A PRAYER FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

A PRAYER FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

OT

 Isaiah 2

3     Many peoples shall come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

    to the house of the God of Jacob;

that he may teach us his ways

    and that we may walk in his paths.”

For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,

    and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

4 He shall judge between the nations,

    and shall arbitrate for many peoples;

they shall beat their swords into plowshares,

    and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

    neither shall they learn war any more.

Come, Jesus of Nazareth 

Come and lead us to your house

on the mountain of truth

For we are a people run wild 

in the streets

Arming ourselves

against stranger and neighbor

Fearing the violence 

hiding behind our fortresses

Come, Jesus of Nazareth 

Come and lead us to your house

on the mountain of justice

Arbitrate between the rich and the poor

the mighty and the weak

Raise up the trampled

strengthen the weary

Turn out the gluttonous 

lower the powerful

Come, Jesus of Nazareth 

Come and lead us to your house

on the mountain of peace

For we are a warring people 

arming ourselves for conquest 

Nations rising up against nations

fortifying to beat back invaders

Abandoning the widows and the orphans

to survive on their own

Come, Jesus of Nazareth 

Come and lead us to your house

on the mountain of shalom

Break our swords

bend our guns

shatter our storehouses

of death and destruction

May we learn not the ways of war

but study the paths of peace 

Come, Jesus of Nazareth 

Come and lead us to your house

on the mountain of love

For we strain to know one another

preferring to nod as an acquaintance 

and not as a neighbor 

Avoid knowing or caring 

desiring distance to intimacy

safety to risking

Come, Jesus of Nazareth 

Come and lead us to your house

on the mountain of reconciliation 

Break down the walls 

that divide us 

Bring us together as one

One people

One faith

One God

Come, Jesus of Nazareth 

Come and lead us to your house

on the mountain of justice

and peace 

shalom 

and righteousness 

Amen

A PRAYER FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

A PRAYER FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

NT

Matthew 24:36-44

36 “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. 42 Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day[b] your Lord is coming. 43 But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

Is the flood coming today Lord?

We're not ready!

We heard the rumors

read the news

listened to the preachers

kept up on stuff

thought we were ahead 

Can't you wait a bit 

give us a heads up

let us know 

when to start preparing 

building our ark

Is the flood coming today Lord?

We're not ready!

We checked our calendars

looked at our schedules

tried to look ahead

clear some time

adjust our itinerary

Can't you hold off a little

make it a more convenient time

send us an email

or a Google alert

so we can make time

Is the flood coming today Lord?

We're not ready!

We have so much to do

things to take care of

errands to run 

jobs to do

crises to negotiate 

Can't you make it more convenient

fit it in better for a time 

when we can give it our full attention 

be better focused

ready to be on task 

Forgive us O God

for not being ready

at any and every moment

to prepare for your coming

Forgive us O God

for not being willing 

at any day or time

to welcome your coming

Forgive us o God

for not wanting

today or tomorrow

to be ready for your coming

Come Lord Jesus

Come

Come today

Come tomorrow

Come forever

Amen

A PRAYER FOR CHRIST THE KING SUNDAY

A PRAYER FOR CHRIST THE KING SUNDAY

Jeremiah 23:1-6

(NRSV)

1 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. 3 Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.

We are sheep

Wandering from hillside to hillside

Looking for pastures to lie in

Dipping into streams for refreshment

We follow shepherds who tend us

Following their voice 

Leading us this way and that

Over the hills and down to the rivers

We pray to feel safe in our pasture

Safe from the wolves who would devour us

Safe from the winds that would destroy us

Safe from the worries that would deter us

O Where

O Where is the Shepherd

The One who can defeat the wolves

and calm the winds and soothe our worries

O Where

O Where is the Shepherd

The One who can lead in green pastures

and beside still waters

It is you

Lord Jesus

You are The One

You are The One who sends the wolves 

on the run to keep us safe

You are The One who stays the winds

and calm us in the storm

You are The One who holds us close

and gives us moments of peace

You are The One who fills our hunger

and quenches our thirst

You are The One

Lord Jesus

We praise you

We thank you

Shepherd and King

Amen