Today in our prayers, we remember the people of Liberia.
Prayer for Peace
Jane Gardner
O God,
In this Advent season, we revel in the blessing of being able to meet together in sacred space to pursue peace. It is good to pray together in the house of the Lord. We yearn to fill the whole world with the sounds of the peace of Jesus Christ.
We wait expectantly to experience again the wonder of beholding:
Behold a virgin shall conceive…
Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy…
Behold my servant whom I have chosen…
Behold the Lamb of God…
Behold my hands and my feet…
Behold I tell you a mystery…
Behold I stand at the door and knock…
We have learned to expect you, mighty God, in the most unlikely places
- a baby in a stable;
- seeking solace and Spirit in the desert;
- in rough waters;
- among fishermen, tax collectors, and prostitutes;
- with the sick and dying;
- even in an empty tomb.
We would like to claim that we are basically good people who have paid attention to your presence and become peacemakers and laborers for justice. We ask for early Christmas insights. Give us honesty about ourselves and what we are doing with your world. May our prayers this evening come from the dark corners of our lives as a surrendering of sin and an emptying of ourselves for sacred purposes. Forgive us our trespasses. Open us to behold the Holy Days that stretch in front of us toward the dawn of your salvation.
We lift our voices in praise, confession, proclamation, and commitment as those who would, once more, make space in our hearts for the Advent of your Son, the Prince of Peace. In whose name we pray and sing. Amen.