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Gently voiced meditations in the spirit of lectio divina and centering prayer, held in quiet, immersive stereo sound and shaped by the rhythms of Scripture and the turning seasons of the Christian year. Best experienced through headphones.
BREATH OF LOVE -- Advent 4A
>>>Welcome
Welcome to Breath of Love.
This is a place for sacred listening --
a rhythm of Scripture, silence, and embodied prayer.
Each week we enter the same simple pattern:
breathing, receiving,
returning to the heart of love that holds all things.
Wherever you are -- in stillness or in motion --
alone or among others --
you are part of this circle of sound.
There is nothing you need to perform here.
Only to breathe.
Only to receive.
So we begin, as always,
by finding the breath again --
a breath that meets us where we are
and carries us deeper
into the mystery of Christ alive in all things.
>>>Centering & Breath Prayer
Find yourself in a comfortable position--
seated, standing, or moving gently through your day.
There is no single right way to be here.
You may notice the weight of your body,
or the simple fact of breath arriving without effort.
Nothing needs to be corrected.
Nothing needs to be achieved.
Advent has almost run its course now.
The waiting has grown intimate.
Close enough to feel the breath of another life near your own.
If it helps, you might place a hand on your chest
or on your belly,
a simple gesture of presence.
Let your breathing settle into a natural rhythm.
Breathe in: God with us…
Breathe out: Even here…
Again, gently--
Breathe in: God with us…
Breathe out: Even here…
Allow this prayer to move quietly beneath the words that follow,
like a steady undertow of trust.
>>>Reading 1 (Isaiah 7:10-16)
A reading from the prophet Isaiah.
Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz,
saying, Ask a sign of the LORD your God;
let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.
But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.
Then Isaiah said: “Hear then, O house of David!
Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.
Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son,
and shall name him Immanuel.
He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows
how to refuse the evil and choose the good.
For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good,
the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.”
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.
>>>Meditation 1 (Isaiah 7:10-16)
Here is a vision from the prophet Isaiah:
spoken into a moment thick with fear,
when leaders grasped for certainty
and God answered not with control,
but with a child.
A sign is offered --
not thunder, not proof,
but presence.
A young woman with child.
A name whispered into flesh: Immanuel.
God-with-us.
Notice how the sign does not erase danger.
It does not rush the story.
It simply promises companionship.
As you breathe, you might notice
where you long for a sign --
something unmistakable, something decisive.
And you might also notice
how often God chooses nearness instead.
Breathe in: God with us…
Breathe out: Even here…
>>>Reading 2 (Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18)
Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; *
shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.
In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, *
stir up your strength and come to help us.
Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
O Lord God of hosts, *
how long will you be angered
despite the prayers of your people?
You have fed them with the bread of tears; *
you have given them bowls of tears to drink.
You have made us the derision of our neighbors, *
and our enemies laugh us to scorn.
Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, *
the son of man you have made so strong for yourself.
And so will we never turn away from you; *
give us life, that we may call upon your Name.
Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
>>>Meditation 2 (Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18)
This psalm is a cry from the soil itself --
a people asking not for escape,
but for restoration.
“Restore us, O God.”
Not to what was,
but to what can still live.
There is grief here.
And hunger.
And a stubborn hope
that God’s face might yet turn toward us.
You may notice places in your own life
that feel cut back or worn thin --
places that ache for light.
The psalm does not hide its longing.
It trusts that longing itself is a form of prayer.
Breathe in: God with us…
Breathe out: Even here…
>>>Reading 3 (Romans 1:1-7)
A reading from the letter to the Romans.
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle,
set apart for the gospel of God,
which he promised beforehand
through his prophets in the holy scriptures,
the gospel concerning his Son,
who was descended from David according to the flesh
and was declared to be Son of God with power
according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead,
Jesus Christ our Lord,
through whom we have received grace and apostleship
to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles
for the sake of his name,
including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.
>>>Meditation 3 (Romans 1:1-7)
Paul writes of a promise
“declared long beforehand,”
now taking shape in Jesus.
Faith here is not a sudden leap.
It is a long fidelity --
threaded through prophets, ancestors,
and ordinary lives that kept saying yes.
You might sense how your own life
is carried by promises you did not originate --
love offered before you knew to ask,
grace already leaning toward you.
Belonging precedes belief.
Love comes first.
Breathe in: God with us…
Breathe out: Even here…
>>>Reading 4 (Matthew 1:18-25)
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew.
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way.
When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man
and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace,
planned to dismiss her quietly.
But just when he had resolved to do this,
an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife,
for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus,
for he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken
by the Lord through the prophet:
“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke from sleep,
he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him;
he took her as his wife,
but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son;
and he named him Jesus.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.
>>>Meditation 4 (Matthew 11:2–11)
Now the story turns to Joseph --
a man not given speeches,
but entrusted with a decision.
He is righteous.
Which means he is attentive,
tender,
and willing to change his mind.
In the night, a dream arrives --
not with answers to every question,
but with a single invitation: Do not be afraid.
Joseph does not resolve the mystery.
He agrees to carry it.
You might notice what you are carrying--
uncertainty, responsibility, love not yet explained.
Sometimes faith is simply choosing
to stay present
when the future is unclear.
Breathe in: God with us…
Breathe out: Even here…
Body Blessing
Now, gently bring awareness to your body.
Begin at the crown of your head:
blessing the mind that wonders
and the imagination that dreams.
Let the blessing move to your eyes:
that they may see what is forming,
even in shadow.
To your ears:
that they may hear guidance
that comes quietly.
Breathe in: God with us…
Breathe out: Even here…
To your throat and heart:
where courage and tenderness meet.
Let the blessing travel down through your chest and belly:
the places of breath,
of nourishment,
of life held and given.
Down through your legs and feet-:
for the roads you walk
and the ground that bears you.
Breathe in: God with us…
Breathe out: Even here…
Feel your whole body held:
a living sign
of God choosing to dwell not above,
but within.
Remain here a moment longer,
resting in the promise already near.
Amen.
>>>Farewell
As our time together comes to a close,
There is no hurry.
The breath that holds you goes with you into what is next.
When you speak, may your words carry kindness.
When you move, may your steps remember stillness.
And when you rest, may you feel the quiet joy
of belonging to all that is.
This is Breath of Love.
Until next time --
go gently,
and breathe peace.
The Bible texts (except for the Psalm) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.
The Psalm is from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979.
All other content is copyright 2025 by Breath of Love.