Christmas Prayer: We Greet Your Coming

Here is an opening prayer for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. It was posted on Xavier University’s Jesuit Resource website.

Opening Prayer for Christmas:

We Greet Your Coming

We greet your coming, God, with wonder:
You come to be with us;

     yet you remain far greater than we can imagine.
You are near;

     yet your wisdom sets you apart from us.
You appear among us;

     yet we cannot describe your glory.

We greet your coming, God, with repentance:
We are more-or-less satisfied with ourselves;

     but your presence exposes our sin and failure.
We are self-confident;

     but you challenge our confidence in ourselves.
We are proud of our understanding;

     but you show us that we do not know everything.

We greet your coming, God, with joy:
We had no true idea of what you are like;

     but you have shown us yourself in Jesus Christ.
We felt our human life could be of no importance to you;

     but you have shown its value by appearing among us as a man.
We are aware of the gulf between us and you;

     but you have bridged it with love. 

God, we greet your coming in Jesus Christ our Lord!

~ in Contemporary Prayers for Public Worship, ed. Caryl Micklem (London: SCM Press, 1971), 111-112. Posted on Xavier University’s JesuitResource.org website. http://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/Christmas-Prayers.cfm