Prayers

Let us meet with our God,
whose Spirit is with us now and throughout our daily lives.
Let us pray for opportunities to share the blessings we receive,
for God to provide the words with which we might speak them,
and inspire actions through which we might share them,
that all might be drawn to the God we serve.

This prayer may be used with an Advent wreath. Light the third candle this week.

As we light this Advent candle,
may its flame be for us a sign of the light
that reveals to us our path through life,
that inspires us to live simply and generously,
after the example and call of John the Baptist,
that we ourselves may be signs of the good news we proclaim.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.

O Lord our God,
God of the prophets and God of the now,
you are with us.
Your power gives us victory.
You take delight in us.
And in love, you give us new life.
Hear us as we come to you today.
Amen.

A prayer of confession

Blessed God, hear our prayers of sadness and regret for times when we have been blind to the needs of neighbours, deaf to the cries of the distressed, silent at the sight of the abused, careless with the frightened and supportive of greed and corruption.
We confess our obsessions with things material and frivolous, fripperies wrapped in tissue paper.
Open our ears and eyes, and our hearts, to be more receptive to what we see and hear from those we meet.
Amen.

Assurance of forgiveness

God knows the depths of our sorrow.
God knows the depths of our grief for wrongs done.
God knows the pains of regret for deeds undone.
God knows the depths of our hearts.
To God we repent, and forgiveness is given.
Amen.

Praise to you, Lord God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We praise you for the gift of witnesses to your love.
We give thanks for the witness of John the Baptist and his message to the people and its relevance for us today.
In his story and his teaching, we see the heart of your being, fairness and justice and equality for your people.
We give you thanks for the ordinary everyday life that witnesses to your power and glory.
We give thanks that you are always surprising us and meeting us right where we are.
We give thanks for your light in our times of darkness, for your hand in times of aloneness, for your leading in times of uncertainty.
To you, our triune God, we offer our praise and thanksgiving.
Amen.

O Lord our God,
so many memories of people and places flash through our thinking as we move through Advent and prepare for Christmas, many happy memories intertwined with sadness and loss.

We pray today for those who have been part of our lives, our loving, our living, our growing and maturing; for those who have died we give thanks; and for those who are living we pray with gratitude, that they may find comfort, love, purpose, joy, hope and meaning this Christmas.

O Lord our God,
this is our prayer.

For those families who suffered so much in recent storms, who lived without basic comforts of light and heat and warm food; for those who had to moved house and leave their own home comforts; for those who stayed put and struggled to exist; for those who rallied round and helped and supported their local community in its hours of need.

O Lord our God,
this is our prayer.

For lives damaged, ruled, destroyed by illegal drugs; for those who supply, who run, who use; for those who pick up the pieces and catch the criminals and live forever with the consequences; for those who seek to help and heal, to care, to love, to support and understand.

O Lord our God,
this is our prayer.

For families suffering abuse and harm, neglect and cruelty, be they old or young, victim or perpetrator – may each of us look out for need, look out for signs and be brave enough to speak out and stand up and be counted; for medics, teachers, social workers and all on the front line of care, give them wisdom, insight and strength in the heat of the storm to do their very best for all who are in need.

O Lord our God,
this is our prayer.

For countries who seemingly choose to self-destruct, who choose to rule in ways we see as harmful, cruel and wrong; for countries who seek to establish power and influence by corruption and violence and greed; for countries who seek to show support and help and who seek peaceful ways of resolving simmering situations that look likely to explode.

O Lord our God,
this is our prayer.

For all who feel the weight of illness and pain, of death and dying; for those impacted by Covid in all its forms and those whose treatment for other conditions have been side lined or at best delayed; for those who have to prioritise and choose who has what care; for care deliverers and providers pushed into crisis by Covid and winter and increasing demand.

O Lord our God,
this is our prayer.

For family and friends who are walking through Advent uncertain what Christmas celebrations they should arrange or embrace or cancel; for those who face Christmas alone or ill, sold or hungry, fearful of the now and more fearful of the future hardships and pain.

O Lord our God,
this is our prayer.

Finally, we pray for ourselves that we may have eyes to see need, mouths to speak words of comfort, smiles to say ‘I love you’ when hugs are out of bounds. May we O God be your eyes, your ears, your mouth to those who share this Advent with us and those whose lives touch ours; may we be the bringers, the signs of ‘good news’ to them.

O Lord our God,
this is our prayer.

These are our prayers for all you people.
Amen.

The world says, ‘You can never have enough money’; but we say,
‘Let’s share. Let’s dare to be different.’
The world says, ‘You can never have too many clothes’; but we say,
‘Let’s share. Let’s dare to be different.’
The world says, ‘Enough is never really enough’; but we say,
‘Let’s share. Let’s dare to be different.’
In Jesus’ name,
‘Let’s share. Let’s dare to be different.’
Amen.

Lord, help us to go into the world in peace;
to be of good courage;
to hold fast to that which is good;
to strengthen the fainthearted;
to support the weak;
to honour everyone;
and to love and serve the Lord.
Be within us and among us,
and remain with us always.
Amen.

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