Rise within me like the star
And make me restless
Till I journey on
To seek my peace in you
A candle is lit.
Song “Be thou my vision”
I light a candle for light, sending
prayers high into the inky heavens and
dreams deep into our human soul.
We light a candle for light. May it light our way.
The Lord’s Prayer in our own language
Psalm 74
Remember this, Lord, that the enemy has taunted You,
And a foolish people has treated Your name disrespectfully.
19 Do not give the soul of Your turtledove to the wild animal;
Do not forget the life of Your afflicted forever.
20 Consider the covenant;
For the dark places of the land are full of the places of violence.
21 May the oppressed person not return dishonoured;
May the afflicted and the needy praise Your name.
We pray for people and situations that are on our heart today ...
For staff in hospitals dealing with constant crisis, for those waiting for ambulances and medical care, for those on strike, for those who cannot afford to heat their homes because of rocketing energy prices, for people struggling to pay their rent, for those who cannot afford food because of rocketing food prices, for those who are vulnerable with Covid, for Ukraine, for Russia, for Syria, for Iran, for Hong Kong, Taiwan, for China, for people who are lonely, for people who are hungry, for people suffering from war, for people imprisoned, for people suffering because of climate change, for the vulnerable and those who are sick and those who are dying, for the homeless, for asylum seekers and refugees, for our government to make the right decisions, and finally for the children who we must give a better future.
May we not fail you though we face great dangers.
Give me your peace, your wisdom and your strength. Amen
When the star in the sky has gone
And the wise men have gone back to their homes
The real work of Christmas begins
To find the lost, heal the broken, feed the hungry and release the prisoner. Amen
© Janet Morley adapted
