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December 24 is here. As if the (liturgical) calendars are teasing us, we begin today by clinging to the last hours of waiting. Come noontime, our attention turns to Christmas Eve. At St. Stephen’s, two services hold to Advent IV and another four will celebrate the eve of the birth of our Lord. It’ll be a day for the record books!
Some weeks ago, my partner Will and I attended a beloved service of Lessons & Carols at the University of Richmond. Craig Kocher, University Chaplain and friend to many of us, beautifully adapted the traditional bidding prayer. I offer it to you as a simple reflection on the power and meaning of this day. Happy Advent and Merry Christmas!
Gracious God, in Jesus Christ you have come to us as a candle in the darkness, in the cry of a newborn baby, and with a relentless love for all your children. Hear our prayers for the needs of the whole world, for peace on earth, and goodwill among all people.
As you came down to earth from heaven so long ago, draw near O God, to each person in this chapel, that the hopes and fears of all the years may be met in your love this night.
We pray for those around our world who are closest to your heart, those who are poor and forgotten, hungry and cold, sick and broken-hearted, and all who have no place to call home. May the violence of our broken world, and the restlessness of our lives, be met in the tender quiet of the manger, that in the mystery of your incarnate love, we may become the answer to another’s prayer.
And lastly, let us remember all those who rejoice with us, but upon another shore and in a greater light, that multitude which no one can number, whose hope was in the word made flesh, and with whom in this Lord Jesus we for evermore are one. Amen.
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