Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Today's text

Isaiah 7:14

“The Lord God will give you a sign in any case: It is this: the young woman is with child and will give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel.”

O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.

Come, Emmanuel; reveal your blessed nearness.

As an ordinary infant you came to us, in
your flesh bearing blest unity with divine wonder.
Moment to moment, soul-to-soul, you dwelt in undivided union with
that Love we cannot imagine.
Who can know the immensity of the divine heart,
the Loving Mystery who is
Immeasurable Mercy,
the Infinitely Transcendent Wonder who
casts the burning nebulae into the cold darkness of space,
the Far Near One who holds
all time--and us,
as a mother caresses her child’s tender nearness?

The Mystery all the world cannot contain, dwells
even in your infant flesh.
You, Emmanuel, you knew this One always,
in hidden depths of intimate communion.
You were and are eternally one with the One for
whom no name will do.
We look into your face and gaze into the depths of
the Eternal Wonder.

So come, Emmanuel. Come and stay near us.
We have no words to name what you bear.
We know only that we die without your nearness.
So come, and never leave us.

Pr. David L. Miller

Monday, December 24, 2007

Today's text

Isaiah 9:1

“For a son has been born for us, a son has been given to us, and dominion has been laid upon his shoulders; and this is the name he has been given, Wonderful-Counselor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.”

O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.

Come, Desire and King of the nations;
satisfy our hearts’ longing.

You are the great giving of God,
the hunger of every human heart.
In you the Holy One shares the treasure of
divine life with we,
the dying.
And die we do; a thousand times and more
while yet we breathe.

We crave your nearness, longing to be filled
with the Fullness of
you who are Life.

Come, free us from the melancholy of any moment
without you.
Fill the yawning emptiness that our precious tears of
joy may give you proper praise.
Draw us into your immense generosity that our
withered hearts and weary world may
wax fragrant with your beauty.

Come, Desire of the Nations. Fill our restless hearts

Pr. David L. Miller