Day 13 + 40 Days of Mercy + + +

The God of All Comfort

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ,
so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (NIV)

In our prayers today let us remember all those throughout the world who are suffering and in need of God’s comforting care. May we be someone who can bring comfort to another in their time of need.

Although the following video comes from a faith tradition different from most of us gathered here,
I find it deeply moving and helpful in prayers for those who suffer throughout the world.
I invite you to use it in the spirit of One God and Creator of us All.
Anna Lin +

The Great Bell Chant (The End Of Suffering)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1ZwaEzMtJw

Healer Of Our Every Ill

Healer of our every ill,
light of each tomorrow,
give us peace beyond our fear,
and hope beyond our sorrow.

You who know our fears and sadness,
grace us with your peace and gladness;
Spirit of all comfort, fill our hearts.

You who know each thought and feeling,
teach us all your way of healing;
Spirit of compassion, fill each heart.

~ Marty Haugen

By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Luke 1: 78-79

Photos on Pinterest

 

Comfort Ye My People

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.

One of my rituals for Advent for nearly 50 years has been to listen and reflect on Handel’s Messiah. It begins with a tumultuous overture that seems to mirror all the wrangling in my soul and reflects all the turmoil of history and our distress in living apart from God’s Presence.
Then comes the clear, gentle voice of promise saying:

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people . . . saith your God;
Speak ye comfort to Jerusalem and cry to her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned.

Then my fears melt away, distress is soothed, the storms of life are stilled . . . my heart is at rest in the arms of a loving God.