A Prayer for Saturday, December 31, 2016

Seventh Day of Christmas

O God,

You revealed yourself fully in Jesus.

Now we are the body of Christ in the world.

Help us grow every day toward being the complete

representation of his witness—of his love, grace, and mercy.

You revealed yourself fully in Jesus.

Reveal Jesus fully in your people.

Amen.

A Prayer for Friday, December 30, 2016

Sixth Day of Christmas

O God,

Thank you for sending Jesus to show us who you are.

Inspire us to learn well from him.

Help us grow in his ways of grace, love, mercy, service, and obedience.

Amen.

A Prayer for Thursday, December 29, 2016

Fifth Day of Christmas

O God,

As you make yourself

available to us in Jesus,

let us make ourselves

available to others in service.

Amen.

A Prayer for Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Fourth Day of Christmas

O God,

Sometimes we practice regifting. We take a gift we’ve received, rewrap it, and give it to someone else.

On the one hand, maybe regifting reflects a lack of appreciation for the gift. On the other hand, maybe it’s good to give it away in hopes that someone else will appreciate it more and make better use of it.

Help us remember that you give us the gift of your Son with the expectation that we’ll regift it.

Help us remember also that the more we regift the gift of your Son, the more it becomes ours, and the more it becomes ours, the more we can give it away.

And so on ...

Amen.

A Prayer for Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Third Day of Christmas

O God,

Help us live in light of the

reality that Christ has come.

Help us live in light of the

reality that Christ has come

to our world and to our lives.

Let our lives reflect the

reality that Christ is with

us and in us, and that we

are with Christ and in Christ.

In Christ we know love, grace,

mercy, and faith. Let our lives

demonstrate what we experience

in Christ.

Amen.

A Prayer for Monday, December 26, 2016

Second Day of Christmas

O God,

Help us embrace

the mystery of Christmas,

the mystery of the Incarnation, and

the mystery of your amazing grace and love.

On the one hand, protect us from

rationalistic thinking that refuses

the mystery and misses the wonder.

On the other hand, protect us from

fanciful thinking that refuses

the reality and misses the encounter.

Help us embrace the very real mystery in

ways that embrace your very real presence.

Amen.

A Prayer for Sunday, December 25, 2016

Christmas Day

O God,

We praise you

because you send

your love,

your life, and

yourself

into our world.

Let our praise show

in the ways we give

our love,

our lives, and

ourselves

to you and

to people.

Amen. 

A Prayer for Saturday, December 24, 2016

Lights

O God,

Lights are all over the place during this time of year.

Some of us light the candles on the menorah.

Some of us light the candles on the wreath.

All of us celebrate the light that God sends into our world.

Thank you, O God, that the darkness has not,

cannot, and will not overcome your light.

Amen.

A Prayer for Friday, December 23, 2016

Countdown

O God,

The countdown is almost over. There are only two more sleeps until Christmas.

Then we will celebrate the birth of Jesus.

We will also enjoy the fruits of Santa’s visit.

There will be much joy and fun.

There will be much laughing and sharing.

And then it will be over until it comes around again next year.

We recognize that every day can’t be like Christmas.

But help us remember that Jesus is with us every day.

Help us remember that we are family and friends every day.

Help us live as if the countdown to a day of loving and sharing always stands at zero.

Amen.

A Prayer for Thursday, December 22, 2016

Practice

O God,

We get better at something by practicing it.

So help us practice acceptance, understanding, generosity, empathy, and compassion.

Help us practice love.

Amen.

A Prayer for Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Conscience

O God,

Heighten the conscience of those of us who have one.

Develop a conscience in those of us who need one.

Give us, both individually and corporately, the ability to be appalled when we need to be.

Deliver us from expecting the worst and from not being surprised when it happens.

Grant us the moral and ethical sensitivity that befits followers of Jesus.

Amen.

A Prayer for Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Faith

O God,

So many difficult and troubling things happened in the world yesterday.

So many difficult and troubling things will happen in the world today.

It’s hard to maintain real faith in such circumstances. It’s hard to have faith—real, honest, aware faith—with so many terrible things happening.

It’s hard for us to believe that you are working your purposes out when so much horror is taking place.

We aren’t capable of such faith. It must come from you. So please give us the gift of faith. Give us real faith that trusts in you even in the worst of times. Give us faith that doesn’t turn away from the horrible things that happen. Give us faith that looks right at them and trusts anyway. Give us faith that leads us to do what we can to help.

Give us faith that trusts in you, no matter what.

Amen.

A Prayer for Monday, December 19, 2016

Show

O God,

Let our lives show love, grace, hope, faith, and peace because that’s what is really in us—because that’s who we really are.

Amen.

A Prayer for Sunday, December 18, 2016

Fourth Sunday of Advent

O God,

Thank you for the privilege of waiting and watching.

While we wait and watch, let our lives reflect the One for whom we wait and watch.

Let our lives reflect his love, his grace, his mercy, his peace, and his hope.

Let us be as determined as he was to live out your way in the world.

As he draws closer and closer to us, help us grow closer and closer to him.

After all, even while we wait for him, he’s already here with us.

Thank you, Lord.

Amen.

A Prayer for Saturday, December 17, 2016

Tradition

O God,

Thank you for what has been passed down to us.

Help us discard what is bad and hurtful.

Help us use what is good and helpful.

Help us adapt and improve what needs adjusting.

Give us wisdom to know the difference.

Amen.

A Prayer for Friday, December 16, 2016

Try

O God,

We’ll try again today.

We’ll try to understand,

we’ll try to cope,

we’ll try to adjust,

we’ll try to contribute, and

we’ll try to help.

We’ll try to have faith.

Well try to hope.

We’ll try to believe.

Bless our trying.

Don’t ever let us stop …

Amen.

A Prayer for Thursday, December 15, 2016

Eyes

O God,

Thank you for having your eyes on us.

Prompt us to look for you.

When our eyes meet, you will know us.

Help us recognize you.

Amen.

A Prayer for Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Tracking

O God,

We live in amazing times.

We order things online, and we fully expect to receive them. The merchant tells us what day to expect our package, and we look for it on that day. We can even track the shipment to find out where it is on its journey to us.

Faith doesn’t work like that.

You have promised that Jesus is coming again. But you’ve not told us when. And we can’t track him; we can’t know where he is on his way to us.

So help us be always on the lookout. Let us live in constant anticipation.

Let our waiting be an active waiting. Help us do all we can to be the presence of Christ in the world here and now.

While we keep an eye on the heavens, looking for Jesus, let us keep the other eye on the earth, looking for people to love and help.

Amen.

A Prayer for Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Let

O God,

Will you come to me even if I won’t let you?

Will you come to me even if I don’t want you to?

Will you come to me in spite of myself?

Maybe you will. Maybe that’s the way grace works.

But maybe my asking of the questions reveals

that I know I should let you come to me,

that I want to want you to come to me, and

that I would like my life to be open to your coming.

Maybe it’s best if your grace and my willingness work together.

So Lord, let me let you come to my life in whatever ways you want to do so.

Amen.

A Prayer for Monday, December 12, 2016

Verge

O God,

We never know what we’re living on the verge of. We never know what’s about to happen. We never know how things are about to change. We never know whether the change will be for better or for worse.

Make us ready for whatever is coming. Make us ready to adapt or to resist, depending on what the situation calls for. Make us ready to base our evaluations, decisions, and actions on how the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus reveal your will and way to us.

We never know what we’re living on the verge of. Keep us always on the verge of bearing witness to your love, grace, and mercy—no matter what happens.

Amen.

A Prayer for Sunday, December 11, 2016

Third Sunday of Advent

O God,

Remove from us any attitudes and perspectives that might keep us from seeing the ways in which you come to us.

Remove our pride, our selfishness, our prejudice, our fear, our despair, and anything else that gets in the way of our seeing how you come to us in ways that summon us to live with humility, with generosity, with love, with trust, and with hope.

Fill us up with attitudes and perspectives that will enable us to see the ways in which you come to us and to respond to you as you call us to respond.

Amen.

A Prayer for Saturday, December 10, 2016

Door

O God,

Let us open the door to our lives

to invite you in to dwell with us.

Let us also open the door to our

lives to go out to live in the world.

Let us spend sufficient time

on both sides of the door,

with you and with people,

worshiping you and serving others.

Amen.

A Prayer for Friday, December 9, 2016

Heavens

O God,

Thank you for the life of John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth.

Thank you for the role he played in our efforts to reach out into the heavens.

Thank you for his contribution to the sense we had that anything is possible—a sense that we need to have restored.

There is so much out there to wonder about and to marvel at. Help us to keep reaching, to keep wondering, to keep marveling, to keep looking, and to keep trying.

And if in our reaching out into the heavens we happen to get a glimpse of you, so much the better.

Give us the appropriate combination of daring and humility that reaching for the heavens and reaching for you both require.

Amen.

A Prayer for Thursday, December 8, 2016

Waiting

O God,

We are waiting

for Jesus to come.

But there is so much we

can do while we’re waiting.

We can serve,

we can help,

we can give,

we can embrace,

we can forgive, and

we can love.

Let our waiting be

an active waiting.

Let our waiting reflect the

fact that while we wait for

Jesus, he is already here with

us, showing us what to do.

Amen.

A Prayer for Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Love

O God,

As you come to us, please come bearing love.

We need to love more.

We need to love you more, so that we will give ourselves to you fully and freely.

We need to love the oppressed and marginalized among us more, so that we will share our lives with them fully and freely.

We need to love our enemies more, so that we will offer our prayers for them and forgiveness to them more fully and freely.

We need to love you and others selflessly, graciously, and sacrificially.

But we can’t have such love on our own.

So as you come to us, please come bearing love, because we need to love more.

Amen.

A Prayer for Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Hope

O God,

As you come to us, please come bearing hope.

We need to hope in you more.

We need to count on your promises to bring about eternal peace and righteousness.

We need to count on your commitment to be with us as we try to make things better now.

We need to count on Jesus’ way of living being shown in the long run to be your way for us.

But we can’t have such hope on our own.

So as you come to us, please come bearing hope, because we need to hope in you more.

Amen.

A Prayer for Monday, December 5, 2016

Faith

O God,

As you come to us, please come bearing faith.

We need to trust you more.

We need to trust more that you are working your purposes out, and so everything is going to be all right someday.

We need to trust more that what we do as we try to follow Jesus contributes to the fulfillment of your purposes.

We need to trust more that love, grace, and mercy are your ways for us in the world.

But we can’t have such trust on our own.

So as you come to us, please come bearing faith, because we need to trust you more.

Amen.

A Prayer for Sunday, December 4, 2016

Second Sunday of Advent

O God,

As we celebrate Jesus’ past coming to us and as we anticipate his future coming to us, help us notice that he is with us here and now.

As we remember Jesus’ past coming in humbleness and as we look for his future coming in glory, help us realize that he comes to us in all our present experiences.

As we reflect on Jesus’ birth and as we reflect on his future coming, help us reflect on—and reflect—his presence with us.

Amen.

A Prayer for Saturday, December 3, 2016

Light

O God,

Help us see the light. Help us see your light.

Help us see your light in creation.

Help us see your light in people.

Help us see your light in Jesus.

Help us see your light in love.

There’s a lot of darkness in this old world.

Help us see your light.

And help us be your light …

Amen.

A Prayer for Friday, December 2, 2016

Able

O God,

Help us

give all the love we’re able to give,

offer all the mercy we’re able to offer,

show all the grace we’re able to show,

provide all the help we’re able to provide, and

feel all the hope we’re able to feel.

Then, by your grace, help us give,

offer, show, provide, and feel

a little bit more.

Amen. 

A Prayer for Thursday, December 1, 2016

Rise

O God,

Help us rise to the occasion.

Help us rise up to counter

greed with generosity,

apathy with concern,

rejection with acceptance,

fear with trust,

hate with love, and

pride with humility.

Amen.