“Recognize your Coming”

Gracious God of divine illumination, we are your grateful daughters and sons. God of ever-present Light, in you there is no darkness. We will praise you as long as we live, in every way we know how. We put our faith in you with child-like trust. Our hope in you rests secure.

Compassionate God who opens human hearts to receive you gladly, open ours. Remove our resistance. Enlighten our minds and brighten our eyes that we may recognize your coming again in the Christ child. For it is in him that we find strength for our inner being. It is in him that we are rooted and grounded in love. It is in him that we are set free to accomplish abundantly far more for you than we ever could alone. It is because of him that our hope overflows and we never lose heart.

We want to walk as children of your light. We want to follow Jesus. Illumine us that we may teach your truth. Comfort us that we may comfort those who mourn and encourage the poor in spirit. Shepherd us that we may shield the weak and bring back the lost. Forgive us that we may become forgivers. Humble us that we, like you, may humbly serve. Thank you, God, for your grace. Forgive us for our lack of grace. Hear our silent prayers.

God of Advent promise, come. As in the past, and in the future, be with us now. We, your grateful daughters and sons, are so happy to call you our God. Receive these prayers of our hearts and bless them, even as we bless you in every way we know how. We offer them in the name of Jesus as we again pray his prayer… 

“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us—not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.” 

“Coming to Us Once More”

Eternal God who was, and is, and ever shall be, we praise you in this Advent season for coming to us once more. We praise you for being our God and claiming us as your people. We praise you for your living Word revealed in scripture, promised through prophecy, celebrated in song, made flesh in Jesus Christ. 

Thank you for friends and family, for health and home. Thank you for our country where ideally we live free from fear, free from want, free from oppression. Thank you for your saving grace when we wander in darkness and doubt, and for confidence in faith where we cannot see. Thank you for believing in us when we find it hard to believe in ourselves. Hear our silent prayers of praise and thanksgiving. (Pause)

We pray for the homeless and hungry. We pray for those who are angry and finding it hard to forgive. We pray for those who have lost their dreams and are hungry to hope. O come, O come, Emmanuel, God be with us yet again. Ransom us from our captivity to false beliefs and unhealthy behaviors. Create in us new hearts and renewed commitments. Restore us with your Holy Spirit in the name and power of Jesus, the same Jesus who still teaches us to pray together…“Our Father who art in heaven…

“Making yourself Known”

Concerned God, who makes yourself known to us in Jesus, who is our light and in whom there is no darkness at all, we praise you! Divine creator of the ends of the earth, the stars and planets and heavens above, we worship you!

Thank you for the way you bless us. Thank you for celebrating our gladness and consoling us in our sadness. Thank you for setting us free from anxiety and fear. Thank you for protecting us, for hemming us in, behind and before, so we don’t unravel. When we are bruised you soothe us. When we despair you give us hope. When we are restless you help us find our rest in you. 

We confess that in us is what separates us from you—our thoughts, our actions, our lack of action. Our resistance to the changes you ask us to make. Our doubting you. Our distressing you. Please, forgive us. Forgive us. Thank you, in your mercy and grace, for continuing to affirm the best in us without shaming the worst in us. Hear now our silent prayers. (Silence)

We pray for the poor and homeless, and those barely making it financially. For those who are sick, or hospitalized, or in rehab, or who have died, or who grieve, and for all in need of your healing touch. For those who have been harmed and those who harmed them. For appropriate ways to express our anger. Hear now our silent prayers. (Silence)

We pray in this season of Advent as we prepare for your coming, a season of expectation and promise. We pray in the name of Jesus who shines in our hearts and minds, who shepherds our souls, and who still teaches us to pray together…“Our Father who art in heaven…

“No Darkness—At All”

"O come, O come," Lord Jesus. Make your advent here. We love you. We worship you. We want to follow you. We want to live in your light, for in you there is NO darkness—at all. 

Concerned Jesus, who had compassion for crowds in the desert, we too come to you hungry. Hungry for your healing, your nourishment, your encouragement, your attention. Feed us with the living bread of your presence that we may be filled. And with the leftovers, use us to feed others. 

We pray for our leaders in Washington, and here at home. We remember the poor and homeless. Those at war, those without a country. The sick, and those who grieve. Those who battle depression and addiction. Those who find it hard to believe in anything… or anyone.  

We confess we want to fix things that cannot be fixed. We lose control, and it frightens us. So we strike out. We do things we don’t mean, say things we cannot take back. We make mistakes. We forget our manners. We are sorry. Please forgive. Hear now our silent prayers. (Silence) 

Fill us with hope. Let your joy be our strength. When we are down, give us a fighting spirit to get back up. Grant us faith that we may endure—and endure that we may lack in nothing. 

"O come, O come," Lord Jesus. Make your advent here. Let us live in your light, for in you there is NO darkness—at all. We give you our prayers remembering how even you underwent great suffering and rejection and were killed. But after three days you rose again, triumphant, and still to this day teach us to pray together… “Our Father who art in heaven…

“Deliver Us”

Mighty God, everlasting Father, Wonderful Counselor, we need you. We need you to set us free from all that frightens. Free us from anything harmful, from that which makes for restlessness and trouble. Release us from bondage. Repair our damage. Restore our wellbeing. Refresh our spirits.

Deliver us through the power of your Holy Spirit from all that robs us of joy. Protect us. Strengthen and lead us. Raise us on wings like eagles that we may run and not be weary. 

Save us from darkness that we may walk as children in your light. Make us glad to trust your good intentions, remembering if you are for us, no one can successfully be against us—save us from our doubts. Hear our silent prayers. (Silence)

We pray for others who need you…the sick; those in prison; strangers among us who need a friend; those with broken hearts who need your touch; those without power who suffer violence and oppression. Set them free. Deliver them. Help them know you are their Advocate, too, and save them from their doubts. 

We all need you, gracious God, you who abolish death and bring forth life. We praise and honor you this day through Jesus Christ, the risen One, who still teaches us to pray together…“Our Father who art in heaven…