O God, as we begin this Advent season of waiting, wanting, wondering, and welcoming your coming into the world, we pray along with the hymn writer, that when you do come, we would not despise your lowly birth. As Christmas morn is dawning, may we be found by the manger cradle, God’s Son, newborn to see.
On this day and throughout this first week of Advent, teach us what it means to wait patiently for Christmas. We wait because you are always faithful in keeping your promises. We wait because we need these four weeks to come to grips with our sins and our brokenness. We wait because we know that you are the source of forgiveness and wholeness.
As we wait for Christmas to come, help us to grow in what it means to be a people of prayer. May we use these next four week of waiting as an opportunity for us to spend more time with you and in our prayers for our community and world.
Even now, we offer our prayers for those on our church’s prayer list as well as other joys and concerns that are on our hearts and minds this day. We pray for peace in areas of our world where there is war and fear. We pray for justice where there is injustice. We pray for there to be enough food and water in places where there is so much hunger and famine.
O God, in this world that you love so much… so much that you were willing to send your only Son to be our Savior and Lord, we pray for your kingdom to come and for your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
As Christmas morn is slowly dawning upon us during these weeks of Advent, grant us patience in this time of waiting and even now the hope and confidence to pray these words that you taught us to say together…
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.
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