First Vespers of the Feast of the Holy Name

                                             Revelation 21:3 

See, the 

home of God

is among mortals , 

He will 

dwell 

with them 

and they 

will be his 

peoples and 

God himself will be with them. 

The Seventh Day of Christmas, New Year’s Eve Day and, in the Episcopal Church, the commemoration of Samuel Ajayi Crowther (c.1807 -1891) *

                                   Psalm 48:7, 2 Corinthians 5:16

AS we have 

heard, 

so we have 

seen…. 

From 

now on,
therefore, 

we regard 

no one from 

a human point of view...

* Samuel Ajayi Crowther (c.1807 -1891) Born in Nigeria, as a child, Samuel was sold to Portuguese slave traders during a Nigerian civil war, but then was intercepted by a British anti-slavery patrol. Fast forward to in 1864 when was consecrated the first African Bishop to Nigeria, “the countries of West Africa beyond the limits of of the Queen’s domains.”   Holy  Women, Holy Men.... 

Evening of Dec 30

Psalm 27:11

You 

speak 

in my

heart

and 

say 

"Seek 

my 

face.”

 Your 

face 

Lord, 

will I 

seek. 

On the Episcopal Calendar today we commemoration of Francs Joseph Gaudet

    

                                                                           Psalm 20:1,2 

 May

the 

Lord 

answer 

you

in the day 

of trouble, 

the Name 

of the God 

of Jacob 

defend you; 

Send you help…  

and strengthen you… 

Frances Joseph Gaudet, of African American and Native American descent, was born in Mississippi in 1861. She as an educator who dedicated her life to those imprisoned and to reform of the prison system. She was the first woman to support young offenders and her efforts helped found Juvenile Court. She died on December 30 in 1934. (At St Luke’s Episcopal Church in Louisiana, there is a Gaudet  Hall.)  (Holy Women,Holy Men) 

                                                   I ask your prayers today for the thousands of people who are imprisoned this Christmastide in our state and in our land , for guards and for their unions, and for reform of the penal system. Pray and work for an end to for-profit prisons.

Evening Prayer

                                                                        Mark 10:14

Let 

the little child-ren come 

to me & do not stop them, for it is to such 

as these that the kingdom of God belongs.  

The Commemoration of the Slaughter of the Holy Innocents (transferred from yesterday) *

                                   Matthew 18:1

The 

disciples 

came 

to 

Jesus 

and 

asked “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 

He called a child whom he put among them….” 

          * John is believed to be the only one of the 12 apostles who did not die a martyrs death; thus the three feast days following Christmas day are woven together to cover the various possibilities of following Christ into death and heavenly birth: Stephen was a martyr in will and deed; John was a martyr in will but not in deed; the Holy Innocents we're martyrs in deed but not in will, being too young to have a conscious choice 

The New Book of Festivals and Commemorations. 

  
      Receive,e we pray. 
      into the arms of
      your mercy,  
      all innocent victims" 
      of terrorists, 
      of war and
      violence and want 
      and disease 
      with which our 
      world abounds, 
      "frustrate the
      designs of 
      evil tyrants 
      and establish 
      your rule of
      justice, love and peace” 
            (Collect BCP)

Evening Pryaer

   Christmas Antiphon 

                       on Psalm 34

Look upon him and 

be radiant; 

happy are they who trust 

in him. 

The First Sunday after Christmas Day (The Fourth Day of Christmas)

       Psalm 93:3

 Ever 

since 

the 

world 

began, 

your throne 

has been 

established; 

you are from  

everlasting. 

Does anyone remember Tim Sanders and Edith Hinds, elderly sisters who were parishioners at St David's who lived at the Buena Vista Gardens probably in the 80s?  

Tim gave me this ornament.

Second Vespers of St John the DIvine

                          An antiphon on the Magnificat, 

                              with thanks to St Augustine 

The 

Light 

now 

shines 

in our 

darkness, 

uncreated, 

ever new. 

St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, "The disciple whom Jesus loved,” the brother of James

                                                                                John 13:20

Very truly, 

I tell you, 

whoever 

receives 

one whom 

I send 

receives me, 

& whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 

Vespers of the Feast of St Stephen the first to suffer martyrdom for the sake of Christ. With Saul looking on and approving.

                              Antiphon on the Magnificat 

So 

soon 

the 

cost 

of 

love is known, alleluia.

The Feast of Stephen

             Christmas Antiphon on the Venite  

   Alleluia. 

  To us 

  a child 

  is born. 

  Come,

  let us 

  adore him. 

   Alleluia. 

Christmas Evening Prayer

                                                                                                John 1: 1

In the beginning 

was the Word, 

and the Word 

was with God, 

and the Word 

        was God.

The Feast of the Nativity

                                                                I John 4:10, 16, 12

In 

this 

is 

love: 

not 

that 

we 

loved 

God, 

but that God loved us, 

and sent his Son…God is love… 

  If we love one another,

                  God lives in us, 

                         and his love 

                              is perfected in us. 

                     A very Merry Christmas!

Christmas eve

                                   The Gospel of John

The 
light
hines 
in the 
darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. 
         A very Merry Christmas! 

Early Christma Evening

Christmas eve morning

                                         Isaiah 35 

 The wilder-ness and the dry land shall be glad, the des-ert shall rejoice & blossom, like the crocus 

it shall blossom abundan-ly 

and rejoice with joy and gladness. 

Tuesday Evening Prayer

                                                                     Psalm 116:5

Turn
again 

to
your 

rest, 

O my 

soul, 

for the 

Lord has treated you well. 

Evening Prayer Dec 23

                                                     December 23 

                O 

Emmanuel 

our King &

Lawgiver, 

the Desire 

of all nations 

& their 

Salvation:

Come 

and save us, O Lord, our God.     

December 23!

                                             Isaiah 11:1,2

A  shoot 

shall come out of the stump of Jesse, and 

a branch 

shall grow out of his roots.

The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. 

O Antiphon for today

                                                           December 22   

O King 

of the 

nations 

and their 

Desire, 

you are the 

cornerstone 

that makes 

us both one: 

Come and 

save the creatures 

whom you fashioned from clay.

Feast of St Thomas was yesterday

                                                                          Psalm 62:1

For 

God 

alone 

my 

soul in 

silence waits; from him comes my salvation. 

O Antiphon for today

                                                                December 21 

O 

Dayspring,  

Brightness 

   of the 

   Light 

       eternal,

and Sun of Righteousness:

Come and enlighten those who 

sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

Today is the Fourth and last Sunday of Advent and also, appropriately the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. In San Diego outr day is just 10 hours long.

                                                                     Collect of the Day

Purify 

our conscience, 

Almighty God, 

by your daily visitation, 

that your Son 

Jesus Christ, 

at his coming,

may find in us a mansion prepared for himself

O Antiphon for December 20

O Key of 

David &

Scepter 

of the 

house 

of Israel,  

you open 

and

no 

one can shut,  you shut & no one can open: Come & bring the captives 
out of the prison house, those 
who sit  in darkness and
the shadow of death. 

The Saturday before Christmas

                          The Benedicite (Canticle 12)

  

Glorify the Lord, 

O nights and days,

O shining light and enfolding darkness, 

praise him and highly exalt him forever.  

O Antiphon at Evening Prayer

                                                   December 19 

O 

Root 

of 

Jesse, 

you stand 

as an ensign   

to the peoples; 

before you 

kings will shut 

their mouths, 

and nations 

bow in worship;

Come and deliver us and tarry not.