Psalm 98 - God Came Down

Our loving heavenly Father
You are a God who has done marvelous things
You have worked salvation
You have made salvation known and we have seen it
You have remembered your love and faithfulness
We praise you
We sing of you
We shout about you
We sing for joy
Because you are king and judge
You will make all things right
Amen
 

Christmas Blessing (Isaiah 9:2,6)

May the light of Jesus forever shine on you.
May the rule of Jesus bring you comfort in chaos.
May the advocacy of Jesus mediate for you.
May the deity of Jesus astonish you.
May the commitment of the Father bring you comfort in the dark night.
And may the peace of Christ be your peace.
As you embrace the never ending kingdom of justice and righteousness.
Amen

 A Christmas Prayer (based on Luke 1 and 2)
Our Father in heaven,
As we contemplate the words of the angel Gabriel,
We thank you that you gave us the child who would save us.
We thank you that Jesus is your Son - the Son of the most high.
We that you that he is the one to whom you have given the throne of David.
We thank you that he reigns over the house of David and that his kingdom will never end!
Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests
 
Father,
We thank you that your mercy extends towards those that fear you.
We thank you that you have performed mighty deeds, scattering the proud.
We thank you that you have brought down rulers and lifted up the humble.
We thank you that you have filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty handed.
We thank you that you have remembered to be merciful to your servant Israel, even as you promised to our fathers
Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests
 
Father,
We thank you that you have raised up for us a strong saviour, one to rescue us from our enemies.
We thank you that you have shown mercy to our fathers and that you have remembered your covenant to us.
We ask that you would forgive us for not serving you, for not fearing you, for not being committed to holiness and righteousness all our days.
 
Lord in your mercy hear our prayer
Christ in your mercy hear our prayer
Lord in your mercy hear our prayer
 
Finally Father,
We thank you that your Son came into the world so that we might receive the forgiveness of sins because of your tender mercy.
Thank you for shining on those who live in darkness.
Thank you for rescuing us from the shadow of death.
Thank you for guiding our feet in the path of peace.
 
We pray these things through our Immanuel, Jesus Christ, God with us
Amen
 

Luke 10:38-42 - The One Thing Necessary

Father give us ears to hear your words,
And hearts that desire to listen.
Give us wills that seek to obey,
That we may live for your glory alone.
Amen

Psalm 72

Our Father,
O give us a king who will judge with righteousness and justice.
May he defend the poor and the needy.
May he crush the oppressor.
May he redeem his people.
May he be a blessing like soft rain.
May he enable the righteous to flourish.
May make peace to abound.
May he rule over all the world.
May his name endure forever and his fame be eternal.
And may blessing abound to all peoples through him.
 
Our Father,
You have given us a king that did not elevate himself but has instead come down.
He did not grasp at equality with you.
He made himself nothing.
He took on the form of a slave.
He submitted himself to death.
Even death on a cross.
He is our king.
We worship him!
Amen

Psalm 113

The God who raises up

Our Father,
You are high above all nations,
Your glory above the heavens,
Seated on high,
And yet you see us.
You raise us up from the dust,
Lift us from the ash heap,
To sit with princes.
You give the barren woman a home,
And make her the mother of children.
You are to be praised,
Forevermore.
Amen

Psalm 14

When Christmas just feels Mehhh...
Psalm 14 

Our Father,
We pray, with the people of God through the centuries, that salvation would come from Zion.
We pray restore the fortunes of your people.
Make us rejoice,
Make us glad.
All that we hear is the rejection of God.
All that we see is corruption,
Evil deeds,
No one doing good.
We see the oppression of people.
No one calls upon the Lord, we have all turned aside.
But you are a God who sees,
who looks down from heaven,
And you have acted to save us,
In sending your Son to save and redeem us.
Thank you for sending Jesus.
We rejoice in your salvation.
May we lovingly share it.
Amen