Today we enter the fourth and final week of Advent. From now until Christmas Eve, the focus of Advent is preparation for the celebration of Christ’s birth.
With Christmas just five days away, the mad dash has begun! As we take time to prepare ourselves for parties and get-togethers, the last few hurried workdays of the year, and holiday travel, let’s take a moment to prepare our hearts by praying this prayer:
In this season of expectation
We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah
Into the bustle of our lives
and the hard-to-find moments of solitude.
We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah
Into our homes and situations,
along with friends and families.
We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah
Into our hearts, and those often hidden parts of our lives.
We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah.
For beneath the surface of your story
Is an inescapable fact:
You entered this world
As vulnerable as any one of us
In order to nail that vulnerability to the cross.
Our fears, our insecurities, and our sins –
All that can separate us from God
Exchanged by your Grace for Love.
We cannot comprehend the reasoning;
Only marvel that Salvation comes to us
Through a baby born in a stable,
And reaches out to a world in need.
In this season of anticipation
We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah
As we enter this last week of Advent, we pray for the peace of God’s presence in our preparation. The day we celebrate God’s greatest gift – Jesus – is so near! Let’s put our hearts in order and dwell in the assurance that the Prince of Peace has come and is coming again.
Credit: Photo by Sarah Simon // Instagram: @themintgardener // Prayer source: Faith and Worship – Christian Prayers and Resources
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