionally used during the last week of Advent, December 17th through 23rd. They have been part of the Christian tradition since the 7th or 8th century, and are proclaimed in the hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” I have included them in on their traditional days. The other images used are my creations inspired by scripture.
I have chosen the Bible verses based on the weekly Revised Common Lectionary readings for Advent and Christmas. The reflections for the Sunday readings begin on the Monday before so that you will have the opportunity to reflect on these Bible verses before hearing them in worship. There is also a prayer to guide each day. By using the first person plural we, I imagine the community of people using this resource to be united in prayer.
I would welcome any of your thoughts, comments, suggestions or reflections as you journey through this Advent season. Please visit my website: www.adventreflections.org to leave and view comments.
As you take time with these reflections during the season of Advent, may they deepen your relationship with God so that you may more fully experience the celebration of the coming of Christ.
Peace and all good,
Brother Ed, OFM
