Abstract
In the following prayers I have focussed on the first three Sundays of Advent. By the time we reach the fourth Sunday most congregations probably have nativity plays or lessons and carols but I have included a Call to Worship and a short Prayer of Approach on the theme of “Provision”.
If an Advent Wreath is being used to open worship then the calls to worship might be used as sentences for prayer.
First Sunday in Advent
Promises! Promises! Promises!
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfil the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah (Jer 33:14)
To you, O Lord our Creator we offer our prayer! At the beginning of this Advent season, The days are short, The nights are dark, Sun, moon and stars, signs of your glory, are so often hidden from view, And yet the air is full of promise; For a new day is coming – That day foretold by prophets, Anticipated by psalmists Whispered from generation to generation, The day when Your Kingdom will come In all its fullness. We wait on you, Creator God.
To you, Lord Jesus Christ, we offer our prayer! In your coming A new path is opened up. In amazing signs and wonders, In plain words and deeds You show us God’s way of love and truth, Revealing the possibility of new life for all, Inviting us to embark with you on a new journey. Growing your Kingdom In our hearts and in the world. We wait on you, Lord Jesus Christ.
To you, Holy Spirit of God, we offer our prayer! You bring to birth each community of faith And inspire its life. You help us read the signs of our times And open our eyes to see and understand anew The world around us. You come and dwell in our hearts that we may increase and abound in love for one another And so experience God’s promised salvation In our midst. We wait on you, Holy Spirit of God
Conscious of your love Placing our hope in your grace and mercy We make our confession before you in the silence now… Forgive us, heal us and renew us, That we may live our lives in your presence, Alert and watchful until that day, When your promise is fulfilled, And we stand before your throne in glory Through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen.
Come and buy; Click and purchase; In stock now; Cash or credit; Collect by car; Express delivery; No effort required; All you need For your perfect Christmas!
Instant credit; Low interest; Time to repay; Pay day loans; Cash for gold; No questions asked; We’ll provide the means For your perfect Christmas!
The day of reckoning; Demands for payment; Final notice; Court summons; Bankruptcy pending; Financial, moral, spiritual…. How did we get it all so wrong?
A child delivered In the plenty of poverty; A new beginning In the messiness of life; A Word of love Freely offered; Thank you, Lord, For your promise Of a perfect Christmas!
A spoken response might use the words of the chorus of CH4 276
Leader: Wait for the Lord, his day is near
Second Sunday in Advent
Prepare the way!
Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. (Luke 3:4b-6)
The chorus of “Christ be our Light” could be used as a sung response at different points in the prayer with variations of the words “your Church” in the last line –“our hearts”, “our lives” etc.
Christ be our light!
Shine in our hearts, Shine through the darkness. Christ be our light,
Shine in your Church gathered today!
Cards to write; Presents to buy; Trees to decorate; Gifts to wrap; Menus to plan; Parties galore; So much to prepare; So little time!
Refining fire; Laundry soap; Purifying kiln; So much to prepare; So little time!
Lord you call upon us To prepare the way for your coming. Remind us that the offering you require Is not measured in material terms But in right thinking, right living and right relationships.
Forgive us when we become carried away with the trivial. Purify our hearts, Cleanse our lives, That we might be ready To enter a deeper relationship With you, And with one another, Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Lord God, In the wilderness You cry out to your people, To prepare a way for You to enter our world. Hear us now as we pray for the world.
We remember all who find themselves Wandering in the dark valleys, Where sadness and suffering are constant companions, Countries in our world affected by war, Or natural disaster, Places where death and injury, Hunger and thirst, Loss of home or livelihood, Cast their long shadows. Show us ways to bring about peace and justice in these valleys That together we may be raised to new hope in You.
We remember all those who find themselves Climbing the hills and mountains of life Struggling to overcome illness or anxiety, Pain or grief. Where the going is steep, And the rocks ahead seem huge and insurmountable, Show us ways to reach out a helping hand, That these mountains may be transformed From dangerous, inhospitable territory, Into places where care is offered, New friendships are forged, And summits of joy are reached and shared With you and with one another.
We remember all who find themselves Lost on the crooked paths, heading in the wrong direction, caught up in violence or crime, seeking meaning and purpose to life In the wrong places. Show us ways to make visible The good news of your love, That they and we might be drawn onto a straighter path Towards you.
We remember all who find themselves Struggling where the road is rough, Stumbling into potholes, Battered and bruised, by the treatment they have received at the hands of others. Show us ways to assist the vulnerable To lift up the fallen To speak out for the voiceless That the path beneath our feet Might be the rock of your truth and love And the whole world might see The wonder of the new life you offer In Jesus Christ Amen.
Third Sunday in Advent
Praise Unceasing!
I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations; Therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever (Ps 45:17)
Eternal God King of All Creation The Universe declares your majesty Sun, moon and stars display your glory Wind and waves reveal your power. And yet you choose to make your home in our hearts.
You do not hesitate to enter our poverty But in your Son Jesus Christ You come to speak A word of light to a world in darkness A word of truth to a world in confusion A word of grace to a world of shame A word of justice to a world of inequality A word of joy to a world in distress A word of hope to a world in despair A word of peace to a world in turmoil A word of love to a world in need.
By your Spirit Open our hearts and minds Help us to hear these words That we might come to worship you today in spirit and in truth In Jesus name we pray Amen.
Sing aloud! Rejoice with gladness! Exult and celebrate! We hear the prophet’s commands And our hearts lift, As we would seek To give you the glory, Honour and praise, Due to your name.
But what is this? Our voices fall silent. Can it be true That you, Lord, Sing aloud, Rejoice with gladness, Exult and celebrate, Over your people, That you delight in us Bestow upon us Honour and praise? How can this be? We are all too aware Of our unworthiness The disasters we cause Our failures, The things That, in our shame, we dare not name But simply lay before you in the silence now.….
Forgive us, Lord, And help us see That your love knows no limits And that in Jesus Christ, You raise us up To new heights of living, So that lost In mutual wonder, Love and praise, We find ourselves For this moment At one with you and with one another, A foretaste Of your new creation, Amen.
A response might be used Leader: Your Kingdom come, o Lord ALL: Your will be done
Fourth Sunday in Advent
Provision for all!
And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all. (Hebrews 10.10)
Eternal God, In the mists of time, You spoke the Word, Creating light out of darkness, Order out of chaos. Leader: Restore us O God
Loving God, When the time was right, You uttered the Word, And your Son was born, Opening the way to your new creation. Leader: Restore us O God
Living God, In our time, You breathe the Word Into hearts open to receive your Spirit, And people are blessed with peace and joy. Leader: Restore us O God
In the silence now We make our confession before you.…. Forgive us, we pray, Grant us your peace. Leader: Restore us O God Amen.
Around the World in 3,500 Articles
Daniel Patte (ed.), The Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity (Cambridge: CUP, 2010. £25.00 (paperback); £95.00 (hardback). pp. lxvii + 1343. ISBN: 978-0-521-52785-9 (paperback); 978-0-521-82096-7 (hardback)).
The Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity is a weighty work of scholarship – both metaphorically and literally. At over fourteen hundred pages, it is approaching the limit of what can be contained in a single volume, and the authors’ commitment to packing it as full as possible of informative material is evident. It offers over 3,500 articles, by 828 contributors. The contents range from brief definitional entries to substantial encyclopaedia-style essays, and for particularly significant topics, the work employs the useful device of article clusters – groups of pieces offering discussion of a variety of aspects of a single subject.
On browsing the Dictionary, it rapidly becomes apparent that the focus of the work is on the practice and lived experience of Christianity (both historically and in the present day), rather than on its more theoretical underpinnings. There are articles describing Christianity in 134 countries around the globe, and there is a particular emphasis on contextual theology and inculturation: many of the article clusters offer a range of different cultural or geographical perspectives on a given issue.
The Dictionary’s preface sets out a key methodological principle: no single strand of the Christian tradition is taken as a benchmark of orthodoxy. In the interests of equitable treatment and fair representation, a considerable effort has been made to allow each tradition to speak with its own voice and tell its own story. As such, the list of contributors displays a pleasing variety of backgrounds: this is certainly not a work that represents only the views of middle class white men.
One slight drawback is the lack of an index; while the preface provides a general map of the terrain covered, and there are plenty of cross references to aid navigation once one has begun to explore, if a topic does not have its own entry (or one is uncertain what the entry might be called), it is not always immediately obvious where to begin looking. (As an experiment, I set myself the challenge of finding an estimate of the total number of Christians in the world; I looked in five or six places without success, and later found the information almost by accident, tucked away in the ‘History of World Christianity’ article.) It is something of a surprise to discover that there seems to be no electronic edition of the work: the benefits of a version equipped with a search function and hyperlinks would seem to be obvious. There is, however, an accompanying website providing further reading suggestions for many of the more substantial articles.
This is a useful and well-written work of reference, and should prove a particularly valuable tool for scholars seeking to orientate themselves within the global Christian tradition.