Close your eyes, breathe, and clear your mind. Be still. Center your scattered senses on God’s presence.
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 72:18-19
Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.
CHRISTMASTIDE REFLECTION
As we continue in our celebration of the incarnation of Christ during Christmastide, we can identify with the angels who proclaim “Glory to God in the Highest.” Celebrating Christmas as an extended season can help us reflect on the meaning of Jesus’ life, our understanding of God, and the Kingdom message God sends Emmanuel (God With Us). God proclaimed his glorious arrival to the shepherds as they went about their normal routine, watching their flocks at night. During this season, ask God to open your eyes to seeing the grace of God at work in the world – perhaps through natural wonder, or perhaps through the lives of others. How can we see and worship the glory that Christ has brought to the world in our daily lives?
COLLECT: Written by Collects are short general prayers used in Christian liturgy to draw our focus of worship. The collect today is from the Book of Common Prayer.
Almighty God our heavenly Father, you declare your glory and show forth your handiwork in the heavens and in the earth: Deliver us in our various occupations from the service of self alone, that we may do the work you give us to do in truth and beauty and for the common good; for the sake of him who came among us as one who serves, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Click on the link to see and hear the music video.
MUSIC VIDEO: Kings College Choir: While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night
IMAGE: Tiffany Studios: While Shepherds Watched
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