Opening Prayers/Prayers of Adoration on Light
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.”
you are beyond our grasp or conceiving.
Before the brightness of your presence
the angels veil their faces.
With lowly reverence and adoring love
we acclaim your glory
and sing your praise,
for you have shown us your truth and love
in Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen
The Service for the Lord’s Day. The Worship of God: Supplemental Liturgical Resource 1. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 1984
O Splendor of God’s glory bright.
From Light eternal bringing light,
O Light of life, the living Spring, True Day, all days illumining.
Dawn’s glory gilds the earth and skies;
Let him, our perfect Morn, arise,
The Word in God Almighty one, Creator imaged in the Son. Amen.
Ambrose of Milan, adapted
Almighty and everlasting God, in whom we live and move and have our being, you created us for yourself, so that our hearts are restless until they find rest in you. Grant to us such piety of heart and strength of purpose that no selfish passion may hinder us from knowing your will, and no weakness from doing it. In your light may we see life clearly and in your service find perfect freedom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Book of Worship, 1965
Light of light,
Lord of Lords,
God of this world
and the next,
We give you thanks
for the promise of this day,
We give you thanks
for the challenge of this day,
We give you thanks
for the blessings of this day.
Light of light,
Lord of Lords,
God of this world
and the next,
We give you thanks
John Birch, Faith and Worship
Arise, shine, for the Light of the World has come!
Darkness covers the earth and its people,
but the radiance of God’s Light
burns away its shadows,
illuminates the smallest corner,
and heralds in the start
of a new dawn,
where hearts no longer fear,
souls might be set free,
and sister shall follow brother,
nation shall follow nation,
and kings and princes bow down in awe
before the one who comes to reign.
Arise, shine, for the Light of the World has come!
Alleluia!
John Birch, Faith and Worship
Lord our Lord – How majestic is Your name in all the earth.
The sun’s light is but a dim flicker
next to the brightness of Your glory.
Your care is far more intimate
than that of a mother sparrow hovering over her next.
Your faithfulness is even more consistent
than the rising of the sun and the passing of seasons.
Your blessings come in showers that refresh and renew us
more than the spring rains.
And You meet us wherever we are –
in a sanctuary, on a lawn,
walking a beach, working in a desk,
driving a van full of kids to a ball game,
and laying our head on the pillow a night.
For who You are and all You do on our behalf,
We thank and praise You this morning.
Thank You for love shown us by dads and moms.
Thank you for grandparents …for sisters and brothers …
for friends, and even for strangers,
who grace our lives with kindness and care.
Holy God of light and glory:
You alone are good.
You alone are pure and righteous.
And, therefore,
You alone are worthy of our praise,
our devotion and honor.
In the brilliance of Your light,
we are revealed as we are and
left speechless … without excuse;
were it not for Your grace and mercy
we are hopeless as well.
Seeing who we really are,
we can hide no longer behind our bravado,
our rationalizations and our protests.
We confess that we are sinners
in need of your forgiveness.
As individuals and as a body.
we therefore join our hearts and voices to pray
together confessing our sins …
(time of silence) AMEN.
Whether we know it or not,
we live on the edge of Your coming every moment
of every day either with anticipation or with anxiety.
As if stumbling along a dark path in a thick forest,
with only a flashlight at our feet,
we see so little … while You see everything,
being Yourself the Light of the World.
That’s why we put our hands in Yours,
follow where You lead us and give to You all the people
and experiences that lay beyond our ability
to see clearly and our strength to act.
Gracious God – our Father:
Sufficient and sovereign, yet, compassionate and kind;
You tell us the truth while the world lies to us;
You give us light and hope,
while all around us cast darkness and despair.
When we mess up our lives – you give us a new one.
When we lose our way – You find us and guide us home.
When we are cast out – You call us by name and take us in.
It’s no wonder we praise You.
It’s no wonder we love You.
Yet sometimes we seek to steal Your glory,
to love ourselves and ignore You.
Forgive us – and in the quiet hear our heart’s confession
Of how we hurt others and dishonor You. (silence … )
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
Inspired by Psalm 27
All: Oh Lord, my Light, my Life, my Joy, my Peace—with you I find refuge from danger, shelter from the storms in my life. You are good and you do good. You are the Strength of my life, and I look to you for power. On this Lord’s Day, as we worship you in spirit and in truth, there is one thing that we seek: You. We want to worship You. We want to tell You and each other how great and mighty and gentle and kind You have been to us. We gaze upon Your beauty, not because our eyes are worthy to behold You; we gaze upon Your beauty, not because we are sinless like You; no, we gaze upon Your beauty because You have called us, washed away our sins through the blood of Christ, and You have raised us with Him to new life through His resurrection. Since You have been so gracious to us, we do not doubt that You will bring us safely home into the arms of our Savior, in whose name we pray, Amen.
Submitted by Dustin Ray