Christmas Prayers

 December 23 Christmas Prayers

1) Dear Lord, Don’t let us miss You this Christmas season. Help us to simplify our activities and traditions so we can focus our celebration on Your birth. Thank You for being the Prince of Peace, and we ask for your supernatural peace to reign in our hearts. Thank You for the simple but life-changing message of Your love for us. Keep us from distractions and help us to invite You into all our family activities. Teach us to pray and help us to glorify and worship You in our family during this busy time of year. Give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation that we might know You better. Thank you for being Immanuel, “God with us.” Open our eyes to realize this each day as we interact with others. Help us to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as You forgave us. Show us creative ways to love and care for those outside our home. Fill us to overflowing with Your love for the lost. Teach us to do acts of kindness to those who are in need at this time of year. May our family be a refreshment and light to others. We ask You to touch with salvation those in our family who do not know You [Name those individuals]. Open their hearts to Your great love for them. Help us to share Your Truth and be Your light. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

2) Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, 
That we may share in the song of the angels,
The gladness of the shepherds,
And worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate
And open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift
And good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing, which Christ brings
And teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us
Happy to be thy children
And Christmas evening bring us
To our beds with grateful thoughts
Forgiving and forgiven
For Jesus sake Amen.

3) Father, we offer our humble prayer this Christmas season. We come to worship with a song of thanks in our hearts—a song of redemption, a song of hope and renewal. We pray for joy in our hearts, hope in our God, love to forgive, and peace upon the earth. We ask for the salvation of all our family members and friends, and we pray your blessings on all people. May there be bread for the hungry, love for the unlovable, healing for the sick, protection for our children, and wisdom for our youth. We pray for the forgiveness of sinners and abundant life in Christ. Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with your love and power. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

4) O sweet Child of Bethlehem, grant that we may all grow in intimacy with You this Christmas season. Put into the hearts of men and women this peace for which they sometimes seek so desperately and which you alone can give to them. Help them to know one another better, and to live as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father. Reveal to them also your beauty, holiness, and purity. Awaken in their hearts love and gratitude for your infinite goodness. Join them all together in your love. And give us your heavenly peace. Amen.

5) May each of us be filled with the wonder of Mary, the obedience of Joseph, the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the determination of the magi, and the peace of the Christ child not only this Christmas day but every day of our lives. Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit bless us now and forever.

6) Lord, we thank You for coming to earth so You could redeem us. When we think of the extent to which You were willing to go in order to save us, it makes us want to shout, to celebrate, and to cry with thankfulness. You love us so much, and we are so grateful for that love. Without You, we would still be lost and in sin. But because of everything You have done for us, today we are free; our life is blessed; Jesus is our Lord; Heaven is our home; and Satan has no right to control us. We will be eternally thankful to You for everything You did to save us! We pray this in Jesus’ name! Amen

7) In a world where worry, not peace, prevails, may You stir up that good news again. This Christmas, make yourself real in the hearts of people across the nations. Never have we needed Your joy and peace more than now. Thank You for the gift of Jesus, our Immanuel, the Word made flesh. Forgive us for forgetting—that Your love never changes, never fades, and that You never abandon the purpose for which You came: to save us from our sinful condition, and to give us life eternal, the joy of relationship with a holy God. Your birth—and Your death—sealed Your promise to us forever.

8) Jesus, the Light of the World, as we celebrate your birth, may we begin to see the world in the light of understanding that comes from You. As you chose the lowly, the outcasts, and the poor to receive the greatest news the world had ever known, so may we be humbled and worship you in meekness of heart. May we also remember our brothers and sisters across the globe. May their eyes and ears be open to the Good News of You. May we also remember those less fortunate than ourselves in this season of giving.             In Jesus’ name, Amen.

9) Prayer for Christmas Joy…Father God release the joy in us that’s been crushed by pride, wrong priorities, or world events. Tear down the strongholds that have held us captive far too long. Extinguish the flames of apprehension that rob us of a calm, quiet spirit. Show us again the beauty of that holy night so many centuries ago.Your name is still called “Wonderful,” “Counselor,” “The Mighty God,” “The Everlasting Father,” and “The Prince of Peace.” As Your children, we cry out for a fresh filling, and a new awareness of who You are. We choose by faith to make the “good news of great joy” a reality in our own lives, so others can see us as lighted trees of life, pointing to You this Christmas. We know one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that You are Lord. And we also know that peace on earth can only come when hearts find peace with You.                                                                                                                            You are still our Joy. You are still our Peace. You are no longer a babe in the manger. You are Lord of lords and King of kings. And we still celebrate You as Lord—this Christmas and always. Amen.

The Death of Fear

Imagine the original Eden. Animals roam freely and peacefully. A mist goes up from the earth, watering the green land and blooming flowers. There’s a chorus of chirping birds, and fish dance in the glistening water. Trees offer their fruits for savoring, while flowers delight with sweet fragrances and vibrant colors. Each day the sky’s aglow with handcrafted sunsets and shimmering constellations.

With a whisper, the scene changes. Dissonance builds. Fruit from the forbidden tree is rebelliously ingested and, as promised, the eyes of the first man and woman open. Their bones quake with foreign feelings of shame, humiliation, and overpowering panic. “We disobeyed the God who made us. We’re going to die!”

Adam and Eve heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden and they hid themselves from His presence among the trees. God called to the man and said, “Where are you?” And Adam said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” (Gen. 3:8–10)
And just like that, FEAR entered the world.

What did this fear cause Adam and Eve to do? Hide. And don’t we still?
We hide in our fig leaves of false security, our caves of caution, and our self-made dams of disbelief, terrified someone might see us for who we really are: dirty, insecure, and weak. It should come as no surprise that our default setting is fear.

Like Adam and Eve, we hide. We bury pain and protect ourselves from feeling it ever again. We cover the blemishes, gloss over the less-than-desirable parts, avoid the shame and guard our hearts. And no matter what we attempt on our own we cannot escape our fears. We need rescue.

At the core, beyond the rising blood pressure, increased heart rate, and heightened awareness, fear tells us we need a Savior. Whether it’s a fear of failure, rejection, death, or the dark, fear sends a signal to our souls that we cannot be the center of the universe. There is more to life than us. Fear whispers of our brokenness and cries for security, for refuge, for something (Someone) bigger to protect us.

Fear prompts us to run, to hide from God and from other people our vulnerability and our weakness. But for those who are in Christ, we are just that—in Christ. We don’t have to hide because we’ve been hidden in the wounds of the suffering Savior.

God cursed the serpent, the man, and the woman, but he wasn’t finished with them yet: “And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them” (Gen. 3:21). Our merciful Creator gave them a new wardrobe. Just as he graciously made Adam and Eve garments of animal skin, God clothes all who repent and believe in Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice.

This is how we fight the soldiers of fear—we fight them with Jesus. We fight them with the gospel. We have a Savior who pursues us, who made an excruciating sacrifice, and who covers us in robes of righteousness, presenting us faultless before his throne.

We no longer need to hide from God; we can run to Him. He’s our shield, our defense, and our fortress of protection (Ps. 18:2). He’s the One who guards our hearts (Phil. 4:6–7). We don’t have to hide ourselves with garments of self-protection, because he hides us in the shadow of his wings (Ps. 17:8).

The gospel is the answer to insecurities, paralyzing anxiety, and life-sucking fear. The blessed reality of Christ in us tenderly blasts the brick and mortar around our hearts like dynamite. He loves us too much to let any walls remain that keep us from believing we’re safe apart from his protection.

We can let go of fear and joyfully accept the love of our God. He wants all of us; he died to purchase every speck of our dirt in order to display his heart-cleansing, wardrobe-giving, fear-destroying grace.

(Sophie McDonald’s article on Fear modified by Karen Schagunn)

Planting Seeds through Prayer

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.  So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:6,7).

Our job is to plant and water seeds. God’s job is to make things grow. Let us pray: 

1) May we plant seeds of Your love Father to all those we encounter. May they each receive a kiss of your Spirit. “Greet one another with a holy kiss” (Rom. 16:16).

May they each “ grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that (they) may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”(Eph.3:18-19)

2) May we plant seeds of comfort and encouragement to all through your Spirit. “Comfort [encourage] one another” (1Thess. 5:11).

3) May we see others through your eyes Father and plant seeds in accordance with your leading. “Seek what is good for one another and for all men” (1Thess. 5:15).

4) May we plant seeds of fervent prayer and intercession. “pray for one another” (James 5:16). 

5) May we plant seeds of hospitality towards others. “Use hospitality toward one another without grumbling” (1Peter 4:9).

6) May we plant seeds of faith and trust in knowing well Him who grows the seed. May we plant seeds of patient endurance. “Behold the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains” (James 5:7-8). 

7) May we plant seeds of strength and perseverance and finish strong the race God has designed for each of us. “Let us not lose heart in well doing for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Gal. 6:9).

8) May we plant seeds that grow in intimacy with you Father. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”(2 Peter 3:18) 

9) May we plant seeds of humility considering others better than ourselves.

 “Be completely humble and gentle;”(Eph. 4:2) “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. “(Phil 2:3)

10) May we plant seeds of unity in all we do and with everyone we know.

“…endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Eph 4: 3)

11) May we plant seeds of compassion and forgiveness.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.(Eph. 4:32)

12) May we plant seeds of obedience in all that we say or do.  “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”(John 14:21)