First Sunday of Advent year C
O God, mighty and powerful, whose love transcended all physical laws to be born in human form the “Son of Man” that your faithful would have redemption. Being God, You emptied yourself, becoming a slave like us in all things except sin. You have brought us to this place to prepare us, to open our minds to infinite possibilities, to open our hearts to all your children and to give us purpose for our being. Wherever we go, You are there waiting to reveal yourself to us.
This season of Advent is a time of expectancy, a time of waiting, a time of hope. O God, we don’t wait well. Guide us with your truth that we do not idly twiddle our thumbs as if we are marking time waiting for You to act, or get lost in the frenzied chaos of the holiday and forget the reason we celebrate but rather we become the living signs of our trust in You. Help us to put aside everything that would stand in the way of bringing us closer to You. Let our lives be a living example of You, teach us to be ambassadors of Your Kingdom.
We thank you, God for all the times You have let us have our own way, for all the times we’ve slammed into brick walls face first. Like a loving parent you’ve picked us up, patted us on the head and asked us if we needed your help. We thank you for all the times you’ve snatched the wall out of our paths to save us from ourselves. But most of all, we thank you for your Son who has stood in the breach.
We come before you now to pray for our church and the needs of our people, weighed down by the cares of life, troubled by the stress and pressure dealing with the chaos around us. We ask You to meet our needs and give us the assurance that You are in deed, answering our prayers.
We pray for all the physical needs, emotional needs and financial needs of Your people. Whatever they are, Lord, we bring them to You, because You can do something about them. We pray for the defeat of evil and the abolishment of apathy, not just in those around us but within us as well. May we all have open and obedient hearts. We pray that Your Word come to life through our endeavors and make each of us worthy disciples.
We pray for the community, the country and the world that all its rulers and governments around the world be granted divine wisdom and the ability to guide us to a just and lasting peace. We pray in the name of Jesus to Your glory. Amen.
My Spirit Soars 