Event – Advent

Advent Peace Prayer for our Gun-filled World

God did you know when you gave us creativity
that we would use it to create a tool to kill each other
with the tiniest movement of our finger?
Around our world, bullets are sown into gun chambers
and we reap destruction, life after life mowed down in blood.
Hear our prayer for all who will hold a gun today:
the soldier on the battlefield,
the lone gunman planning a massacre,
the gang member hunting a rival,
the raging husband threatening a family,
the depressed person wanting to end it all,

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Advent Prayer for Doubters

These are the things that I say out loud.
There is beauty in this season of celebration:
children waiting for presents,
hospitality being prepared,
music floating, lights sparkling,
and even strangers smiling at each other.
Waiting is something I am doing.
I am waiting for peace on earth,
I am waiting for an end to hostilities,
I am waiting for healing and hope.
If you are there, God, I would ask why,
and lay out all the suffering I’ve seen under the sun,
and demand an accounting.

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Hopeful Advent Prayer

On this most beautiful of mornings
we come with thankfulness for life and breath.
Thankful for the brilliant blue of the winter sky,
for the bracing pinch of the cold wind on our cheeks,
for the lacy frost decorating our windows,
for the comfort of coffee and tea and hot chocolate,
for the taste of cinnamon and gingerbread.
Open our eyes to the beauty all around us.
Thank you for another season of advent
where we light a candle of hope
which we need so much in these dark times.

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Christ is Born Congregational Prayer

Thank you for bare trees outlined in white,
and steely gray skies brooding over the blue lake.
Thank you for the sound of wind
rushing all the way from the far north.
Thank you for the crack of ice puddles
under our feet, and the cold smell of winter.
In this dark season, thank you for Christmas,
and the gift of a child of hope.
Thank you for news so good,
it still rings out as voices around the world
speak of good tidings of great joy

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Advent Angel Prayer

God, the message of the angels of Bethlehem was true.
Good news of great joy came with Jesus’ birth,
with his life, with his sacrifice for us,
and with his glorious resurrection, also announced by angels.
We wait so hopefully for great joy.
Open our eyes to the angels who walk among us,
caring for the sick, comforting the brokenhearted,
standing up for those whose voices are silenced,
doing the hard and holy work of bringing your peace on earth.
Thank you that you have never stopped sending angels.
Help us to be angels, heralds of love,

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Hope against Hope Advent Prayer

God who hears us:
as advent begins, we are already filled up with waiting.
Waiting to hear the next report of bad news;
another mass shooting, another refugee crisis,
another famine, another environmental disaster,
another deadly virus outbreak, another war.
The news is a litany of things to fear
that fills our heads with dread.
We wait for your help.
Remind us of Mary and Joseph,
ordinary people living in a country
under the boot of an oppressive regime,

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All I Want for Christmas: A Prayer List as I Go to the Mall

his Christmas I would like…
the clear conviction
that beauty is for beholding
and that I don’t have to own
everything that gives me pleasure.
I want to have joy in gift-giving,
seeking to delight those I love.
I would like protection from over purchasing:
and reminders that more gifts
don’t always bring more delight.
I would like contentment this year,
and freedom from envy as I look at things
that I cannot afford to buy.
I would like mindfulness for Christmas,

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Message from the Manger

We love you in the manger, Jesus.
Your little hands and feet,
your soft breathing,
your eyes closed in sleep.
You may be a revolutionary,
but we like our revolutionaries in diapers.
Forgive us, Lord,
for preferring a Saviour that doesn’t talk;
a Saviour that has no words of judgement
for our callousness to the suffering of others,
whose arms aren’t tossing over tables,
whose feet aren’t leading us to Jerusalem.,,,

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Waiters in God’s House: An Advent Prayer

God of hope.
be with all tonight
who are waiting for a miracle.
Waiting for God,
waiting for justice,
waiting for a diagnosis,
waiting for a phone call,
waiting for a job,
waiting for death,
waiting for inspiration,

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About Carol Penner

I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.

I love to write and to lead worship! If you are finding my writing helpful, I would love to hear from you! Feel free to use or adapt the material here, it is all written by me. If printing material, please credit “Copyright Carol Penner www.leadinginworship.com” (and say whether you modified it). If publishing, please contact me for permission. Contact me at carol@leadinginworship.com

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