Prayers of Adoration & Confession

Loving God, creator of mysteries, giver of joy
we worship and adore you for you hold us in your heart
soothing our griefs, calming our worries
reminding us that you are our home, our place of peace.

Christ Child, son of God, vulnerable baby
we worship and adore you for you are the embodiment of hope,
growing into a man you challenged injustice
showing us that we too can speak truth to power

Holy Spirit, breath of life,
we worship and adore you for you sustain us in our living
whispering to us on angel wings
telling us that in and through God’s love anything is possible.

Loving God, Christ Child, Holy Spirit we live in challenging times,
the voices of the vulnerable are often not heard
the hungry cry out in our streets and refugee camps
the lonely and sick weep quietly in despair.
Forgive us when we fail to listen, to reach out a hand
to offer our ears and our hearts to those who suffer.
Forgive us our busyness, our distracted attention
our obsession with getting things right.
Still our hearts, our minds and our hands,
help us to enter into your peace and so offer
your peace to a world much in need. Amen

The angel Gabriel came to Mary and said
‘Greetings favoured one! The Lord is with you.’
Christ comes to us offering forgiveness for our sin.
And so let us immerse ourselves in this gracious gift.
In the name of Christ, once a vulnerable baby,
we can be confident that our sin is forgiven.
Thanks be to God. Amen

Saide Cameron, offered for worship 24/12/17

Prayers of the People

God of creative saving love,
come to us today
as you came to Mary long ago:
bless us by your presence;
speak good news to change our lives;
fulfil through us the hopes and fears of all the years;
bring us into your design for the renewal
and fulfilment of creation;
by the power of your Spirit,
make us birthers of your Christ life,
your peace, hope, joy and love;
turn the world upside down by us:
bring down the mighty,
raise up the lowly,
fill the hungry,
strike the rich
with the blessing of generosity.

Teach us to say,
Yes, to your Spirit’s movement in us –
that Spirit which conceives
the reality of Christmas love
in the womb of our hearts.

We pray for all the Mary’s in our world:
the little people – lowly, humble, poor and hungry;
people living under occupation and refugees;
those living with the threat of violence;
those with hard decisions to make;
those whose faith brings them
into life changing challenges.

Lift them up, Eternal One:
bring peace to all your children.

This we pray in the name of Christ the prince of peace, and in his words:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.

Ian Ferguson, offered for worship 24/12/17