Transcription

[Jesus Real]

Welcome to Bridgeway Christian Church's Daily Advent Prayer. Today is Tuesday December 16th. My name is Jesus Real and I have been part of the Bridgeway community for just over a year.

Today and every Tuesday during Advent we will reflect on the symbols of this season and let them guide our prayers. Today we will consider the nativity scene and how it invites us to reflect on the various aspects of the Christmas story. Nativity scenes are popular Christmas decorations and come in many forms.

They are meant to serve as a visual reminder of many of the events surrounding the birth of Christ. Traditionally a nativity scene includes figures of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, along with figures of the Wise Men from Matthew 2. Some scenes also include the shepherds from Luke 2, an angel, and animals.

In our prayer today we will remember some of these key figures from the story and let them guide our prayers. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we are now in the joy and we rejoice in the fast approaching celebration of Christ's birth.

Today as we reflect on the nativity scene we remember those who were present for that miracle all those years ago. As we remember Mary we pray her words from Luke 1. My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

We thank you for Mary's extraordinary faith and the trust she placed in you as she carried the Christ child in her womb. Show us today what it means to magnify you and to truly rejoice in you. As we remember Joseph we remember how sensitive he was to listen to your voice when you spoke to him.

Not only did he listen but he also responded in obedience by taking Mary as his wife and caring for her. Teach us to hear your voice and respond in obedience even when it's difficult or when we struggle to make sense of what you are saying. As we remember the shepherds we remember the joyful message of Christ's birth that was delivered to them while they were in the fields.

We remember how they rushed to see the newborn baby Jesus and we remember the words of Luke 2 which tell us that when they returned from visiting him they were glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told to them. We pray today that you would give us the same sense of joy as we consider the miracle of Christmas. As we remember the wise men who came from a different culture far away to worship Jesus we thank you that your kingdom is a multicultural kingdom made up of people from all over the world.

You came to save and set free people from every tribe, tongue and nation. We thank you for the incredible ways that you are at work in our culture and in so many other cultures in the world. We pray you would use believers from backgrounds different from our own to teach us how to know you more deeply and follow you more closely.

Finally we remember Jesus the image of the invisible God the firstborn of all creation. The one through whom all things were created in heaven and on earth. The one who is before all things and in whom all things hold together.

The one who is all of these things and yet humbled himself to be born as a baby. We thank you for his coming at Christmas. We pray you would fill us with joy today as we prepare to celebrate his birth.

We pray these things in Jesus name, Amen.