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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 1, Year A
Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44
>>>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 and Breath Prayer
Find yourself in a comfortable position…
sitting… lying down… standing… or moving through your space
in a way that feels unhurried, open, and natural.
Notice the way your body is already breathing…
without effort…
without instruction…
as though something inside you has been waiting
for this moment of gentle attention.
You might sense breath rising through your chest…
or moving more quietly in the belly…
or simply feel the air enter and leave,
like the slow turning of a tide.
If your mind wanders -- and it may --
let that wandering be another soft doorway back to presence.
No pushing… no tightening…
just returning to the breath that’s holding you.
As we begin the season of Advent --
a season shaped by longing, by watchfulness,
by the faint shimmer of coming light --
let this week’s breath-prayer settle within you:
Breathe in: Light of heaven…
Breathe out: Awaken my heart…
Let those words drift through you like the first light before dawn.
>>>Reading One -- Isaiah 2:1–5
A reading from the prophet Isaiah.
[This is t]he word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come
the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
Many peoples shall come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord!
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.
>>>Meditation One -- Isaiah 2:1–5
Isaiah lifts his eyes to a future shaped by peace --
a mountain drawing all nations toward wisdom,
a world where weapons become tools for life,
and learning war is no longer needed.
As you breathe,
you might imagine that mountain --
a place of clarity…
a place where the air feels thinner and cleaner,
where the noise begins to fall away.
Maybe there is a longing in you
for that kind of clarity…
for a path you can walk with others,
not in fear,
but in shared light.
You might picture even one place in your life
where God could be transforming something sharp into something fruitful --
a thought… a posture…
an old protective pattern being reshaped into something new.
And as that image settles,
let the breath-prayer return:
Breathe in: Light of heaven…
Breathe out: Awaken my heart…
Let the mountain rise quietly within you.
>>>Reading Two -- Psalm 122
I was glad when they said to me, *
"Let us go to the house of the Lord."
Now our feet are standing *
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is built as a city *
that is at unity with itself;
To which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord, *
the assembly of Israel,
to praise the Name of the Lord.
For there are the thrones of judgment, *
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: *
"May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls *
and quietness within your towers.
For my brethren and companions' sake, *
I pray for your prosperity.
Because of the house of the Lord our God, *
I will seek to do you good."
>>>Meditation Two -- Psalm 122
This psalm sings of going up to the house of the Lord --
of feet standing within a city of peace…
a place where tribes gather…
a place where judgment and mercy sit together.
As you breathe,
you may let the idea of “going up” land softly.
Not striving…
not climbing in fear…
but moving toward a place where your spirit feels aligned and whole.
You might imagine what “Jerusalem” means for you --
not a geography,
but a center of belonging.
A place inside you where peace is not an idea
but a felt sense…
a settling…
a coming-home.
And as you let that sense widen in your chest:
Breathe in: Light of heaven…
Breathe out: Awaken my heart…
Let peace become something steady,
something inhabiting you from within.
>>>Reading Three -- Romans 13:11–14
A reading from the letter to the Romans.
You know what time it is,
how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep.
For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers;
the night is far gone, the day is near.
Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light;
let us live honorably as in the day,
not in reveling and drunkenness,
not in debauchery and licentiousness,
not in quarreling and jealousy.
Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make no provision for the flesh,
to gratify its desires.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.
>>>Meditation Three -- Romans 13:11–14
Paul speaks with urgency --
not the urgency of panic,
but the urgency of dawn.
The night is far gone, he says,
and the day is near.
As you breathe,
you might feel that nearness --
as though morning light is touching the edges of your awareness,
even before you can see it clearly.
Is there a part of your life
that feels ready for this gentle awakening?
A place where you are stepping out of old shadows…
or loosening the grip of patterns that once felt necessary
but now feel too small?
Not forcing change --
just allowing yourself to imagine
what waking up might feel like
from the inside out.
Let the breath-prayer carry you:
Breathe in: Light of heaven…
Breathe out: Awaken my heart…
Feel the slow brightening.
>>>Reading Four -- Matthew 24:36–44
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew
Jesus said to the disciples,
“But about that day and hour no one knows,
neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark,
and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away,
so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding meal together;
one will be taken and one will be left.
Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
But understand this:
if the owner of the house had known
in what part of the night the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and would not have let his house be broken into.
Therefore you also must be ready,
for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.
>>>Meditation Four -- Matthew 24:36–44
Jesus speaks into the uncertainty of un-timed arrival --
the nearness of something holy
that can’t be scheduled,
predicted,
or managed.
“Keep awake,” he says --
not in anxiety,
but in presence.
A wakefulness that listens…
an attentiveness that opens the heart
to what God is already doing.
As you breathe,
you might notice where you feel that kind of wakefulness
already stirring in you --
perhaps as a subtle attentiveness,
a widening of awareness,
a readiness that doesn’t strain.
Or maybe you simply feel the invitation
to let your heart stay open
to the God who comes quietly,
unexpectedly,
and always in love.
Let the breath-prayer return:
Breathe in: Light of heaven…
Breathe out: Awaken my heart…
Let this wakefulness settle gently in your whole being.
>>>Body Blessing
And now…
as your awareness widens
to include your whole embodied self…
you might notice the quiet way grace gathers in you.
Begin at the crown of your head…
that tender meeting place
between heaven’s imagination
and your own unfolding thoughts.
Across your forehead…
where worries sometimes take up residence…
may there be a softening,
as if light itself were smoothing the way.
To your eyes…
windows of wonder and witness…
blessed in their seeing,
even when closed.
To your jaw…
the hinge of so many unspoken words…
let there be ease,
the ease that comes when nothing must be defended.
Down the back of your neck…
a gateway of vigilance and care…
let breath offer warmth,
and perhaps a little loosened burden.
Across your shoulders…
the strong, quiet ridge
that has borne more than most people know…
may a gentler yoke settle there.
Let that blessing travel down your arms…
those faithful instruments of offering and embrace…
until it reaches your hands,
ready again to become kindness.
To your chest and ribs…
rising and falling like a small Advent dawn…
the meeting place of courage and fragility…
may this breath say: all of it belongs.
To your belly…
the deep interior
where instinct, intuition, and trust take shape…
may spaciousness open from within.
To your hips and low back…
keepers of memory and movement…
may breath loosen what’s held,
and welcome what’s ready to be born.
Down through your legs…
the sturdy pathways of your living…
until you reach your feet—
your grounding,
your partnership with the earth,
your readiness to walk in the way of peace.
All of you—
every trembling, striving, radiant part—
held in the promise of the One who draws near.
All of you awake to the coming light.
All of you blessed in this holy season.
And quietly now, one last time:
Breathe in: Light of heaven…
Breathe out: Awaken my heart…
Let this blessing rest in your whole body.
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.
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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.