Prayer for December 31, 2017-January 6, 2018 

Sermon Text: Luke 2:22-40

That we may we trust You fully and be fully available to You

God of Grace, enable us to practice the glad obedience of Mary and Joseph. Help us to be fully available to You for your purpose of reconciling all things in heaven and earth.

We rejoice in your many words of promise to us. We cherish them and trust in your ability to bring them to pass. Enable us to endure, in hope, even when the fulfillment of your word seems to be delayed.

By your Spirit, give us wisdom, like Simeon and Anna, to discern your presence, even when you come among us in surprising ways and through people who seem like unlikely candidates for such a role. 

When we have seen your Consolation and Salvation face to face, energize us to tell the good news to all who await your presence in hope and to those who are unaware of the hope You create. Amen.

Prayer for December 24-30, 2017 

Sermon Text: Luke 1:26-55

That we may respond to You with the willingness of Mary

God of new wonders, You are continuously announcing new creation, new salvation, and new futures for your people.

We are unnerved by your presence and by your word. We barely know how to respond, and cannot hide our fears.

You tell us (over and over) not to be afraid. You tell us that You are graciously inclined toward us. You calm our fears. You make promises for new life that only You can create.

You assure us that Jesus, who comes among us as your Child, your Agent of salvation and newness, will reign forever. You point to wonders that are taking place, now, in order to assure us that You can do what You promise. 

Enable us to respond with the willingness of Mary. May your word be fulfilled in and through us. Let us bear your presence into the world around us. Amen.

Prayer for December 17-23, 2017 

Sermon Text: Psalm 126

Let our lives reflect our gratitude and convince others that You are at work among us

God of restoration, so often it seems that our quest for autonomy and our pursuit of our own agenda makes us exiles. We find ourselves exiled from You, exiled from our true selves, from the people who have most consistently nurtured us, and from the places where we have felt most at home and most whole.

While we are lost in chaos of our own making, You are at work, often in unseen ways, to enable our return, to bring forgiveness, reconciliation, healing, wholeness and peace.

Others are seldom able to see all that You have done for us, but we declare: “God has done great things for us!” You have done great things over and over, and we will praise You again and again.  

Continue your work of restoration among us. Let our lives reflect our gratitude and convince others that You really are at work among us, so that their praise may echo our own, to your endless glory. Amen.

Prayer for December 10-16, 2017 

Sermon Text: Isaiah 40:1-11

That we may rejoice in your restoration and nearness

Holy Shepherd, we rebel against You in so many ways. We act in arrogance. We choose our own paths. We pursue what is merely vapor.

We wreak havoc on our lives, bringing chaos, ugliness and sterility in place of order, beauty and fruitfulness. Sometimes, in the midst of our self-destructive choices, we wonder, “Why has God abandoned us?”

Then You speak, and in place of the judgment we have experienced, we hear a word of comfort. We hear a word of compassion and restoration. We hear that in spite of our brief and fragile lives, You endure, your word endures, and your love for us endures.

We hear that You are near, and our hearts rejoice. We welcome your acts of justice. We welcome your wise guidance. We celebrate as You gather us and hold us close to your heart.  

Do not let us wander away from You again. Do not let us bring chaos upon ourselves. Keep us close! We are comforted by your presence. Amen.