Curated Worship Songs
Goodness Of God - Bethel Music
Let There Be Light Lyric Video - Hillsong Worship
Please Be My Strength - Gungor
Sermon Overview
This week we examine the noon hour, where we look forward and backward, viewing about the same amount of time. The day is half empty of its hours, the day is half full of it hours. What is referred to as The Hour of Illumination.
The sun is at its peak.
It is the hour of no shadows.
It is a time to pause, to find nourishment for our physical bodies and our souls.
A time to connect with The Light and to be lightbearers.
SCRIPTURE
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress.
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
~Isaiah 9:2For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
~2 Corinthians 4:6Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand
~Psalm 139
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1. This midday hour is called “the hour of no shadows”. What would an hour of no shadows look like at noon hour for you?
2. When you think of the midday hour, the Hour of Illumination, how are you typically feeling? Energized? Weary? What are the prayers of your heart at this hour?
3. In the monastic communities, the bell of peace rings at the midday hour. Could you pause with the “midday bells” to give thanks, to seek refreshment, to hear God’s love and affirmation for you? What do you hear God say in this midday pause?
PRAYER GUIDE for The Hour of Illumination
Opening
In this hour of no shadows, gather us into the guesthouse of your great heart and enable us to see all that waits for us in the brightness of Your presence. Amen.
Prayers Reflecting Our Midday Energy:
Illumination Please
Shine on me, oh Lord
For I am weary.
If I stumbled this day
I fear I will never rise.
The work is overwhelming
The demands on my time many.
It is not suppose to be this way,
But how do I stop this merry-go-round
that is merry no more?
Oh Great Shining,
Lift me out of this shadowy place,
And back into Your light,
Shine Your love on me.
~Karen Ewen
Contemporary Psalm
Take heart.
In this hour of opposites
Between the waxing and the waning
We pause to remember who we are:
Birth givers, peace keepers,
Joy bringers, light bearers.
We can be the peace
We can be the healing,
We can be the Christ.
Trailing clouds of glory, we have come
From the brightness of God.
Take heart.
Our power to love will
Overshadow our love of power.
In this luminous hour we will see
What we must see, and we will shine
Because of what we have seen.
Closing
In this hour of the noonday sun,
We raise our hands to the Peaceful One.
This is the hour to pray for peace,
For kindness to increase.
So let this be the hour of release.
Let us bow to each other and pray for peace.
Let this be our promise. Let this be our song.
We will be the peace for which we long.
~Macrina Wiederkehr
