Let us pray…

In the beginning – you were.

In this moment – you are.

You are strength and weakness.

You are light and glory.

You are God and you welcome us:

you listen for our prayers …

We pray today for peace, peace in Bethlehem, peace in the dark places of our world.

We pray for leaders and negotiators, for peacemakers and peacekeepers, for fighters and prisoners, for all who are caught up in conflict, violence and fear.

We pray for peace with integrity and with justice …

God, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

We pray for children everywhere, for the newly born, for those growing up among us, for those growing up in places where there is poverty and danger.

We pray that they may be loved and welcomed and that they may know smiles and hope …

God, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

We pray for all who sit and eat with us today – And those who should but can’t.

We thank you for our families, for our friends, for those who love us, for those who share our laughter and pain.

We pray for those who, by choice or by circumstance, eat alone. And we pray for justice for those who are hungry …

God, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

We pray for all who are sick and for those who care for them and pray for

them. We pray for those who have died, for those we miss at our table.

Tell them how much we love them, we miss them, we carry their stories in our lives …

God, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

We pray for ourselves, for our needs, our concerns,

our hopes and our dreams …

God, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

Bright loving God, Emmanuel, God-with-us,

help us to recognise you today

and to welcome you into our lives

in wonder, in truth and in holy joy.

Amen

Ruth Burgess – Taken from CANDLES & CONIFERS, Wild Goose Publications