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| Hand-made (scroll saw) Nativity - Pine wood |
Heavenly Father, we are not altogether convinced that darkness is a thing of the past. Many people in this world of ours feel their world is one of darkness and gloom. Pressures crowd in upon us and get us down.
The causes are varied: bereavement, illness, money, worries about family, trouble at work or not having work, drugs, drink, boredom, doubt, weariness, futility.
Then there are the world issues: war, poverty, climate change, disease, unfair trade, and so on. It does not help when we feel that as Christians, we should be doing so much better than we are. Gracious and loving God, we rejoice that you are with us in our troubles, you know us, and you love us—always.
Even though we have made a mess of things personally
and collectively you remain faithful. We rejoice that your Son came not to a
perfect world, but to a broken world, our world. To bring light to the
darkness, our darkness.
We pray for our dark and dreary world, a world in
need—in need not just of a technical fix, but in need of love and grace,
forgiveness and new life, hope, peace, and fellowship, in need of renewal, in
need of YOU.
We pray that you would come alongside us and all
those for whom we pray, that you would show us Jesus, the light of the world,
the one who came (and who comes) to rid us of sin, to give us life and health
and peace, peace that passes all understanding—not a temporary respite from
trouble but the strength to overcome it and ultimately to receive life eternal.
You don’t wave a magic wand for everything to sorted instantly—you require us
to exercise our faith and to respond to your call to preach the gospel and to
seek to live it out, to look to you for the strength that we need to share your
love and grace. Help us to share the good news in word and action—the same good
news that the fishermen were called to proclaim, that there is a Saviour, a
merciful king who loves us and whom we can love and adore.
We have been set free. Enable us to use our freedom
to share in bringing in the kingdom. In the light of this we have something to
celebrate, something to shout about—for even in our trouble and pain, even in
our loss, we know that Jesus is with us.
Hear us as we pray for those in darkness (of
whatever kind)—let us pray that they may see and know the light of Christ.
The Lord is my light and my salvation. Hear our
prayers, Lord, spoken and unspoken and answer them for Jesus’s sake. Amen
—Rev. Ian McLean
posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website
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