A Pastoral Prayer for Advent.
Blessed are you, O Lord Most High, God of all creation: in the darkness and in the light. Blessed are you as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. In this time of waiting we again watch for the signs of your coming. In this changing and broken world where all is not peaceful, we watch for the signs of your coming.
In this world where children are hungry and ancient hatreds continue to fuel division and suffering, we watch for the signs of peace, we pray for courage to embrace our enemies, and we pray for an end to warfare. In this community of faith, where we have known the inspiration of worship and the warm acceptance of friends, we wait for the day when all peoples will be reconciled to one another. In this parish where we have witnessed and experienced loss and brokenness, loneliness and sorrow, we wait for your coming with healing in your wings, especially upon those who are walking the journey of grief. Give them faith to believe that the lives of those they love but see no longer have changed, not ended.
O Lord, help us to see that this season of Advent is not only about waiting, but also about offering ourselves to be your light in the world; to pray for those unable to pray, to offer ourselves as answers to their prayers. Inspire and move us to take the light of our compassion to the world; to come alongside those who are suffering in body, mind, or spirit that we might be Christ for them.
Help us to move beyond our current mindset, our current ways of seeing, that we may behold with wonder the many ways you are present in our lives and in our world. Through ancient prophecies, hymns, and songs of praise, help us to celebrate this season of Advent as the momentous reality it proclaims: Your coming into our midst, sharing our human nature, not only in the past but as a constant possibility in the here and now. We offer our prayers to you in the name of Jesus, the glorious Son of God, the reason for Advent and Christmas, the source of our joy and our strength, now and forevermore.
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Dear Rick, Liz sent this to me for Advent. Great prayer and you look good in your Liverpool Cathedral photo. We miss you and are happy to reconnect. Love to Debbie and the kids from Peg and I, still hanging in East Haven.