Wednesday, December 2, 2020
How We Need Christmas! A Prayer
O Lord, how we need Christmas!
Especially this year,
a year like no other,
a virus
coming to stalk our every step,
changing
how we live and work and worship,
lives lost,
businesses lost,
jobs lost,
and
personal illnesses and troubles as well;
a year like no other,
political turmoil,
social unrest,
protests erupting,
fear stoked,
anger and anxiety constant companions,
divisions dividing, widening;
a year like no other,
people at their worst,
coldness and cruelty and crudity
enjoyed,
the ugly and the unholy
celebrated.
And so,
especially this year
how we need Christmas,
how we need
the hope it gives,
the peace it proclaims,
the joy it brings;
how we need
the hope,
the peace,
the joy
of being
delivered,
delivered out of all that is destroying us,
saved,
saved from ourselves,
rescued,
rescued from the evil within and without,
the hope and peace and joy
of the return of
warmth and kindness,
goodness,
holiness;
the gladness
of your coming unto us in the
Holy Child
of Bethlehem.
O Lord, as Christmas approaches, help us to
make room
in the crowded inn
that is our life
for
the Holy Child;
make room
in lives often crowded with busyness, or
worry, or
bitterness, or
grief, or
fear;
make room
for
him, and the healing and comfort and strength
he brings
in his love;
make room
in hearts and minds often crowded with
thoughts of ourselves alone,
make room
for
thoughts of others,
room enough
for the Holy Child to enter in and
thaw our hearts,
if need be, and
turn our thoughts,
if need be,
back to you and
love for the neighbor;
create within us hearts and minds
obedient
to your way.
O Lord, grace us with the vision of Christmas,
a vision
of people
being their best,
being kind and compassionate and considerate;
a vision
of beauty and holiness
gracing life once again;
a vision
of peace,
people at peace with one another,
coming together,
working together,
for the good of all;
or if all of this is too much for us,
then simply
a vision
of people
feeling something of joy,
something of hope,
even peace,
coming to birth within
as Christmas draws near
and longing for a new kind of life,
and world.
O Lord, a vaccine is on the way
and there is hope for a return to normal
in the coming year,
and we give thanks for all
who worked to bring it about,
bring the day when the devastation will end.
But
it will be months before it is widely available
and the virus will continue
to take its toll,
and so
we pray for the strength to continue
to do the right and responsible thing
until that day comes.
And we pray for
those who are battling the coronavirus,
those who are exhausting themselves caring for them,
those who are grieving,
those who are barely getting by and
need assistance,
those becoming more and more depressed.
And we pray for
those struggling with other illness or disease,
those often forgotten amidst the virus,
those without a home or hope.
Heal, support, comfort, strengthen, and lift them!
And help us remember
just how tough
Christmas
might be for them
and do what we can to bring hope and joy to them,
be a gift to them.
O Lord, how we need Christmas!
Especially this year
because
especially this year
do we all of us
need good news,
the good news of
a love
like no other
gracing us with hope and peace and joy
like no other
in a year
like no other.
Amen.