We Can Hope This Christmas - A Nighttime Prayer
The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. – Isaiah 9:2 (NLT)
Please Pray:
Dear Triune God,
The world feels darker this Christmas.
But you know the dark, don’t you? You were born into it.
You came at night.
The shepherds kept watch beneath the stars.
The wise men followed a distant light.
Your first cries rose in the shadows, where Mary and Joseph could see you only by a flicker of flame.
It was dark then—
dark with Herod’s rage,
dark with Rome’s heavy hand,
dark with fear, poverty, and violence.
Before you made a home in Nazareth, you were a refugee child in Egypt,
fleeing bloodshed and brutality.
You have walked into darkness before,
and you brought light with you.
We invite you, Lord Jesus, into our dark world now.
We are tired of the violence, the fear, the scarcity, the words that bring hate.
Like the wise men, we are still searching for a light to follow.
Like the shepherds, we come in the quiet, hoping to see your face.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
