Opening Prayers/Prayers of Adoration on Christmas
Inspired by John 1
Father God,
Out of the darkness You spoke the word:
“Let there be light, and there was light”.
Into our darkness You spoke Your Son,
the Word made flesh to live among us
the Light of the World to bring us life –
“and we have beheld His,
the glory of the one and only Son of the Father,
full of grace and truth.”
On this night of nights,
Your glory shines bright to show us the way,
Your love draws us to the manger,
Your grace calls us by name, and
Your life gives us a voice
to tell the world that our Savior, and
their Savior, has come.
Like the Magi of old,
we come to worship you,
to adore your Son our Savior,
and to rejoice in the power of your Spirit
come among us always.
In the name of our living Lord and Savior,
Jesus the Christ, we pray. AMEN.
Ponder Prayer Based on Luke 2:1-20
Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. – Luke 2:19
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. – Proverbs 4:23
Welcome Little One
Holy One
So much has been said about you already
So much to take in
How can I hold you?
How can I hold you and all that you are?
Make by heart your baby book
There to gather all the names
the stories
the promises
There to pause and ponder the silent snapshots
Treasuring you as you treasure me
Keeping them safe for times to come
Ponder Prayer © 2014 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, www.revlisad.com
Our hearts for very joy do leap
Our lips no more their silence keep:
We too must sing with joyful tongue
That sweetest ancient cradle-song:
Glory to God in highest heaven,
Who unto us a Son has given;
While angels sing with holy mirth
A glad new year to all the earth. Amen.
Martin Luther, adapted.
Hark the glad sound! The Savior comes,
The Savior promised long;
Let every heart prepare a throne
And every voice a song.
Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace,
Your welcome shall proclaim,
And heaven’s eternal arches ring
With your beloved name. Amen.
Philip Doddridge, 1702-1751
Who spoke and this world was,
Who breathed and this world lived,
Who counts the hairs upon our head,
Who sees our thoughts and reads our hearts,
Who loves us more than we deserve,
How can we not bring today,
Our sacrifice of praise?
For in the child at Bethlehem
Lies the promise of intimacy
With a Saviour who would die even for me,
And the promise of an eternity
In which to praise you more each day.
God of promise we praise your name, Amen
John Birch, Faith and Worship
Hallelujah! Help Us Shine! An opening prayer for Christmas or Epiphany
Based on John 1 and Matthew 2.
John 1:1-14 is read on Christmas in years A, B, and C
Matthew 2:1-12 is read on Epiphany in years A, B, and C
This may be voiced by a single voice, all voices, or as a call and response with all voices responding on the bold print.
Prayer: Hallelujah! Help Us Shine!
Welcome Glorious One
Lord of Life and Light
Dawn in us your power and peacemaking
Hallelujah! Help us shine!
You bathe us in the light of your grace, that we may be grace
You fill us with the light of your truth, that we may be truth
You flood us with the light of your love, that we may be love
Hallelujah! Help us shine!
Sharing your light
Spreading your light
Beyond our imagining to your desiring
Hallelujah! Help us shine!
Unveiled, Bright, and True
A beam worthy of the stretch of your embrace
Hallelujah! Help us shine!
Draw us to your light
Draw all to your light
Hallelujah! Help us shine!
Hallelujah! Help us shine! © 2020 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, www.revlisad.com
Lord Jesus, Master of both the light and the darkness,
send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do
seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.
We who are anxious over many things
look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways
long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy
seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people,
walking in darkness,
yet seeking the light.
To you we say, “Come Lord Jesus!”
Richard Herman with excerpts from Henri Nouwen
Receive and Rejoice!
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen,
as it had been told them. – Luke 2:20
Receive and Rejoice!
A joy greater than words
A great and glorious joy.
Loose. Liberated. Boundless.
Receive and Rejoice!
A joy worthy of new birth, of a living hope
A joy anchored in The Imperishable, The Eternal.
Undefiled and Unfading
Receive and Rejoice!
This joy was chosen for you. Destined for you.
Sanctified, sprinkled, and saved for you.
By the Merciful One. The One Who is With You.
Receive and Rejoice!
Receive and Rejoice © 2019 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, www.revlisad.com
Jesus – Savior:
Praise You.
Thank You.
We’d never have done what You did
We’d never give up so much for someone else
who cared so little about us.
… and we can’t imagine anyone doing it for us.
But You did.
You left the magnificence of paradise
to enter the ordinary monotony of our lives.
You left angelic worship of angels
to face human hatred.
You left a safe, secure heaven
to enter our dangerous world.
We’d hardly do it for one we care about
or even for one who cares about us.
But You did it for enemies;
You did it when we didn’t care about you at all.
While we were yet sinners
You were born for us; and
You died for us.
In the light of Bethlehem’s star
was cast the shadow of Golgotha’s cross;
and You didn’t run from it.
Help us to not run either, we pray.
Help us to embrace Your love,
to live into it,
and to share it with others
in gratitude, happiness and joy.
For what You’ve done: we thank You.
For who You are: we praise You:
Jesus, Savior, Emmanuel. Lord.
And all God’s people said; Amen.
Crowned and Coming
Inspired by 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16; Luke 146b-55; Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26
Eternal One,
We wonder and marvel at your constancy
You alone are steadfast
Unwavering across the ages
You, remembering, gathering a covenant people
You, remembering, fulfilling your covenant promises
You, patiently tending your family tree
You, remembering us
We remembering you and your greatness
Hallelujah to our Savior and King!
Crowned and Coming
Whose Kingdom knows no end.
Remembering © 2017 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, www.revlisad.com