Good and gracious Lord, as we meet together to worship you, we pray that you will grant us a glimpse of your glory so that we may rejoice in your presence and abide in your peace.
As the end of Advent nears, as the days grow shorter and the winter solstice approaches in the Northern Hemisphere,
as the trees stand bare and beautiful against the winter sky,
reminding us that death comes before new life,
we join our hearts and voices with Mary, as she sings,
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.
Mary’s song echoes across the ages, O God,
reminding us again and yet again that your call to us is continual,
that your compassion for us is never-ending, that your love for us - for all of your beloved children in every place - is limitless.
O God our Sovereign, we know that you look with special compassion upon the poor,
the needy,
the lonely,
the outcast,
the refugee,
the political prisoner,
wherever they may be in this beleaguered world.
Fill us with the knowledge that you expect us,
the rich,
the haves,
to reflect that same compassion and caring, not only at Christmas but throughout the year.
Keep us honest, Holy One, in our service and in our living, that our lives may be true reflections of the One whose name we claim and bear.
We pray that you will come into our lives at this time to turn us all again to you: to help to see ourselves as we really are and to remove from each one of us all that is unworthy so that we may truly share in your kingdom and know the joy of your loving presence.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Help us to be mindful, Loving God, of the ways in which our daily choices as individuals, as nations, impact the rest of our sisters and brothers around this incredible planet.
Lord Jesus, we pray that you will prepare us for your coming into the world:
that in these difficult economic times you will drive away despair from our politics
that you will revive our dreams of justice and restore our passion for what is right, good and true.
Open our hearts to the reality of climate change, impacted by our continued dependency on fossil fuels, and our self-centered unwillingness to reduce our demand or change our comfortable style of living. Open our eyes to the ongoing loss of living species, lest we consider our human selves superior to the other forms of life around us.
May your love motivate our care for this neighbourhood and for the wider community and help us all to play a part in helping to overcome the social ills that drag so many into despair.
Too often we have been silent and missed opportunities to share with others the message of love which you brought into the world and we ask that you will give us all an unquestioning faith, the deep faith of Mary and show us a new way to live, so that, with your forgiveness and with an awareness of your presence, we can truly claim to follow you in thought and word and deed.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
As we confess our failures, Loving God, breathe into us
the strength,
the wisdom,
the willingness
to stand in solidarity with those working for freedom and justice and peace throughout the world.
Help us to set aside our differences and unite our hearts and hands in the task of rebuilding a world in which there will be no more hunger,
no more needless illness or death,
no more denigration of another due to race or religion, gender or age or sexuality,
but rather the celebration of our shared humanity as your created children.
Lord Jesus, as we complete this last hectic week before the celebration of your birth, we pray that you will give us eyes to search the face of the stranger and there see your face. Give us the sensitivity to hear the doubt and hesitation and with that person share their confusions and concerns. There are those whom we know who are ill at this time; in despair or struggling to handle their pain. We pray for them now for you come through us to them. We now name them and love them in our hearts…. What we have promised in love and prayer let us never forget to do.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
And as we go deep within our hearts in prayer,
as we lift our voices and rededicate our lives,
may we say with Mary,
Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be according to your word.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, Our Saviour, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
