Prayer of Praise    

Gracious and loving God, we give you thanks with grateful hearts for lives transformed through your love revealed in the one whose birth we await once more – Jesus Christ. 

You are the God of our salvation in whom alone we trust.

For you, God, are our Father, who draws us home by streams of living water where we shall thirst no more.

You know our thoughts, understand our hearts, and enable us to become the people we were meant to be.

You are the Father who welcomes home the prodigal who has wandered far.

You are the Father who prepares a meal when others would simply ignore.

You are the Father whose love extends beyond our thoughts or minds.

You are the Father who knows our hearts and yet loves us as we are.

You are the Father whose word we trust, in whose presence we have no fear.

You are the Father whose tender touch makes a wounded spirit whole.

You are the Father whose only Son was born that he might die.

You are the Father whose gracious love we celebrate this day.

Thank you so much for the gift of your Son Jesus Christ, my Saviour.  At this Christmas Season, let us keep focused on You and not on the frivolities of gifts and festivities.

While this earth promises temporary happiness and distractions, true joy only comes from You.  Fill me up with the true joy of knowing You, and having a relationship with Your Son, and the purpose of His birth, which was my redemption.

Shout for joy the whole earth and everything within.  Rejoice!  For Light has come into the world.

The mountains sing, the seas resound to the praise of you, for your Salvation once promised is here on Earth.

The angels’ song rings in the air.  A child has been born, the Saviour of the world is here.

Rejoice in the Lord always, shout out his name for God is with us, our God is with us.

Prayer of Confession   

Forgive us, Lord, for we are a wavering people who kneel before you now,

A people who bring prayers and requests to your feet when we have need of you and nowhere else to turn, then go our own way when times are good and life is easy.

Forgive us and draw us close, teach us your way that we might follow. 

Help us to walk in your company and to know your presence, from the moment we awake until we lay our heads to rest.

Gracious God, you have done so much for us and we so little in return.

You ask for humility and we are often a proud people.

You ask for willingness and we are often a stubborn people.

You ask for repentance and we are often a deaf people.

You ask for service and we are often a busy people.

Gracious God, you want the best for us, teach us obedience.  Grant us forgiveness that we, like Martha and Mary, might be your willing servants.

God of the journey, your invitation is to all to walk with you without fear of stumbling, knowing that your arm is enough to steady the feeblest soul, knowing that your grace will rescue us should we fall.

Grant us faith enough to take you at your word, to know that when our hearts are heavy, and the destination seems so distant, that you are there with us along the road.

Forgive us those times when we doubt your Word, when we awake and feel alone.

Draw us ever closer into your family that we might know your presence and sing your praises all the days of our lives.

 Merciful God, if we conceal your love because our pursuit of other priorities prevents us from seeing and serving people in need :

Forgive us.

If we conceal your compassion because of our prejudice and intolerance:

Forgive us.

If we conceal your mercy because of hard and unforgiving attitudes:

Forgive us.

If we conceal your truth through our lack of credible witness:

Forgive us.

 If we conceal your glory because all we reflect is our own self-centredness:

Forgive us, O God.

Merciful God, cleanse our lives of all shameful attitudes of  mind and heart,

So that your transforming power is revealed in and through all we do and say and are.  This we pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

  (Moira Laidlaw in Liturgies Online Year A Advent 3) 

  (https://www.faithandworship.com/prayers_Christmas.htm#gsc.tab=0) 

Copyright © John Birch, 2022 · Prayers written by the author may be copied freely for worship.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from Psalm 145: 17 & 18) 

The Psalmist writes:

The LORD is righteous in all He does, merciful in all His acts.  He is near to those who call to Him, who call to Him with sincerity.”

Today, we have brought our prayers to God, repenting of our sins with sincerity and truth.  Let us be assured then that God has listened to us, that God has been merciful to us and has forgiven us, that God is near to us welcoming us into His fellowship.

Thanks be to God.

Prayers for Others

Loving God, knowing your love for all of Humanity, especially your compassion for the needy, we come to you with our cares and our concerns.

God, in whom we find our joy, hear the cries of those who are in the wilderness of life.  Remember the poor in spirit and those who suffer pain or loss.  

Demonstrate your mercy to those who are marginalized and to the poor, who feel beyond comfort and compassion.  

Enter the world afresh this Advent, bless those who find this time hardest.  Lift the hearts of the depressed.  Inspire us to care for and restore your blessed Creation – so that we may rejoice with Creation again.

We pray with confidence to you, God, our Father, that the peace and light which Christ brings will be welcomed into the world.

We pray for the Church, that the people of God will always be a light to the world for those who live in darkness.

We pray for peace on earth, that the peace which Christ offers will be a reality for all peoples.

We pray for all who are welcoming a new child into their family, that they may receive this gift of new life with joy and be blessed with patience, health and strength.

We pray for our own community, that our celebration of the birth of our Saviour will make us more aware of our unity in Jesus Christ.

We pray for the lonely, the bereaved, the sick, and all those who are suffering in any way, that the light of Christ will shine on them.

God of love, Father of all, the darkness that covered the earth has given way to the bright dawn of your Word made flesh.

Make us a people of this light. Make us faithful to your Word, that we may bring your life to the waiting world.  

Jesus Christ, born in a stable, be with the poor and homeless this Christmas time.

As we pray, live and give; shine your everlasting light.

Jesus Christ, visited by Shepherds, be with all who have to work this Christmas, and those who long to work.

As we pray, live and give; shine your everlasting light.

Jesus Christ, who became a refugee, be with those who fear for their lives, and those who have left homes and families this Christmas.

As we pray, live and give; shine your everlasting light.

Loving God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your compassion and care.  To your glory we pray.  Amen.

  (https://www.faithandworship.com/prayers_Christmas.htm#gsc.tab=0) 

Copyright © John Birch, 2022 · Prayers written by the author may be copied freely for worship.

(from National Council of Churches in Australia Liturgy for Advent Three – 2022)

(https://cliftondiocese.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Christmas-day.pdf)

(https://engageworship.org/ideas/christmas-intercessory-prayers)

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.