Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to
be still before God.
Opening Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ,
Thou Son of the Most High, Prince of
Peace, be born into our world. Wherever
there is war in this world, wherever there is pain, wherever there is
loneliness, wherever there is no hope, come, thou long-expected one, with
healing in thy wings.
Holy Child, whom the shepherds and the
kings and the dumb beasts adored, be born again. Wherever there is boredom, wherever there is
fear of failure, wherever there is temptation too strong to resist, wherever
there is bitterness of heart, come, thou blessed one, with healing in thy
wings.
Saviour, be born in each of us who raises
his face to thy face, not knowing fully who he is or who thou art, knowing only
that thy love is beyond his knowing and that no other has the power to make him
whole. Come, Lord Jesus, to each who
longs for thee even though he has forgotten thy name. Come quickly.
Amen. (The Hungering Dark by Frederick Buechner)
Scripture Reading for the Day: Luke 2:1-20
Reading for Reflection:
While they were there, the time came for the baby to
be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths
and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
(Luke 2:6-7)
Room is a very important thing in the life of the
Spirit. As a matter of fact, new birth
seems to require it. Unfortunately, and
ironically, during this season, just as in the time of Mary and Joseph, it is
so easy for life just to fill up. And
when life is over-filled there is simply no room for something new (of the
Spirit) to be born in us; the pace and demands of the season are at odds with
the room and reflection necessary to pay attention to how, where, and when God
might be entering our lives/world.
Maybe that’s why the words of the old
Christmas carol remind us, “Let every heart, prepare him room.” It seems that the writers of those wonderful
songs of old knew well the secret that unless we work diligently to make room
for him, it will not simply happen on its own.
It will not just “fall on our heads.”
Making room takes effort and intention and prayer and planning. And unless we are willing and able to put
forth the energy and effort to pay attention, it is likely that when He
does eventually come, we will miss him too.
Reflection and Listening: silent and written
Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself
Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself
Closing Prayer: The day of joy returns, Father in Heaven,
and crowns another year with peace and good will. Help us rightly to remember the birth of
Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the
shepherds, and the worship of the wise men.
Close the doors of hate and open the doors of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good
desires with every greeting. Deliver us
from evil, by the blessing that Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with
clean hearts. May the Christmas morning
make us happy to be thy children, and the Christmas evening bring us to our bed
with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
~Robert
Louis Stevenson
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