Christmas Day: God is with us
Text to sit with…..
“He shall be called Emmanuel which means God is with us.” (Matt 1: 24-25)
- God chose to come to us as a baby - what does this say about how God sees humanity?
- God is with us in everything that happens to us.
We hope that you have found these prayers helpful in the busyness leading up to Christmas.
Any feedback would be helpful.
Diocese of Middlesbrough Women’s Commission
Catherine Rowland
Pat O’Connor
Rita Morris
Some websites you may find helpful
or
Middlesbrough Diocesan Women's Commission
Advent Prayers
Prepare for Christmas
Where is God? God is here with us now.
Why special Advent prayers to prepare for Christmas?
We prepare for Christmas in many ways. Looking for God in our busy lives helps us keep things in balance and reminds us what Christmas is really about.
Is it hard to do?
No. God is in everyone and everything - nothing is too small or too large for us to see God in it—the beauty of a flower, the smile of a friend…..
In the poem Immanance, Evelyn Underhill wrote
“I come in the little things
Saith the Lord…”
The whole poem can be found on the internet.
Each week there will be a short extract from the readings for the Sundays of Advent. You are invited to sit with it for a few minutes each day and then during the day try to bring these thoughts back to mind.
Begin each session: “Be with me now, O God, during this time, help me to listen to you.”
End each session: “Thank you, O God, for this time with me, help me to continue to think of these things throughout the day.”
Week 1: God is with us on our path through life.
Text to sit with…..
Lord make me know your ways
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach me;
for you are God my saviour.
The Lord is good and upright.
He shows the path to those who stray,
He guides the humble in the right path;
He teaches his way to the poor. (From Psalm 25)
- Take a few minutes to think of yourself on your path through life. Ask God to be with you and show you the way to go.
Week 2: We pray for all the people we love and place them in God’s hands.
Text to sit with…..
….how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you determine what is best….(Phil 1:8,9)
- Take a few minutes to think of the all the people you love and care for, thank God for them and place them in God’s hands.
- Maybe some words someone said or some incident in the passed few days helps you to see how God is reaching out to you through others, and how you are reaching out to them.
- Let your thoughts and prayers reach out to all those who are vulnerable in the world today – those who live in war zones, refugees, people who have been trafficked.
Week 3: We ask for God’s peace
Text to sit with…..
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say Rejoice
Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4: 4-7)
- Repeat this text slowly and then for a few minutes stay with the sentence that appeals to you most.
- Let your thoughts and prayes reach out to those who are not at peace.
Week 4: A moment of recognition
Text to sit with…..
When Mary visited Elizabeth at The Visitation Elizabeth recognised that Mary was carrying the Lord in her womb and said:-
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” (Luke 1:40-45)
- Let us ask that we will recognise where God is present in our relationships with each other.
- Take a few minutes to think of Mary’s place in the Christmas story—we all have our own place in God’s plan let us ask Mary to help us follow it faithfully.