Author: Robin.Kyd

Gracious God, we thank you for blessing us with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Just as you spoke light into darkness through your Word,
speak your truth into our hearts in the coming months.
Open our eyes to see the inheritance you have prepared for us
and help us grasp the depth of your love.
Like John who came bearing testimony to the Light,
may our lives reflect your glory and truth in all we do,
through him who came to redeem us.
Amen

God of all time, Christmas is over but our journey has just begun.
We have offered our carols but have songs yet to be sung.
We have wisdom to learn, and truths to discern so much learning and growing to do!
As we gather today to worship and pray, we rejoice that our teacher is you.
Amen

Holy God,
Give us the courage to be ourselves, as we prepare for Christ’s second coming,
so that, like the Magi, we can take a different path, seek help from unlikely places,
and, like all of the people who have followed the star, own and love our part in Christ’s story.
Help us to be ourselves, as we prepare.
Amen

Father God, thank you for your presence here today.
Thank you that you speak to us through our worship.
Thank you that you speak to us through your Word.
Thank you that you speak to us through each other.
Help us to listen to your voice as we worship.
Help us to listen to your voice as Scripture is read.
Help us to listen to your voice as we seek your truth.
Amen

God of all seasons, as we journey through this second week of Advent,
we reflect on the words of the prophet Isaiah as spoken by John the Baptist:
Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.
In a world filled with darkness and inequality, we yearn for the light of your presence
and the levelling of the rough places in our lives and in the lives of those around us.
Help us to be like John, a voice crying out in the wilderness, calling others to repentance and baptism.
Give us the courage to stand up against injustice
and to point others to the hope that is to come in Jesus Christ
Amen

Loving God, as we enter this season of Advent, our hearts are conflicted:
Yes, we are joyful in the anticipation of celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ,
yet we cannot help but feel the weight of the turmoil and uncertainty
that surrounds us in our world today.
In the midst of chaos and fear, we turn to you, our Rock and our Redeemer.
We find comfort in your Word, which reminds us that you are our only true source
of hope and peace in the current darkness.
As we light the first candle of hope, we pray that you would ignite a flame of hope in our hearts.
May we be reminded that our hope is not in the stability of our circumstances,
but in the unchanging nature of your character and the promises you have made to us.
Amen