The Reverend Christine V. Hides

Holy God, creator of  the foundations of the earth and the oceans depths, maker of the dusk and dawn, and the ancient constellations overhead,

This Advent season, you lead us nearer to the mystery of the manger, where your love for all is made known. And so with thankful hearts, we prepare to receive your love and grace through your son. With expectation, we deck the halls and adorn the tree. We find joy in the giggles of children, giddy with anticipation for this long awaited eve when the world will be blanketed in silent adoration.

Giver of  life and love, in you we find community and kinship. Keep us mindful of the ways our lives are interconnected, the ways our health and well being depend on one another. 

As Omicron races around the world, we ask your blessing upon the weary caregivers and the tiring health care workers. We give thanks for vaccines and hospitals and pray that they might be in abundant supply not just here, but in every corner of the globe. We pray for the sick and those in need of healing. 

In all that is uncertain, when we struggle to find a way, when the charts and graphs offer no easy answers, we ask that you calibrate our inner compasses toward love and compassion. 

With our loved ones near and far in mind, we pray silently, the deepest prayers of our hearts. 

Gracious God, all that is tender, all that is mystery, all that is exhausting, all that is something other than we long for, all that is tentative expectation, we trust to you, as we lift our voices together in prayer…