an advent prayer

O God of creation and new creation,

We pray once again for your coming into the world,
We pray for renewal of life and reformation of mind and repentance of heart:
You are the potter, and our lives the clay in your hands
In your goodness and mercy we trust that you are making something new in us.

We pray this Advent season...

for the vision to see you,
for the insight to know you,
for the patience to hope in you,
for the trust to be shaped by you into a new people.

We are bold to pray for a world...

that knows its share of devastation,
shaken to its foundations by earthquakes and
tossed about by the chaos of floods,
we pray this morning: come, Lord Jesus.

We are bold to pray this morning for a culture...

that is inhospitable to children,
that ignores the poor,
that thirsts for violence,
that is saturated with materialism,
that throws away the preserved beauty of those who harvested this land
before us;
we pray this morning: come, Lord Jesus.

We are bold to pray this morning for a church...

for a church that depends upon its own power and wisdom,
that is more divided than united,
that is more internally focused than open to your commission
and commandment:
come, Lord Jesus.

We pray this morning...

especially for the sick and the grieving,
the lonely and the broken,
the doubting and the overwhelmed,
the last, the least and the lost:
come, Lord Jesus.

We acknowledge that there are prayers that reside deep within us...

for a new heaven and a new earth,
for reconciliation during this season,
for peace on earth and goodwill to all,
for desires that we cannot express
and wishes that we do not know how to list.

Hear our prayers, spoken and unspoken.

Let us be awake to the promise of the gospel.

Come, Lord Jesus,
that we might welcome you,
that we might adore you,
that we might be saved by you,
Amen.