Lord God, we ask you to guide our prayers today. As we prepare to celebrate the coming of your Son, grant us wisdom, humility and kind-heartedness in our dealings with our fellow humans and all your creation.
As we pray, we echo their plea to those who run financial institutions; that they might “invest in hope” rather than in war. In our own lives, too, we ask for God’s guidance to help us keep sight of the ethical dimension of our actions and words.
As we move deeper into Advent we keep the Christ child in mind and we pray for children everywhere. We hold in our prayers particularly those who are affected by war or natural disaster, and those who live with poverty and deprivation. We ask God to be with their families; that they might create loving and safe environments for children to grow up in.
We pray for the people of Mayotte as they take stock of the devastation wrought by the recent cyclone. We ask God to be alongside them in their grief and loss, and to give strength and courage to those who go to their aid.
We pray for our world leaders; that they might govern with wisdom and humility. In particular we ask God to guide them in making decisions and forming policies that concern our precious environment and the natural world.
We ask God to be present in our communities. May all our interactions with one another be full of care and compassion; that the places in which we live and work might be rich with possibility for all.
We celebrate God’s presence in the eternal kingdom, where all God’s children will find an everlasting home. May those who have recently died rest in peace and rise in glory.
Heavenly Father, may we know your presence with us as we wait for the reign of the Prince of Peace. May we be lights in the world, proclaiming the message of the Word Made Flesh. We ask this in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.