Dear Lord,
The God of Israel, the God of all creation, the one God above all gods, the God of love and mercy and hope and justice.
We honor you this advent season now in prayer - hear our voice, hear our silence, and speak to us all gathered tonight.
For you have not left us alone in the night, but visited us in our darkness, bringing light and redemption to all people.
Allow us to rejoice - in your Holy and Mighty name. Allow us to rejoice in your mercy between and for all generations. Allow us to rejoice in your mighty deeds, your works in our lives and our community.
You have scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their hearts. You have brought down rulers and exalted the humble. You have fed the hungry well, and sent the rich away empty-handed.
Tonight, let us experience the joy of the news of your birth. The anticipation, the announcements, the decorations, the songs, the joy of the proclamation of the good news that a savior has been born! In this moment, help us to hear your word, the word that was at the beginning of all things, the word that brings creation out of nothing, the word that brings healing, that sets the captives free, that gives sight to the blind, that creates in us a new creation.
Tonight, let us understand that Word. The Word that floats above the chaotic waters. The Word at the beginning, the Word that was with You, the Word that is you. That same Word that brings strength and consolation. The Word that brings light into the darkness. That light that the darkness could not and did not grasp. The Word that is your glory that dwelt among us. The Word that we did not know
Tonight, let us see your glory, the glory of your magnificent love for us, the glory of the immensity of how far you are beyond what we can fully know, the glory of you, a child in His mother’s arms. The glory of you in our place - a child, a refugee, a brother, a captive, a mother, a servant - walking among us, healing us, teaching us, forgiving us, experiencing us. Being us and being with us, but us completely and completed, us as we ought to be. And more, God, releasing us from our fears, our anxieties, our burdens, our pain, and giving us the hope and rest and joy that our hearts long for. You knew us fully and you loved us still.
It is in this season right that now we are reminded that you are the God who breathes the breathe of life into our own awakening bodies, and you came and breathed this same breathe yourself.
In this season specifically, we cry out like children ourselves, gasping for fresh air in the pollution of the fallen and broken world around us.
It is in this season that we ask that we would set aside all things and ponder and consider with the mother Mary what this all means so that we can reply with the same - “Behold, I am the Lord’s servant, let it be with me according to your word.”
And this, Lord. Let us be in silence as we wait.
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Now, in this moment, let us be like the shepherds at work in the field, interrupted by the glory of the Lord, with the good news of great joy for all people - that our savior has been born. And let us join with the heavenly host - “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth among the people with whom He is pleased”
And let us know clearly tonight - that this good news, this peace on earth is for all people, because of your great love for all people, all people, because you saw the brokenness and pain and death and hate and oppression of this world and nothing, not death or life, or angels or principalities or this present time or the time to come or powers or height or depth or any created thing would separate us from you and the love that you have shown us in Jesus the Savior, whose birth we celebrate right now.
And this, Lord, we pray all of this in the name of Your Son, who is our brother and our King, our savior and our friend, Jesus Christ
Amen