Transcription

[Matthew Kiley]

Welcome to Bridgeway Christian Church's Daily Advent Prayer. Today is Tuesday, December 2nd. My name is Matthew Kiley and I have been part of the Bridgeway community for 13 years.

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 Advent wreath. The circular nature of the Advent wreath reflects the eternal nature of God.

As Psalm 90, verse 2 tells us, The branches that stay green even through the darkest days of winter are also meant to remind us of the hope we have in Christ, who is with us even in the darkest moments of our lives. The green that persists even in the winter is also meant to remind us of Christ's triumph over death. Advent wreaths also traditionally include holly leaves, whose sharp points remind us of Jesus' crown of thorns and red holly berries that remind us of Christ's bloodshed for the sake of humankind.

Let's pray. Almighty and everlasting God, we thank you that you are eternal. We remember the words of Job 36, verse 26, which tells us that the number of your years is unsearchable.

We thank you that you are unchanging as your word says you are the same yesterday, today, and forever. We thank you that you are faithful, that you keep your promises, and that your love for us is sure. We thank you for eternal life that is available to us through your Son Jesus Christ, who humbled himself to the point of death, even death on the cross, and who was raised to life on the third day.

We thank you that as your word says, you made him who knew no sin to be sin, so through him we might become the righteousness of God. We thank you that eternal life begins now and continues on into eternity. Help us today to remember that we are participants in the kingdom of God, sent on mission to be a force for good in this world.

We pray for those we know who are suffering as you bring them to mind. May you fill them with the hope that only you can give, and may they know your presence and your power. We thank you that your light shines into the darkness, and that the darkness will not overcome it.

I will pause now for one minute so that you can pray specifically for others. Jesus, if there are specific actions you would like us to take to serve those we know who are struggling, we pray you would show us how we can be a tangible blessing. We thank you for the hope that you give us, hope that we are reminded of during the Advent season as we prepare to celebrate your birth and as we look forward to your return.

Finally, we thank you, Jesus, for your perfect life and for your sacrificial death. Thank you that though you are God, you laid down your life to save us. You truly are the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.

It is by your wounds that we are healed, and it is through your sacrificial death that we find forgiveness and freedom. We thank you that we who were dead in our trespasses have been made alive together with you, and that we can live this day in the hope of eternal life which you have secured for us. Empower us today to live as people of hope, to remember your promises, and to seek to share the love you have for us with others.

We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.