Christmas Prayer: A Song of Celebration

Merry Christmas!

Now that Advent has concluded and we have moved officially to celebrating the arrival of Jesus, the beginnings of good news and joy for those looking for God’s reign to take root, it is time to reflect and pray to celebrate the good things God has done.

Throughout Advent, I reflected on the book Song of Songs and paired it with the traditional theme of each week: hope, peace, joy, and love. In that ancient poem about the intimate dance and love affair with Holy Wisdom, all four of those virtues and divine gifts can be found.

In Jesus, all four find their true home.

Advent Prayer #1: A Song of Hope

Advent is a beginning. It serves to begin the church calendar, guiding God’s people in remembering the greatest gift we have received: God’s very self given to us in Jesus. The weeks leading up to Christmas help us to prepare our hearts, souls, minds, and strength to be the family of God, ready to receive our elder brother.

Every year, we begin again, for every year the nights are dark and the seeds of new creation have not fully blossomed. As a family, we turn to each other for hope, to remind each other why we wait and how to be the beacon in the darkness for the hopeless and the oppressed.

Advent Prayer for Christmas Day (Rev 21:1-7)

Merry Christmas! To honor and celebrate Jesus hand-in-hand with the rest of God’s people, I have been writing prayers each week through Advent. Now that Christmas Day has come, I want to incorporate even more of the contribution and worship shared by others in God’s church around the world and throughout history. I invite you […]

Advent Prayer #4 (John 2:1-11)

As Advent draws near its end, I am thinking and feeling greater joy in anticipation of Jesus appearance both in terms of eschatology and in the everyday as he reveals himself in his people and his creation. While I have no idea if writing these prayers has made a real difference for anyone else, I […]

Advent Prayer #3 (John 1:35-51)

This week of Advent has been a difficult one for many people. As the days grow shorter and the nights grow darker, our nation grieves and feels the sting of bitter loss too deep for words. This season of joy in Jesus’ coming and togetherness as families and as a people is shadowed by evil […]

Advent Prayer #2 (John 1:9-18)

I continued to meditate on John 1 this week, and as part of my worship this Advent season, and wanting to share, I have written this prayer looking forward and back to Christmas. I hope these words can help you as you center your spirit on Jesus this Advent season. As the church, we await […]

Advent Prayer #1 (John 1:1-8)

I wanted to share some prayers throughout the Advent season, and my first thought was to find prayers already written and join with the church in our worldwide conversation with God. Unfortunately, I had a really hard time finding anything quite like what I imagined. Instead I have chosen to meditate on John 1 and […]