Opening Prayer: –

We pray together

Come Jesus, as the prophet promised,
come Jesus, fill us with joy.
Come, that the desert will rejoice
and flowers bloom in the wilderness.
Come Jesus, so that those who feel vulnerable
and sad can shout for joy, blossom and be glad in you.
Amen.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Holy God, we confess that we fail and falter because we get
all wrapped up in the trivialities of life.
So often we look for something better to come our way,
ignoring what we already have,
not using it wisely for the good of all.
We confess we forget to preach the good news to the poor;
to those who don’t know their need to confess;
to those who don’t know that Christmas is about
the birth of the Christ-child;
to those who don’t know your Spirit within;
to those who do not catch glimpses of glory and light
and joy in abundance.
Advent God, forgive us we pray and bless our journey.
Amen.

WORDS OF ASSURANCE 

The Lord God, the Holy One, the Almighty, the Redeemer,
the giver of life, hears our prayer and forgives our sins.
Praise be to God.
Amen.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

Thank you, God,
that in our differences and in our diversity, you are our God.

for the changes and chances and challenges that surround us;
for your constancy and the blessings we receive from those
around us;
for the Gospel words that speak of hope and joy,
light and life and love;
for the gifts you have given us in abundance;
that we can gather to celebrate your coming.
Thank you that in hope and expectation we can shout:
‘Come Jesus, fill us with joy!’

Help us to hear your word and message for us today.

May we respond in faith and action.

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

O Lord our God,

this is our prayer.

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 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 your people.
Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name.

Your Kingdom come.

Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.

For the Kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever.

Amen.