Saturday 11 December
Praying with the Prophets
We have walked in the wilderness;
we have waited and wondered.
May God bless us
as we wait for a child’s cry.
We have seen injustice;
we have brought God our questions.
May God bless us
in darkness and light.
Vulnerable God,
Risk-taker, Unborn Child and Holy Spirit,
bless us with wonder
and justice and hope.
Friday 10 December
Praying with the Prophets
Lord Christ,
the prophets spoke of your coming
as a child to be born to a young woman.
In the pain and joy of children:
your kingdom come.
Lord Christ,
the prophets spoke of your coming
to bring justice, compassion and freedom.
In just and compassionate action:
your kingdom come.
Lord Christ,
the prophets looked for a renewed earth,
where desolation would be replaced
by abundance.
In repairing our planet:
your kingdom come.
Thursday 9 December
Anna
I am an old woman looking for a purpose.
I am tired of being talked about,
treated as a statistic,
pushed to the margins.
I want to meet someone
who will have time for me,
who will listen to me,
who will not take for granted
who I am or what I have to offer.
Pray for me and all who wait to be seen.
(Michael Paterson)
Wednesday 8 December
Conception of Mary
I am a young expectant mother
waiting for my child to be born.
I feel the new life inside me,
I sense great promise throughout me,
I know my love grows
for the one I have not seen.
Yet I fear that the world
may be a hostile place
for the little one who is to come.
Pray for me and for all expectant mothers
who are waiting for their child to be born.
(Michael Paterson)
Tuesday 7 December
Joachim
I am an old man
waiting for my death.
I have looked at the world so long
that it wearies me.
I have prayed to God so hard
for my people to be delivered
from all that diminishes
and destroys them.
And I wonder, as my life closes,
if change will ever come.
Pray for me and for all older folk
who are waiting for a saviour.
(Michael Paterson)
Monday 6 December
John the Baptist
Prepare!
Strange how one word
Will so hollow you out.
But this word has been in the wilderness
For months. Years.
Prepare
It may feel like the word
is levelling you,
Emptying you as it asks you
to give up what you have known.
It is impolite and hardly tame,
But when it falls upon your lips
You will wonder at the sweetness
Like honey that’s finds its way
into the hunger
You had not known was there.
Prepare!
(Jan Richardson)
Sunday 5 December
2nd Sunday of Advent
Lighting the 2nd Advent Candle
God our Father,
You spoke to the prophets of old
of a Saviour who would bring peace.
You helped them
to spread the joyful message
of his coming kingdom.
Help us as we prepare
to celebrate his birth,
to share with those around us,
the Good News of your power and love.
We ask this through Jesus Christ
the Light who is coming into the world.
Amen.
This sequence of daily readings or prayers for the second week of Advent was compiled by Rev Dr Michael Paterson using materials written by him and drawn from a variety of sources. You can download a printable version of the week’s sequence at this link.
