Pastoral Prayer: Longest Night

Here’s a pastoral prayer for a Longest Night or Blue Christmas worship service.  It was written by Thom Shuman, and posted on Lectionary Liturgies.

Longest Night
Pastoral Prayer

All around us are the sights and sounds of Christmas, Gentle God:
the laughter of parties, the songs of carolers,
the shouts of children sledding down hills, the music in every store.
But deep within us we carry our pain,
our grief walks with us every step we take,
loneliness is a shawl we drape over our shoulders on empty nights.
So, in this time when every night stretches into eternity,
we come to you, bringing our gifts:
not gold, frankincense and myrrh,
but the grief that is the empty space
in the closet filled with memories,
the loss that is a sore which never heals,
the bitterness that tastes like two-day old coffee.
We have come from different backgrounds,
from different families,
from other faith traditions.
But we have all lived in the far country of despair,
wandered the land of shame,
built our lives in those neighborhoods peopled by empty dreams.
We have stood on the side of every room we have gone into,
hoping against hope that someone would ask us to dance,
but find the wall is our only friend.
In a season when so many people don't have enough hours in a day
to get their lists checked off, their cards mailed,
their presents wrapped, we have all the time in the world:
to remember the loss that has stolen the joy of the season;
to grieve over a job, a dream, a loved one we have lost;
to sit in the shadows of our homes, too weary to turn on the lights;
to wander the streets lit by decorations on all the houses,
but not by the Light of the world.
Our fear of the future, our remembrance of the past;
our pain which is difficult to bear and harder to release;
our emptiness which cannot be filled with platitudes;
our hands which cannot hold the ones we wish to embrace:
all make this a season of long nights.
So, be with us in our loneliness,
in our longing,
in our loss,
in our lives.

All: In Jesus Name, we pray. Amen.

~ written by Thom Shuman, and posted on Lectionary Liturgies. http://lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.ca/

Prayer: For All the Saints

Here’s a prayer about saints from Janet Morley.

Prayer

And he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit….” Matthew 5:1-2

For all the saints who went before us
who have spoken to our hearts and touched us with your fire,
we praise you, O God.

For all the saints who live beside us
whose weaknesses and strengths are woven with our own,
we praise you, O God.

For all the saints who live beyond us
who challenge us to change the world with them,
we praise you, O God.

~ Janet Morley. Posted on the RevGalBlogPal’s A Place for Prayer. http://revgalprayerpals.blogspot.ca/2012/04/thursday-prayer_26.html

Prayer: Our Mighty Fortress

Here’s a prayer inspired by Psalm 46.  It was written by Rev Abi.

Prayer
(inspired by Psalm 46:1)

God you are our safe place to hide.
You are our mighty fortress.
You are our ever present help in time of need.
We can and do turn to you in the midst of our troubles.
And Lord our world is full of difficulties.
Lord we may feel afraid, but it does not overcome us
Because we know we can put our trust in you.

Your love and grace are like streams of water in the desert.
Your joy comes splashing down upon us.
Your refresh and renew us like rain coming down on the earth.
Bring your water of life to those who are thirsty
and living in a dry and weary land.

Where there are wars, bring your peace.
Where there is starvation, fill the empty bellies.
Where there is despair, bring your hope.
Where there is animosity, bring your reconciliation.
Where there is abuse, bring your tender mercies,
Where there is poverty, bring your charity.
Where there is illness, bring your healing.
Where there is grief, bring your gentleness.
Where there is injustice, bring your justice.

Lord you are mighty fortress, our strong deliverer.
In you we put our trust and release ourselves into your hands.
Amen.

~ written by Rev. Abi, and posted on A Place for Prayer.

Advent Prayer: Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus

Here’s a responsive prayer of petition for Advent.

Advent Prayer: Maranatha

Maranatha,
Come, Lord Jesus, come soon.

The glory of God shall be revealed
and all flesh shall see it together

Maranatha,
Come, Lord Jesus, come soon!

Sing aloud, waste places of Jerusalem!
Sing to the God who gives courage and strength.

Maranatha,
Come, Lord Jesus, come soon!

You who are unsure of what you believe,
or whether you believe at all: listen!

You who are weighed down by thoughts of failure,
or feelings of grief: listen!

You whose hearts are heavy,
whose problems seem insurmountable: listen!

Soon God’s salvation will come;
God’s deliverance will be revealed.

For a woman shall conceive and bear a son
and shall call his name Emmanuel: God with us

Maranatha
Come, Lord Jesus, come soon!

Advent Prayer: Draw Close, Lord Jesus Christ


Here’s a responsive Advent prayer from Christine Sine’s Godspace website.

Advent Prayer

The coming of our Lord is near,
And we wait in joyful expectation,
Draw close, Lord Jesus Christ,
Shed your light on all that is filled with darkness.

The coming of our Lord is near,
And we wait with hope filled hearts,
Draw close, God’s beloved son,
Teach us the wonder of your all-embracing love.

The coming of our Lord is near,
And we wait for God’s redeeming presence,
Draw close, Saviour of all creation, 
Our hearts ache for justice,
our minds long for holiness,
our spirits seek for unity.

The coming of our Lord is near,
And we wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises,
Draw close, reconciler and transformer of all things,
Renew our world, restore your peace, display your righteousness.

The coming of our Lord is near,
And we wait for God’s light to shine over all the earth,
Draw close, pain bearer, life giver, love sharer, 
Shine through us, in us, around us, shine for the world to see.

The coming of our Lord is near,
And we wait attentive to the signs of his coming,
Draw close, Lord Jesus Christ,
God beyond imagining, fully God yet truly human, draw close 
Amen


Closing Prayer: A Dim Light Ahead

Here’s a closing prayer for Advent from Advent Daily Prayers.

Prayer

Lord of Hope,
Dare I? Can I really hope?
From out of the darkness
I sense a dim light ahead,
the light of your coming into the world.
I so long for the time
when you are no longer hidden from me
and my deepest desire is
to trust in your warm voice I hear behind me,
guiding me along a hidden path I do not know.
Dry my tears,
heal my wounds
and help me
to wait for the dawning of the dim light ahead,
with a brighter vision
of healing and freedom. Amen

~ from Advent Daily Prayers, posted on http://www.cb-c.org/Advent_office.pdf

Call to Worship for the First Sunday of Advent

Here’s a call to worship for the first Sunday of Advent from Bruce Prewer.

Call to Worship
(inspired by Isaiah 2: 1-5)

May the joy of the advent season
with its message of mighty hope be with you all!
And also with you!

We begin Advent by celebrating the expectation that the Christ who came,
who comes again to be with us in every age and every place,
and who will come again in a glorious finality
to consummate the healing work which he began at Bethlehem.

He shall judge between nations,
and arbitrate between many races;
they shall beat the swords into ploughshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.

~ written by Bruce Prewer, and posted on Bruce Prewer’s Home Page. http://www.bruceprewer.com/DocA/01advent1.htm

Call to Worship, Opening Prayer: Advent 1A

Here’s a responsive call to worship and opening prayer from Rev. Nancy J.

Call to Worship
(inspired by Isaiah 2:1-5)

Listen to the Spirit urging us to get ready—
Our calendars are jam-packed full.
Listen to the Spirit calling us to wait—
We’ve already been waiting; there’s a line everywhere we go.
Listen to the Spirit inviting us to walk in the way of the Lord—
This is good news!
The way of the Lord is the path of peace.
We are glad to be in the house of the Lord!
May the Advent blessing of peace be with you.
We rejoice, for we are blessed to walk in the light of God!

Opening Prayer

O God beyond time, we are an impatient people.
As the days grow shorter and the darkness longer,
teach us to wait with faithful expectation.
In this time of worship,
open our eyes and hearts to the Advent blessings in our midst.
May every day be a day of gratitude for your compassion and grace.
Through the guidance of your Spirit,
lead each one of us in the pathways that make for peace.
In the name of Emmanuel, God with Us, we pray. Amen.

~ written by Rev. Nancy J, and posted on wonderings thru life and other such nonsense. http://ruminari.wordpress.com/2010/11/27/advent-1a-call-to-worship/

Call to Worship for Advent

Here’s a responsive call to worship inspired by Romans 13: 11-14, Matthew 24:36-44 and Psalm 80: 3.  It comes from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford website.

Responsive Call to Worship
(inspired by Psalm 80:3, Matthew 24:36-44, Romans 13:11-14)

May the Lord, whose face shines upon us, be with you always.
And also with you.

We are longing and waiting for the Lord to be revealed.
The night is almost over, it will be daylight soon.
Let us live decent lives, bathed in the light of the Lord.
The night is almost over, it will be daylight soon.
We know not when the master comes: evening, midnight, dawn.
The night is almost over, it will be daylight soon.

God of hosts, bring us back.
Let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

~ from An Advent Reflection © 2007 Diocese of Salford Office for Worship.  Posted on the Office for Liturgy of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford website. http://www.salfordliturgy.org.uk/advent1a.htm

Advent Prayer for Others

Here’s a thoughtful Advent prayer of confession and intercession from Advent Daily Prayers.

Advent Prayer

Advent God, who comes to us in love, peace and joy,
we thank you for love that nourishes and sustains our hearts,
for peace that enables us to live in friendship with others
for joy that illumines and inspires our lives.

Yet to be loved and not care for the unloved,
to live in peace and ignore the shattered lives of others
to celebrate our own enjoyment selfishly,
are sins against you, O Advent God,
which deny the very message we preach.

We pray for those for whom joy seems far away and for others to enjoy.
…for all whose loneliness is made worse by parties,
laughter and other people’s joy:
…for bereaved people still hurting from the death of someone they have loved
…for wives, husbands and children,
whose lives have been broken by family break-up, divorce
and the dismantling of their hopes.
…for older people now living on their own,
some of whom will see nobody over Christmas

Lord in their loneliness,
may these your children know the presence of the Wonderful Counsellor,
and comfort them through us.
In the silence pray for those on your mind.

~ from Advent Daily Prayers, posted on http://www.cb-c.org/Advent_office.pdf

Prayer of Intercession for Advent

Here’s a prayer of intercession for the Advent season. It was written by Rev. Dr. Derek Browning.

Prayer of Intercession
for Advent

Eternal God, Sustainer and enlivener,
In Your hands You hold the gifts of hope and love, plenty and peace.
We bless You for Your infinite generosity and unhesitant mercy.

Father,
Knowing that we come to You as supplicants who can demand nothing,
yet still we are confident through faith
to lay before You the needs that press upon our lives. 

For ourselves,
the hopes and hurts, the brightness and gloom
that populate our waking and our sleeping hours.
Help us to separate our needs from our wants,
that we may discern where priorities in our ordered lives should lie.
In a world where consumption rules
and many have become accustomed to plenty,
remind us of the privileges we take for granted,
and the bounty we believe is our right, and not Your gift.

Lord,
we pray for common-sense, and the touch of faithful humility
that marked the life of Your Son, our Saviour.
that we may determine to live lives of kindliness and grace.

God of faithfulness and truth,
we pray for the world around us,
for peoples whose names we do not know
yet whose hurts fill the news,
and whose afflictions touch us not nearly long enough.
We can change a channel, or turn a page,
but they endure the long days and months
of famine and thirst,
of war and feud, 
of corruption and despair.
Solutions may not be easy for all the ills of this world,
but in each hurting place send Your Spirit,
that those who do have the power to effect the changes
needed for justice, peace and honour
may use their power for wellbeing of all.

In this season of Advent, where many watch and wait,
be with those who at this time
wait by a hospital bedside,
watch anxiously for results in exams and tests
wait for news of an interview,
watch of a loved one to return.
May all who wait with anxiety continue in hope,
and all who watch with fearfulness continue with a steady heart.

We pray for the Church,
the family of hopeful people,
persistent in faithfulness and graciousness,
marked by a willingness to work in kindness
and not count the hours or the cost.
As the world darkens and the days grow short,
may our light, Christ’s light in us,
shine with a steady flame,
bringing light, bringing healing, and bringing hope.
And all for the sake of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

~ written by the Rev. Dr. Derek Browning, and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website. http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/17825/1_December_2013_Advent_1.pdf

Prayers of the People: An Enduring Hope

Here’s a prayer of intercession from written by Rev. Richard J. Fairchild’s Kir-shalom website.

Prayer of Intercession
(inspired by Romans 5:1-5; 13:11-14)

We thank you, O God, that you have given us an enduring hope—one which cannot disappoint us or mislead us.  We thank you, that through our faith in you and in your Son Jesus Christ, you enter into every believing heart and make new lives that have been torn asunder by the darkness of this
world...
Lord, hear our prayer.....

We pray today O God that those believers who are asleep may awake and know that salvation is nearer now than when they first believed.  Help them, and us, to lay aside the works of darkness and to put on the armour of light that you bestow upon those who actively seek you day by day.  Grant that their faith and ours may be fully alive....  
Lord, hear our prayer.....

We ask today, O God, for those who have lost hope and for those who have never had it.  Grant to us and to those we lift before you in our hearts a new and abiding vision of what have you have done, and what you are doing, and what you will do, to save and redeem your people and indeed the creation itself.  Grant, O God, that all might see and believe and discover their purpose and the purpose of all that is and all that is yet to be....
Lord, hear our prayer.....

We lift before you, O God, those persons and those places named in our sharing time (bidding prayer)…. 
Lord, hear our prayer.....

We ask all this of you, O God, knowing that you are our hope and our salvation, a very present help in times of trouble, and the One whose purpose is to grant and new and abundant life to us and our world.  Praise be to your name.  Amen.

~ written by Rev. Richard J. Fairchild, and posted on Kir-shalom. http://www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermons/a-ad01smsn.php

Prayer: Romans 13: 11-14

Here’s a prayer of petition inspired by Romans 13:11-14.  It was written by Rick, and posted on Transformation Michigan.

Prayer of Petition
(inspired by Romans 13: 11-14)

GOD, You are speaking to me! 
Break through my slumbering. 
Break through my lassitude.  
Break my self-centeredness. 
Break the veil over my mind. 
Quicken my hearing! 
Quicken my seeing! 
Quicken my desires for You. 
Awaken my zeal for You. 
Awaken my love for Your purposes.
Awaken my desires for Your Kingdom to come
here as in heaven. 
I love You, LORD. 
Help me carry that into my everyday activities. 
Awaken to me, my LORD and my GOD.  Amen

~ written by Rick, and posted on Transformation Michigan. http://transformmi.com/archives/1370

Prayer for Peace: The Ways of Peace

Here’s a prayer for peace from the General Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

A Prayer for Peace in a Time of Fear, Anger and Violence

Lord, somewhere deep inside we know
that it’s not supposed to be like this.

People are not supposed to strap themselves with explosives
and stroll into crowded markets.
People are not supposed to be assassinated with missiles
leaving places of prayer.
People are not supposed to fly airplanes into buildings.
People are not supposed to lose their loved ones on fields of battle.
People are not supposed to dance over the charred remains of their enemies.
Neighborhoods are not supposed to be turned into battle zones,
children are not supposed to be casualties,
and war is supposed to be the last resort, if even then.

It’s the Garden that we miss, Lord;
it’s the Garden that we need.

We carry its memory; we hum its melody; we mourn its absence.
The echo of Eden is peace.
It’s faint, but we still hear it.

The temptation to hate,
to seek revenge in the guise of justice,
to let our anger and fear stake us into the descending spiral of violence
is almost irresistible.

We all want to be safe.
We all want to be secure.
And we think that it’s force that will deliver our safety and security.
So we put our trust in chariots,
and we give ourselves to princes,
and we place our confidence in the strength of our own feeble arms,
and then we’re surprised by wars and the rumor of wars.

So God of Peace, teach us another way;
teach us the ways of peace.
Let us know the peace that we have with you
because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us (Romans 5:1).

By Your indwelling Spirit in our hearts,
cultivate the fruit of your presence, one of which is peace (Galatians 5:22).

Just as in Christ you broke down the walls of hostility
that used to keep us separate from each other,
leaving peace in their place,
so let Jesus be our peace in all of our relationships. (Ephesians 2:11ff).

Let your daughters and sons be known in this world as peacemakers (Matthew 5:9);
use us as your ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:20).

And as the angels sang of peace on earth
on the day the Prince of Peace was born,
so inspire us now to beat our swords into plowshares
and to lean into that day when the lion sleeps with the lamb
and your children study war no more.

Plant a seed of peace in New York and in Kabul,
in Washington D.C. and in Baghdad,
in Madrid and in Morocco,
in Gaza and in Jerusalem,
over there and right here, in them and in us,
and let that Garden of shalom we remember sprout and bloom,
we pray in the name of Jesus Christ who is our peace. Amen.

~ from the General Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Posted on http://www.ncccusa.org/memorialday2004/interfaithresources.pdf

A Prayer as Advent Begins

Here’s a prayer for the beginning of Advent from Kathy Coffey.

A Prayer for the Beginning of Advent

God our caring Father,
you who gave your beloved Son
to ransom all people,
see our human fears
and love us anyway.

Guide us through this season
with quiet, glad anticipation.
Help us to pay attention
to the poor and needy,
and to the lonely among us.

Give us a spirit of reflection,
patience with each other,
and hearts brimming with thanks.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

~ written by Kathy Coffey, and posted on the website of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic School Board website. http://www.dpcdsb.org/NR/rdonlyres/F515AF75-D19C-410A-B9F1-BE15D4CF4530/108040/Eng_12_02_12_Color.pdf

Prayer of Confession: Romans 13: 11-14

Here’s a prayer of confession inspired by Romans 13: 11-14.  It was written by Moira Laidlaw.

Prayer of Confession
(inspired by Romans 13: 11-14)

God of light and life,
you set before us today
the challenges of laying aside the works of darkness;
of putting on the light of Christ;
of being watchful and prepared for your coming in our midst
in the person of Jesus Christ.

As the people of God in this place,
we know that a crucial part of our witness
is in revealing Christ to the world
through the way we love and care for one another.

Forgive us when people do not see any evidence in us
of the One who is to come.
So many people, young and old, grope helplessly
in the gloom of despair and suffering,
yearning for the light of hope to dawn in their lives.
Remind us that the light of Christ shines through people like us.

Merciful God,
cleanse our hearts and minds of all that hinders us
from loving you and loving our neighbour.
so that our lives radiate faith active in love,
as we watch and wait for your breaking into our world once more
in the person of Jesus Christ. Amen

~ written by Moira Laidlaw, and posted on Liturgies Online. http://www.liturgiesonline.com.au/

Prayers of the People: Advent

Here is a responsive prayer of intercession for the season of Advent.  It comes from Daily Prayer for All Seasons.

Advent Prayer of Intercession

Holy One, as we prepare for the advent of Christ,
Give us your spirit of wisdom.
As we seek to embody your love in the world,
Give us your spirit of good counsel.
As we seek to be faithful,
Give us eyes to see beyond the obvious.
As we gather in this hour, we lift all in need before you.

(Here, the people may add particular intercessions or thanksgivings.)

May we be instruments of your peace on earth
as we accept the gifts of your Spirit.

~ from Daily Prayer for All Seasons, posted online at the The Deacon’s Bench. http://deaconsbench.wordpress.com/files-and-forms/

Advent Call to Worship: Behold the Signs

Here’s a responsive call to worship (or even a closing litany) from the Ministry Matters website.

Call to Worship for Advent

Keep awake!
You know not when God comes.
There will be signs:
A flood to cover the earth,
the Red Sea parting,
the walls of Jericho tumbling,
a giant slain by a boy,
a barren womb birthing a son,
a man sleeping in a den of lions,
another surviving the belly of a fish,
a virgin conceiving in her womb!
Keep awake!
God is coming!
Behold the signs!

~ from First Sunday of Advent Prayers and Litanies, posted on the Ministry Matters website. www.ministrymatters.com/