Lord God,

We are busy preparing cards and gifts and food.

Keep us grounded in what really matters.

We pray that You help us prepare our hearts.

Cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

Remove any darkness from our minds.

We bring You our sin, and You exchange it

for the gift of Your tender mercy.

We praise You and honor You and thank You

for redeeming us through Your Son,

our savior, Jesus.

Amen

Psalm 91, starting at verse 14 says:

“Because he loves me,” says the LORD,

“I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call upon me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

Lord God in heaven –

Give us the faith – the confidence – to know

You are there, You are great, and You will deliver us.

The Yuletide season can bring on emotional ups and downs.

But there is One who will never let us down –

our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ

in whose name we pray. 

Amen.

Holy Father,

Isaiah wrote, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light…”

May we see that light –

recognizing the gift of salvation through Jesus.

May we be full of that light; inviting the Holy Spirit into our hearts 

and emitting the light for the whole world to see.

May Your light, indwelling within us,

change us and fill us with hope and faithfulness.

In Jesus’ holy name. 

Amen.

Holy Father,

You are the one and only all-knowing, all-seeing,

all-powerful and ever-present God.

You knew us before we were born

and have adopted us into Your family

through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

You delight in us when we follow Your ways.

Let us never doubt that You hear our prayers.

Our ways are not Your ways,

but Your will is for our good.

We give to You our pain, our burdens, and our insecurities,

for You are in control and we trust You.

We praise You in Jesus’ holy name.

Amen.

Psalm 24, verse 1 says,

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it”

Lord God,

Our bodies, our minds, are Yours.

Let us use them to honor and glorify You.

May our words be Your words,

and our actions evidence of Your desires.

May we give of ourselves in thankfulness for all You’ve done.

You give us life, breath, and sustenance.

You provided us a way back to You through Your Son, Jesus.

We thank You and praise You in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

Lord God,

You say, “Ask and it will be given to you.”

We become impatient when it doesn’t happen immediately.

You say, “Seek and you will find.”

We become frustrated by the obstacles in our path.

You say, “Knock and the door will be opened to you.”

We try to ‘go it on our own’, and fumble with a ring full of keys.

Lord, help us to live by faith,

knowing that all things are accomplished on Your timetable.

May Your indwelling Spirit calm us

so that we may persevere through our hardships.

We live and move and breathe – not by our own power –

but by Your will alone, and You hold the key to life everlasting.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Amen.

Lord God,

You picked us up out of our sinfulness.

You rescued us and washed us clean.

You are with us every day,

urging us to be examples of Christ-likeness.

All this, not because of anything we’ve done or will do,

but because of Your love and mercy.

May we, as a community of believers,

show love and mercy to one another.

May we pick up those who have fallen

and help them back to the path that leads to You.

May we show the world the great hope that we have

in the name above all names – our Lord and Savior,

Jesus Christ.

Amen.