November 29
A Prayer for Advent
Excerpted from To Light Their Way by Kayla Craig
O come, Emmanuel.
We enter this time of Advent
With holy anticipation.
We enter this sacred season
With bated breath.
O come, Emmanuel.
We’re prone to get tangled
In sparkling lights and glittering tinsel,
Lost in to-do lists
Swallowed in the seas
Of ribbons and restless hearts and weary souls.
O come, Emmanuel.
Our nights have not been silent,
Calm, or bright.
Lost in to-do lists
We have been up late
Squinting at the stars,
Trying to make sense
Of the hurting world our children will inherit,
And our weary hearts in it all.
O come, Emmanuel.
We see the wonder etched in our children’s eyes,
And we ask for our grown-up anxieties
To be set free
As we await the day
To celebrate
The God who made a way.
O come, Emmanuel.
Ignite in us the awe of a child,
Looking into a manger scene
As we wait on the promise
Of the coming infant King
In a humble stable.
O come, Emmanuel.
The whole world waits for You.
We are at war with each other
And ourselves.
We have clung to our idols
Of power and pocketbooks,
And we cry out for the ways
We have reflected King Herod,
Even as we ache for You,
Prince of Peace.
O come, Emmanuel.
The whole world waits for You.
We are at war with each other
And ourselves.
We have clung to our idols
Of power and pocketbooks,
And we cry out for the ways
We have reflected King Herod,
Even as we ache for You,
Prince of Peace.
O come, Emmanuel.
Help us light the candles
And illuminate the darkness
Within us.
O Light of the world,
Be with us as we recite these stories
With our children—
Of shepherds and angels and
Peace for all people.
Ring the bells
Of righteousness, of justice, of hope.
O come, Emmanuel.
Help us prepare the way
In our hearts and in our home,
In our family and in our children.
As we hang stockings and ornaments,
As we frost cookies and tie bows,
We know Your peace
Can’t be bought or packaged.
O come, Emmanuel.
We anticipate great news
That we so desperately need.
Break into this world
Again and again and again.
Like You did so many years ago.
Bring joy to the people,
Hope to the hopeless,
Light to the darkness.
And may we and our children
Prepare You room
So that we may be instruments
Of Your peace.
O come, Emmanuel.
We thank You for this time of anticipation
And for the glimmers of Your light
Spilling in even now
Among the ornaments and the candy canes.
We thank You for this time of together.
Help us to get quiet, to get small
So we can make space in our souls
For the Newborn
Who will illuminate the darkness
And change everything.
O come,
O come,
Emmanuel.
“God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” John 1: 3-5, NLT
To Light Their Way
A Collection of Prayers and Liturgies for Parents
