PRAYER OF APPROACH:

Holy God we come with awe

to offer you our focussed worship and this time;

mindful that the whole of life is our true worship,

and all our time is your gift to us.

Our awe turns to wonder

that you, the Almighty,

have declared your caring interest in us

as a Shepherd cares for his flock,

through the good news preached by,

and lived by, Jesus the Messiah…

offering us comfort and peace.

We marvel at your patience with us

as we entrust our future to you,

who began what is and will bring all

and everyone to their fulfilment.

Grant us an increase

in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. AMEN.

we pray also those words our Lord taught us to pray:

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

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PRAYER OF CONFESSION[1]

The prophet Isaiah said, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’

Let us pray …
Loving and ever present God, the God of Isaiah of old

and the Church of now, in this Advent Season,

we heed your call to prepare for your coming.
As the sun rises with the promise of a new day,

so you come again to your people, always new, always true, always real.
As we gather to worship again,

and greet one another in the fellowship of faith,

so you greet your people;

you throw your arms open in welcome,

and lift up your hands to bless us all.
Yet we know we have to ask ourselves…

are we really prepared – and truly thankful – for the glory of a new day? Are we prepared for our time in the presence of our God?

Are we prepared for the acceptance of your blessing?
We hope we are.

We try to be ready.

And yet, how ill prepared we really are.
Lord have mercy  LORD HAVE MERCY

Our faith tells us to prepare,

but our busyness with other things often means we don’t give the time. Our hearts are ready to receive you,

but our lives often don’t show that in practice.

Our calling is to make a highway in our deserts for our God,

but often we prepare no more than a rutted track or an indistinct trail.
Christ have mercy  CHRIST HAVE MERCY

Forgive us Lord,

for saying but not doing, believing but not acting,

praying but not performing.
You call us to get ready for your coming.

Forgive us when our preparations fall short of your expectations.

And in the silence, we ask for forgiveness.

And in the silence, we give time to be more ready for your will.
Spirit have mercy  SPIRIT HAVE MERCY

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[1] by the Rev. Tom Gordon, Church of Scotland, ‘Starters For Sunday’, 2014.

ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS:

Be assured, God tells us, that I will not forsake my people.

Hear the good news! – Christ came into the world to save sinners!
As the prophets foretold,

the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.

That light for all the world to see is Jesus.

LET US BELIEVE THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST

In whom we are forgiven!

Arise, and go forward. Your sins are forgiven.

So, ever-present God, refresh your Holy Spirit upon us now.

Strengthen us in our commitment.

Hold us to your purpose.

Christ our Lord is coming. Let us be ready. AMEN.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE:

Almighty God,

Arbiter of nations

and Shepherd of your people,

mindful of the need to be both waiting for,

and hastening, the coming of the day of God,

we come with prayers for our world and ourselves.

We are prayerfully mindful of places where peace is very much absent,

not only in war zones and other armed conflict locations,

but also in the minds of those national leaders

who enjoy the power of office…

grant all with the power to engage in violence

the courage and grace to desist from doing so…

May peace on earth begin within their mindset,

Lord hear us, LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

Almighty God,

Arbiter of nations

and Shepherd of your people,

We pray for the many places where another horror than war

strikes fear into the hearts and mind of people,

that of the pandemic which kills tens of thousands,

sickens millions, disrupts day to day living,

destroys work and livelihood…

Grant those suffering because of this plague

courage to deal with their present

and hope for a different future…

May peace on earth for them begin

with an effective and accessible antidote and vaccination.

Lord hear us, LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

Almighty God,

Arbiter of nations

and Shepherd of your people,

We pray for all those who begin again to experience

that pain and grief because of loss, the absence of loved ones,

at this time when so many around them

enter into the joy and excitement of a festive season.

Grant those who mourn during these days

that comfort which you can bring in unexpected ways;

May peace on earth for them begin with trust in your grace to us all

Lord hear us LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

Almighty God,

Arbiter of nations

and Shepherd of your people,

we pray for those of our own congregation,

our family and friends

who determinedly each day deal with whatever discomfort,

pain and debilitating limitations their ill-health brings them…

We name them now in your presence

— names —

Grant each of them daily mercies which alleviate their situation…

May peace on earth for them begin with small moments of joy.

Lord hear us, LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

Almighty God,

Arbiter of nations

and Shepherd of your people,

We pray for the millions who claim to follow the way,

who desire to be part of those who

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”,

Grant that we grow

in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,

May peace on earth begin with us

as we wait for and hasten the coming day of God.

Lord hear us, LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER

In the name of Christ Jesus,

to him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. AMEN