O my Jesus,
seeing you
in all your joys and trials,
successes, and struggles,
it is comforting and amazing to know
that we see the love of our God in action.

You are no stranger who looks down on us
from heights we can never climb.

You know how it feels to be hungry
you know the taste of dust in your mouth
on a hot summer's day
and the need for that plain cup of water.

You understand how it feels to be tired,
or frightened,
or sad,
to be misunderstood
not only by strangers,
but by friends and family,
and those you care for most.

You are the god who understands why we tell jokes,
and can tell his own,
who knows the effects of a cup of wine,
and how to dance at a wedding.

You understand our tears,
the evil in men's hearts, even when they mean good,
and the good hidden in the hearts of evil men,
waiting to be brought to life.

And knowing all these things,
you still chose to die
that we might truly live.

Thinking of this,
I can only fall on my knees and say,
Praise the Lord and
Thank you!

O Bread of Life,
whose very word can still
the storm raging in my soul,
who holds my life in the palm of his hand,
who washes me free from my sins,
who gives me his love without reserve,
who died in pain, the miserable death of a slave for love of me
who arose in marvelous glory, the firstfruits of his victory over death,
who forgives me,
who calls me home,
who feeds me with his own self that I might be made part of him forever

I fall down at your feet,
in gratitude and wonder and love.

Thank you Lord.

Lord, you are indeed
the fount of all holiness,
a fountain of light
tried by the hand of darkness
and found unconquerable.

The midnight could not quench the light
even when locked into the earth,
but with the indescribable fire of love,
you burst forth,
to set your light as a beacon to all men.

O unrepressible Light,
O annealing power of God
that heals our imperfections,
make me a mirror,
grinding away all my imperfections
until I reflect your light to all those around me

                           Prayer of Thanks

O Lord!

I praise your name,
you who knowing us for what we are,
you who knowing how much we fail,
how much we hate,
how willing we are to hurt,
still chose to be Emmanuel,
God with us,
who chose to dress yourself in human flesh.

O Lord,
you who knows the taste of dust in the heat of summer,
the feeling of loss at the passing of a parent,
the grief of those you love,
the bitterness of betrayal,
the horrors of torture,
hunger,
how the cold of winter creeps into your flesh,
rejection.

You know, you experienced,
yet you still chose to die
that we might live.

We will never be worthy
of what you have given,
but thank you for loving us enough
that you gave it any way.

Amen.

                     In the Beginning

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.


In the beginning,
outside of time as we know it
before the clock of the universe started ticking
there you were,
The lover, the beloved, the love,
O my God.
And loving,
you began the clock
that led to this moment.

You brought us your light
to shine in our darkness,
to reveal the meaninglessness
we thought our lives to be,
who showed us the darkness
to be but shadows,
revealed to us the depths of your love,
your longing to bring us to you,
the price you were willing to pay.

You who created,
who breathed life into the lifeless world,
who, beyond all need to step into time,
came for love,
came to show us love,
came to be love for us.

Glory to you! .