40 Prayers for the Christmas Season

Prayers for your Church or small group

David Clowes

• Publisher: David C Cook
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9780830782390
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

For use in Churches, small groups, and for your own devotional time, 40 Prayers for the Christmas Season provides simple, accessible prayers for use between Christmas and Epiphany. Adapted from the popular 500 Prayers series and written in everyday language, this book is the perfect resource to help mark one of the most important seasons in the Christian calendar—yet one often neglected in the demands of Christmas and the New Year.

Prayers of Approach

Not Just for Christmas

In our times of darkness, Christ comes with his light.

In our moments of loneliness, Christ comes to walk with us.

In our experiences of loss, Christ comes to share our pain.

In our times of emptiness, Christ comes to fill us.

In our experiences of brokenness, Christ comes to hold us.

In our times of delight and despair, of joy and sorrow,

of faith and of doubt,

Christ still comes—for me and for you.

No matter who we are or what we have done,

Christ comes. Amen.

Ready for Christmas

Heavenly Father,

we praise you for all you have shown us in Jesus,

now we know that you are not far away.

We thank you that though we cannot see you,

you have promised that

no matter who or what we are,

no matter what we have done or failed to do,

you will be very near to each and every one of us.

As we prepare for Christmas,

help us to remember the coming of Jesus.

We praise you for the joy of his living presence in our lives.

Father, we praise you that he came into this world,

just as we did, as a helpless baby.

We thank you that his coming has left us in no doubt

about your love and mercy.

We praise you that he has opened the way to real life now

and for all eternity.

We praise you for the story of Mary and Joseph,

the shepherds and the angels,

the wise men and the star.

We praise you for the carols we sing

and the joy we share in celebrating the arrival of Jesus.

We are all the more thankful that it is not just a story

but a message of the birth of the Saviour of the world.

Forgive us, Father, if we spend so much time

preparing to enjoy ourselves

that we forget those who will have no joy this Christmas.

Forgive us that as we decorate our homes

we forget those who have no home.

Forgive us if, as we welcome the baby in the manger,

we forget he is the man on the cross.

We make our prayer in the name of Jesus,

who came and still comes. Amen.

Christmas Eve

Lord, we are preparing to celebrate your birthday

but we find it so easy to forget why you came.

We sing our carols and say our prayers

but when we open our presents and spend time with our

family and friends,

we find it so hard to make space for you.

We know that Christmas loses its meani...