DAY 14

Bidding prayer - an invitation to a celebration

We listened to a lovely introductory prayer at the beginning of our Carol Service on Sunday evening.
It expresses some beautiful thoughts and I thought it would be a wonderful prayer to reflect upon and pray again as we start the day.

’In the name of God, who has delivered us from the dominion of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, we welcome you; grace to you and peace.

We are gathered together to proclaim and receive in our hearts the good news of the coming of God’s kingdom, and to prepare ourselves to celebrate with confidence and joy the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We pray that we may respond in penitence and faith to the glory of his kingdom, its works of justice and its promise of peace, its blessing and its hope.

And as we seek to renew our allegiance to God’s loving purpose, we pray for all who at this time especially need his pity and protection; the sick in body, mind or spirit; those who suffer from loss of dignity or loss of hope; those who face the future with fear, or walk in the shadow of death.

May God, of his grace and mercy, grant to all his people a new trust in his good providence and a new obedience to this sovereign word, for to him is most justly due all glory, honour, worship and praise, world without end.’
Amen.