My Favorite Picture of the Year

Thank you obsessivelystitching.blogspot.com for this awesome picture. I love me some little people.

Advent

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee to-night.

For Christ is born of Mary,
And, gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.

O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth!
And praises sing to God the King,
And peace to men on earth.
How silently, how silently,
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.
O holy Child of Bethlehem!

Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in,
Be born in us to-day.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
Oh, come to us, abide with us,

Our Lord Emmanuel!

We sang this song at church this week. I was struck by the verses that I had not heard before. The words to this carol were written in 1860 by an Episcopal priest Phillip Brooks. He was inspired by his visit to the Holy Lands and wanted to write a poem for the children of his congregation. It's told that he wrote the first verse that we know so well and then went to bed. He woke in the middle of the night and quickly jotted down the rest as it was impressed upon his heart.

5th Day of Advent

Common Book of Prayer readings: Psalm 6, 13, 22, Isaiah 5:8-6:11, Mark 2:1-12, Revelation 7:1-4, 7-11

"Surrounded by a loving, supportive community, Advent and Christmas seem pure joy. But let me not forget my lonely moments because it does not take much to make that loneliness reappear. If I am able to remember loneliness during joy, I might be able in the future to remember joy during loneliness and so be stronger to face it and help others face it. In 1970 I felt so lonely that I could not give; now I feel so joyful giving seems easy. I hope that the day will come when the memory of my present joy will give me the strength to keep giving even when loneliness gnaws at my heart. When Jesus was loneliest, he gave most, That realization should help to deepen my commitment to service and let my desire to give become independent of my actual experience of joy. Only a deepening of my life in Christ will make that possible."

-Henri Nouwen