Most Gracious and Mysterious God, we lift up our hearts and spirits on this third Sunday in Advent. This is the week of Joy – the celebration of the glorious announcement to Mary that her life would resonate through time and that her ‘yes’ to God would echo for all generations to hear.
God, hear our “yes” today, as we give thanks for the blessings you bring to our lives. Hear our collective “yes” as a faith community ready to share our joy with a world in need of your light and your love.
Holy One, we ask your blessing for all who are troubled or are struggling at this time...for those who are ill or lonely or desperate with poverty or hunger. God, bless all who have difficulty at this time of the year with the heartache of grief and loss.
Bring the joy and peace of your presence to all creation, and may your Spirit hover close wherever there is need of healing, strength or comfort in the coming week.
God of all goodness, be with us as we approach the manger this year. Remind us of the gifts that really matter – compassion, caring and love.
Bless us as we gather up our yearnings for joy, for justice and for peace in our time – and bring them to the place where hope is born. These and all of the prayers of our hearts we offer in the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray together saying...
"hear our 'yes' today"--- that line just seemed to leap off the pages at me. Saying yes to God is something that doesn't always come easy. Then again, if we fail to say yes to Him, we will truly miss a blessing.
ReplyDeleteI believe your post today was meant just for me. To encourage me to yeild more fully to the call of God regarding a certain area of my life.
Thank you.