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: Isaiah 9:1-7
Reading for Reflection:
The only worry children
have about Christmas is whether or not they can possibly wait for it to
arrive. Perhaps this is because only
kids seem to understand the secret of Christmas: It isn’t really about giving;
it is about receiving.
According to the Gospels, the only person
giving at Christmas is God. Everyone
else is simply receiving this silent, holy miracle that breaks into the night. Much later a few wise men show up with gifts,
but their giving is only as an act of worship in response to what God has given
us.
Christmas is a poignant illustration of a
dynamic we live with every day of our lives: we spend most of our lives trying
to make things happen for ourselves and for the people we love. But life is not reduced to what you give or
know or achieve. Nor is it reduced to
your mistakes, your failures, or your sin.
Life isn’t even defined by whom you love. Rather, it is defined by the God who loves
you. In other words, you are not the
central character—not even of your own life’s story. This is not meant to demean you; it is meant
to set you free. (Sacred Thirst by M. Craig Barnes)
Reflection and Listening: silent and written
Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself
Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself
Closing Prayer: Gracious, loving and merciful God, on this
Christmas Eve, as the light of your Word penetrates our hearts, as we are
reminded of the gift of life and faith, as the glories of the heavenly hosts
are echoed in our church, we open ourselves up to your Spirit and give you
thanks. We are grateful, Lord Jesus, that your story
has become our story, and we celebrate your birth.
Continue, we pray, to instill in us a
profound sense of your abiding presence, and help us to take to heart the
wonder of your love, that we may walk in your ways and delight in your will.
Help us, Lord God, to be the faithful,
gracious, loving, giving and forgiving people you would have us be
~Rev.
Dr. Sean B. Murray
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