Day Five of the Twelve Days of Christmas Meditations

On the Fifth Day of Christmas...

Welcome to DAY FIVE of our Twelve Days of Christmas Meditations 

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; 

yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 

Isaiah 53:4

I'd like to share a few beliefs I hold about God. I believe that:

- God, who loves and adores us, did not "allow" this atrocity in CT.

- This tragedy was NOT God's Will. 

- Taking God "out of schools" did not create an angry God who chose to punish us in this way, regardless of our opinions on the topic of God in schools.

- God is NOT happy to be welcoming these sweet, innocent angels home so prematurely. 

God is just as upset and heartbroken about this experience as we are. As our Spiritual Parent, He grieves this loss with us. God seeks to comfort us in the midst of our distress, and in my personal experience there IS a peace and comfort that can ONLY come from going within and remembering the Truth of who - and Who's - I  Really Am. Of all the actions that can be taken, I choose to begin within. As we each address the upsets and wounds within our own hearts, we make a seemingly small step with a HUGE effect on creating greater peace in our outer world. However God is calling you to act, my prayer is that you will hear and act in Love. And that your children watch and learn from your loving example. 

Daily meditation with the children:

CANDLE

WE LIGHT. “We light this candle as a reminder of the Christ that is Light within ALL of us”

STILLNESS

WE SIT. SOMETIMES WE DANCE. In a circle, prayer hands or not, open hands or not, holding hands in a circle could work. You can try some bowing and “Namaste”. Namaste translates into “The light in me bows to the light in you”, for me this means “the Christ in me acknowledges the Christ in you.”

SONG

WE SING. Cristofori's Dream. by David Lanz. This is my personal #1 favorite meditation song. I listen to it every day. You can listen through the Spotify player at top left of page. ;)

MINI-DEVOTIONAL
God understands all of our feelings. He celebrates our Joys and mourns our sorrows with us. He even understands our confusion. We can share our whole hearts with Him and ask him to lighten our sadness. We can ask God to lighten our feelings of sadness and fill us with Love. This is GRACE.

A few biblical scriptures where God feels our emotions:

Exodus3:7 – Then the Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying and am concerned about their sufferings.

John 11:33-35 – When Jesus saw her weeping ….He groaned in spirit and was troubled. “Where have you lain him?” Jesus asked .They said unto Him, “Come and see.” Jesus wept.

Isaiah 53:4 - Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

THANKFULNESS

WE PRAY. You can try “God Our Father”, or any prayer of thanks here.

God Our Father(to tune of Where is Thumper)

God our Father

God our Father

Once Again

Once Again

Thank you for our blessings

Thank you for our blessings

Amen

Amen.

Try a few “Thank you God for ____”, or "God Bless ____". 

THREE OM’S TO PRACTICE RECEIVING BREATH

WE BREATHE. Hilarious and Oh-so-fun for the littles. It's not so much about the OM as it is about creating a way for them to connect with their BREATH. Om is an ideal way to teach them to feel their breath. Deep breath in, and exhale OM{sounds like A U M}. Three times. No idea how to "Om"? Click here for the how, or just make up your own way!

For a more in depth reflection:  "Out of love for us, God gives us freedom, freedom to live, and do, and be.  But in that freedom there is the potential for tragedy.  Sometimes bad things like earthquakes or terrorist attacks or plane crashes, happen. That doesn’t mean that God willed these horrible events any more than a parent wills skinned knees or broken arms, nor does it mean God is watching them from afar.  To the contrary, with love like that of a father or a mother, God sheds tears with us when lives are lost.  God grieves with us and hurts with us when tragedy strikes.  God comes to be with us as one of us, in the weakness and suffering of a Savior who was born in a manger and hung on a cross.  That is the God we know, and we know that God will be with us whatever happens to us, to rejoice with us, and weep with us, and walk with us every day of our lives up to the very last one and beyond.

Where is God when it hurts?  God is in every hug, every kiss, every comforting word.  God is in every donation, every care package, every cup of cold water.  God is in every batch of mortar, every load of bricks, every foundation rebuilt.  In all these things, God is slowly filling up the emptiness of our pain and our heartbreak, the void left in our hearts when disaster comes."  Read more from Lee Koontz in this Presbytarian sermon at this link.