Our Shared Prayers December
December 31
December 24
when the mighty are not put down,
the humble remain humiliated,
the hungry are not filled,
and the rich are;
make good your word,
and begin with us.
Open our hearts and unblock our ears
to hear the voices of the poor
and share their struggle;
and send us away empty with longing
for your promise to come true
in Jesus Christ.
Amen.
—Janet Morley, in Tell Out My Soul, Christian Aid, 1990. Reprinted by permission.
From Bread of Tomorrow: Prayer for the Church Year, ed. Janet Morley
Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1992, p. 151.
December 17
Thank you God, for your guidance, even when we don’t see it, especially as we journey through this life, in this third week of Advent, as we look for Joy in the Desert.
Thank you that you give comfort as we lay down our cares and concerns and give them to you.
Thank you for answered prayers, big and small in areas of our lives where the desert was dark and you shone through your light to bring Joy and touched our hearts with the promise of cool water in the wasteland of our lives.
Give us strength and courage when answers to prayers seem far away and we thirst for the promise of cool water.
Bless us with your love and care as we journey through this Advent Season.
May we feel your Presence and Joy in and around us.
Amen
Our Shared Prayer for this week was written and shared by Leona Janzen, Springridge Mennonite Church in Pincher Creek.
December 10
darkness still grows
(but the light is gathering)
bread has been broken
(but justice is slipping through)
economists are today's oracles
(but the word is now ready to speak)
blood has been spilled
(but the moment is turning)
the journey is lonely
(but the angels stir)
the handmaid labours
(but the child waits)
go into advent
with expectation
the headlines are being rewritten
~ written by Roddy Hamilton, and posted on the New Kilpatrick Parish Church website. https://www.nkchurch.org.uk/original-liturgy and found at: re:worship
December 3
God, we long for the coming of your kingdom in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
We lament the signs all around us
that your kingdom has not come in its fullness.
But because Jesus has taught us to trust you in all things,
we hold to his Word and pray his prayer:
Your kingdom come, your will be done.
Where nations close and restrict their borders,
while Christ says, “Care for the immigrant and foreigner among you”:
Your kingdom come, your will be done.
Where countries waste food and covet material prosperity,
while Christ says, “I was hungry . . . I was thirsty . . .”:
Your kingdom come, your will be done.
Where powerful governments
claim their policies are heaven blessed,
while the Bible says God helps the powerless:
Your kingdom come, your will be done.
Where nations budget for war,
while Christ says, “Put up your sword”:
Your kingdom come, your will be done.
Where Christians mistake the kingdom
in the shape of their own church,
as if Christ had come to build
and not to break barriers:
Your kingdom come, your will be done.
Where Indigenous brothers and sisters are crushed by the past
and suffer the injustices of the present,
when together we work for reconciliation and justice:
Your kingdom come, your will be done.
When our prayers falter,
our faith weakens,
our light grows dim:
Your kingdom come, your will be done.
God, you have declared that your kingdom is among us.
Open our ears to hear it,
our hands to serve it,
our hearts to hold it. Amen.
This prayer of hope for the first Sunday of Advent is part lament, part intercession. It is adapted from an unattributed prayer in The Worship Sourcebook, 2nd edition.) Shared by Terry Fach, Trinity Mennonite Church