Prayers of the People, Advent 4B

​Lord of hosts,

We ring the bells this day, naming those who need your healing touch, your comforting presence, your reassuring word. Hear our prayers, we pray, and make us vessels of healing in your name.
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As the Christmas bells ring around us, we stop and listen, and we pray for those who are lost and alone, cut off from the community, isolated and in need of comfort. Be present with them, we pray, as a shepherd gathers the sheep, going in search of the lost and bringing them back to the fold. In this season of peace, let us be reconciled in the name of Emmanuel, God With Us.

As the sound of ringing floats over us, we stop and breathe in, and we pray for those who are living in fear, terrorized by abuse of power or angry retaliation or the perpetuation of mistrust and untruth. Go ahead of your people, we pray, and cut off the enemy before they have a chance to attack, protecting the innocent and giving them rest. In this season of joy, restore our joy in the name of our Redeemer and King.

As the light dances on the bells as they ring, we stop and notice and are entranced by the sparkle, and we pray for those who are living in the darkness of grief, deeply saddened by the loss of their homes or their dreams or their life's work or people they love. Shine your light into the darkness, that the covenant you have established with your people may bring comfort in this season of hope.

Hear also our prayers for those whom we name below ... those whose names are in our hearts and on our minds. In addition, hear our prayers for those whose names we do not know. Surround them with your steadfast love. Touch them with your infinite mercy. Fill them with a peace that passes all understanding.

In Jesus' name we pray,
Amen.