Advent, Day Sixteen

Advent, Day Sixteen
The Father's love was so unlimited that he wanted us to know that love and to find in it the fulfillment of our deepest desires. So, he sent us you, dear Lord Jesus, with a human heart big enough to hold all human loneliness and all human anguish. Your heart is not a heart of stone but a heart of flesh; your heart of flesh is not narrowed by human sin and unfaithfulness, but is as wide and deep as divine love itself. Your heart does not distinguish between rich and poor, friend and enemy, female and male, slave and free, sinner and saint. Your heart is open to receive anyone with total, unrestricked love..

Henri J.M. Nouwen
Heart Speaks to Heart: Three Prayers to Jesus, pg 57

Scripture:
²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”   Matthew 11:28-30

 

First Presbyterian Church Advent - 2020

Prayer

 A Prayer for the Lonely

Living God,

You chose to become one of us. Flesh and blood, Jesus You came near to us. Meet me, Emmanuel, in the loneliness deep within my soul. I ache to be fully seen, fully known, fully understood. Share my pain and heal my wounds, with a warm and tender hand.

I cannot overcome my worries, fears, and anxieties on my own. I need you, Emmanuel. You have walked on water and met me in the storm. You were with me in my despair and confusion. You stayed with me in my grief and bereavement. You breathed hope and resurrected peace in me.

I am not meant to walk alone. I was made for companionship and connection. Yet shame still taunts me, and I hide behind distractions, leaving me empty and disconnected. Emmanuel, You alone can conquer the doubts overshadowing me. Interrupt the spiral of self-defeat.

Help me take inventory of the inputs that steal my joy and choose instead to dwell on your Living Word. Emmanuel, You alone can bring hope to my discouraged heart. In my relationships, give me the courage to desire connection over validation from others. Choosing intentionality over complacency.

Light of the world, You regarded our helplessness and came to live among us. Comfort us now in our loneliness as we draw near to You, the God of our salvation.

O come, O come, Emmanuel!

Listen! A virgin will be pregnant, she will give birth to a Son, and he will be known as “Emmanuel,” which means in Hebrew, “God became one of us.” - Matthew 1:23

Scripture

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Luke 2:13-14