Love
Mary's Song
 Magnificat


In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

[And Mary said,] “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Luke 1:39-45, (46-55)

Visitation of Mary
PONTORMO, Jacopo
1528-1529
Pfarrkirche, Carmignano, Italy
http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/diglib-fulldisplay.pl?SID=20091217480804443&code=ACT&RC=49490&Row=16
The painting depicts the meeting of Mary and her cousin Elizabeth, both with child, symbolically prefiguring the future interaction of their sons, Jesus and John the Baptist.
 
 
 
 
 
Best of all, Christmas means a spirit of love,
a time when the love of God and
the love of our fellow men should prevail
over all hatred and bitterness, 
a time when our thoughts and deeds
and the spirit of our lives
manifest the presence of God.

                                                    ~ George F. McDougall

 

 

 

 

The means to gain happiness
is to throw out from oneself,
like a spider,
in all directions
an adhesive web of love,
and to catch in it
all that comes.
                                                    ~ Leo Tolstoy

 

 
 
 
Carol and Bill Zager had a very special Christmas Party!
 
We all wrote down things we wanted to rid ourselves of and tucked
the slips of paper under the ribbons around the Yule Logs.
 
We sang Carols around the fire ...
 
Finally, the fire was ready for the Yule Logs.
 
A memorable time.
 
 
High Tea at the Brown Palace
Gretchen (center) invited Ruth and me to the Brown Palace for tea.
 
 
 
After tea, we had an interesting tour.
 
Ruth looked right at home at the desk in the Eisenhower Suite.
 
Very lovely.
 
Anne and Mark had a party for the Art for the Mountain Community members.
 
Denise brought one of her paintings to Wednesday Breakfast!
 
Jeanne wasn't able to go to our play at the Arvada Center,
so Vicki enjoyed taking her place.
What fun!
 
 
 
When we  ask our children, 'What do you want for Christmas?',
we are asking a question that breeds selfishness. 
In order to develop selflessness we should be asking,
'What are you going to give?' 
Christmas is the celebration of God's great gift giving -
'For God so loved the world that he gave...(John 3:16)
                                                    ~ Robert Flatt
 
 
 
 
 
December 20, 2009    Fourth Sunday of Advent
 
Previous OPQs may be found at:      
     http://www.dotjack.com/opq.htm
 

 
Agnus Day, by James Wetzstein
 Agnus Day appears with the permission ofwww.agnusday.org
 
 

 

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Said the night wind to the little lamb
Do you see what I see
Way up in the sky little lamb
Do you see what I see
A star, a star
Dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy
Do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky shepherd boy
Do you hear what I hear
A song, a song
High above the tree
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea

Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king
Do you know what I know
In your palace wall mighty king
Do you know what I know
A child, a child
Shivers in the cold
Let us bring him silver and gold
Let us bring him silver and gold

Said the king to the people everywhere
Listen to what I say
Pray for peace people everywhere
Listen to what I say
The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light

The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light

 



Micah 5:2-5a
Luke 1:47-55 or Psalm 80:1-7
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)

A Long Winters Nap
Painting by Tom Newsom, one of our Wednesday Breakfast Group.
See the link below for more of Tom's amazing Santa paintings!
http://www.newsomart.com/gallery.php?gallery=6