Dear Friends,
I am borrowing the words of St. Paul to his good friends in Phillipi as my greeting to you:
Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God’s Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears. (Philippians 1:3-6, The Message Bible translation)
This short greeting is meant to let you know that I am thinking of you and thanking God that you are in my life. On Christmas Day, may Christ find a dwelling place of faith, hope, and love in our hearts.
John Foley, SJ set this prayer to music in Dwelling Place (1976). Although the song has been around for many years, it is still included in current hymnals, including the one we use at my church. (You can find a YouTube video performance by googling the title and composer.)
May Christ find a dwelling place of love in our hearts,
May our lives be rooted in love, rooted in love.
May grace and peace be yours in God our Father and in his son.
Warmest wishes for a very Merry Christmas,
Doris
BEAUTIFUL. TKS
LikeLiked by 1 person
Merry Christmas to you Doris..always with loving thoughts.My wish for you is a New Year filled with JOY and PEACE.
LikeLike
Wishing you the same. Thank you, Meg, for being such a loyal reader and friend.
LikeLike
Loved the card Doris and the message in this posting. I thank God for you coming into my life so many years ago. Christ’s peace ad joy this Christmas season to you. If you get time, email me your address – misplaced it from last year.
LikeLike
Thank you, Greg, for your kind words and wishes. I’m glad that we can connect, at least electronically.
LikeLike
Doris,
I trust this Christmas Season and the New Year reveal many dwelling places of God on the pathways of your everyday life. Your blog entries continue to offer me many moments of reflection.
Thanks.
Yvette
LikeLike
Thank you, Yvette, for you kind words and wishes. Thank you, too, for your support in following this blog. I look forward to the day when I can read yours!
LikeLike