Welcome, you visitors of the House of God,
and you who are at home here.
Welcome, you harried parents,
and you children of faith at any age.
Welcome, you who do not understand
the pull to be in God's presence,
and you who cannot breathe without it.
Welcome, you teachers of the Word,
and you students of it.
In this place, you will find transformation,
wonder,
and healing.
​Come, and worship God!

God of mercy and compassion,
hear our prayers this day:
for those who wait with longing
for a child to call their own,
who month after month
and year after year
are disappointed
to the point of heartbreak.
Pour out your grace upon those
who long to be parents
and end their suffering,
granting them their wish
according to the your perfect will. 

God of the ages,
hear our prayers this day:
for those who wait with longing
for your covenant to be fulfilled,
for peace on earth,
for your kin-dom to be realized
in this world
as in the next;
for food for the hungry
and shelter for the homeless,
for community for the lonely
and comfort for the grieving,
for welcome for the stranger
and inclusion for the outcast,
for the mighty to be brought low
and the lowly to be lifted up.
Let justice roll down like water
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

God of miracles,
hear our prayers this day:
for the young mother whose pregnancy
cannot be easily explained
or borne,
for the unconditional love
of those who see
and support her,
for the challenges she faces
and the fortitude with which 
she gives birth
in a broken and weary world.
May her child, too, be greeted 
with angel song
and celebration
and may the world be present 
to help raise that child and nurture it
in the love of all that is holy.

​

Come with haste,
and enter the house of the Lord.
With joy and thanksgiving,
proclaim the presence
of the Holy.
There is no judgment here.
This is a place of grace.
Let us worship God!

God of Abraham and Sarah,
we wait with expectant hearts
for the one who has come
and is coming again.
We wait, 
longing for the Good News
of Emmanuel, 
God-with-Us.
We wait,
and as we wait,
we pray.

Hear our prayers for those in need, O God.
Mobilize your Church
to be the hands and feet of Christ,
feeding the hungry
in body and spirit,
clothing the naked,
and lifting those living in deep despair.

Hear our prayers for the power-hungry, O God.
Let justice fall down like waters
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Bring the humble to their feet
to call for healing
and wholeness
in a broken world.

Hear our prayers for the prophets
who continue to speak truth to power,
to call your people to obedience,
to boldly answer the call to proclaim the year of the Lord.
Encourage and strengthen them.
Grant them wisdom,
and surround them with a community
that will care for them
and heal the wounds inflicted
by those who do not want to have their greed
confronted.

May all we are
and all we do
bring glory to you, O God,
pointing your people
to the hope that is to come.

Call to Confession

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment!  (2 Corinthians 2:10-11a) Let us bow before the throne of grace in godly grief and seek God's grace:

Prayer of Confession  (based on Isaiah 1:16-17 and Galatians 5:22, cross-references of Luke 3:8)

God of mercy and compassion,
Wash us; make us clean;
    remove the evil of our doings
    from before your eyes;
Transform us, so that we cease to do evil,
    learn to do good;
seek justice,
    rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
    and plead for the widow,
producing in us the fruits of your Spirit:
    love, joy, peace, patience,
    generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Assurance of God's Grace

Thus says the Lord, 
"though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be like snow;
though they are red like crimson,
    they shall become like wool."  (Isaiah 1:18)
In the name of the promised Messiah, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God!

Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us also forgive one another.
The peace of Christ be with you.
Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this week. 

​Welcome to this season of waiting,
you descendants of Abraham and Sarah!
Come joyfully, you who revel in abundance
and you who are in need.
Come prepared to commit to living justly,
you government agents
and you who live under government rule.
Come, and bring your expectations
and your questions.
Your Teacher awaits.
Come and worship.

​Hear our prayers, O God!
For those living under oppressive rule
with a toxic mixture of cruelty and might,
we seek your mercy. 
Replace those who hold power around the globe --
in governments, businesses, classrooms
and homes --
with servant leaders who understand
the value of compassion,
love, and healing.

Hear our prayers, O God!
For those seeking healing for body, mind, and spirit
in ceremonial rituals that neither cleanse the will
nor transform the heart,
we seek your mercy.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, Lord,
open our hearts to the abundance of grace
you pour out on your people,
and help us to see ourselves and those around us
with new eyes.

Hear our prayers, O God!
For the prophets who faithfully speak your Word
at great personal risk
and to the point of exhaustion,
we seek your mercy.
Comfort them, we pray, and grant them moments of rest
and clarity
in this challenging time
when it feels as if no one is listening
anymore.

As we await your coming,
renew our faith
that you continue to walk with us
and that love wins.

Call to Confession

"Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" (Matthew 3:2) Let us confess our sin before God and turn from our wicked ways, seeking God's mercy, and giving God praise:

Prayer of Confession

The wilderness is treacherous, God.
It is exhausting and dangerous and
requires too much of us.
The work you are calling us to do
takes too much time.
We struggle to believe
we can make a difference.
Forgive us, we pray. 
Cleanse us anew, 
hearts and hands alike,
and restore our faith in your promises,
that the work of our hands 
may reveal your glory
to a broken 
and hostile
world.

Assurance of God's Grace

God has promised that when God's people confess their sin, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive them their sin, removing as far as the east is from the west, and remember it no more. (Psalm 103:1, Hebrews 8:12) In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God!

Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us also forgive one another.
The peace of Christ be with you.
Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this week.