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       JUST IN TIME!

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PRAYERS FOR ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS

       JUST IN TIME!

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      PRAYERS FOR

       ADVENT AND

       CHRISTMAS

      Edited by

       David N. Mosser

       with

       Estee Carel Valendy

      Abingdon Press

       Nashville

       JUST IN TIME!

       PRAYERS FOR ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS

       Copyright © 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 by Abingdon Press

      All rights reserved.

      Prayers may be reproduced provided the following credit line and copyright notice appear on each copy: "From Prayers for Advent and Christmas by David Neil Mosser Sr. with Estee Carel Valendy. Copyright © 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 by Abingdon Press. Reproduced by permission." No other part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Abingdon Press, P.O. Box 801, 201 Eighth Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37202-0801 or [email protected].

       This book is printed on acid-free paper.

       Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been requested.

      ISBN 978-1-4267-4822-6

      Scripture quotations unless otherwise noted are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

      Scripture quotations noted THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

      12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21—10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

       With loving-kindness to the church staff

       of First United Methodist Church of Arlington, Texas,

       and two leaders who inspire them:

       Mary Lobban and Brian Young

      CONTENTS

       Introduction

       First Sunday of Advent

       Second Sunday of Advent

       Third Sunday of Advent

       Fourth Sunday of Advent

       Christmas Eve 1

       Christmas Eve 2

       Christmas Day

       Sunday after Christmas

       Epiphany

      INTRODUCTION

      Achurch that "prays together, stays together" goes a variation on theme. The book in your hands is an attempt to formulate prayers that speak to God on behalf of God's people. The content of the prayers contained herein is of all kinds. Some are pastoral prayers, some are prayers of confession, with some benedictions and words of pardon included for good measure. Despite the differences among the prayers they do have a few things in common. First of all, they are corporate prayers in the sense that they are to be prayed by or over the community of faith. These are prayers of the people.

      Second, all of the worship materials in this little book have to do with the liturgical or worship seasons of Advent and Christmas. These two seasons begin the new church year and offer a worship sense of beginning anew. For many modern folk, the season of Christmas—and most especially Christmas Eve—may be one of only two holy days (the other being Easter, of course) that people enter into a sanctuary to worship. Therefore, these Advent and Christmas worship prayers may be a good deal of the spiritual nutrition that many receive for a year. Yet the attraction of Christmas and Easter is undeniable for many in our culture. People still want to hear the good news!

      The four Sundays of Advent address the reason that people like us need a messiah in the first place. Advent is the season of Christ's coming. In these weeks of Advent, God speaks to God's people by way of prophecy, anticipation, and expectation. Advent is also about waiting. For what exactly are we waiting?

      We are waiting for Jesus. Advent means the appearance or coming of the Lord Jesus according to New Testament theology. As a result, Paul writes in his letters about the two comings of the Lord. The first coming of the Lord is what Christians celebrate when they observe the festival of Christmas. The Second Advent is what the church calls the parousia, or the so-called Second Coming of Christ. This theological doctrine addresses Jesus' return to end history as human beings understand it. The Second Coming also ushers in what some Hebrew prophets call "the day of the Lord." So as we prepare for either advent, first or second, we wait and this is part of the spiritual discipline we use in Advent.

      Paul reminds the church at Philippi that the Lord will protect and fulfill the Lord's promise on this day. Thus, the theological importance of the Advent of Christ and Christmas that follows has deep implications for our faith. The coming of Christ is a tangible symbol of the fulfillment of God's millennial promises to God's people.

      To bring all this theology back to liturgical earth we might suggest that when life is tough on Christians, then the best Christian defense is to remember what God has done. One of the most faithful ways to remember is to rehearse and practice telling the great stories of our faith. This is in part what we do in worship. Liturgy or worship is a "work of the people" as we gather to hear and celebrate what God has done for us. But that is not all. We also celebrate what God is doing today and what God WILL DO for God's people in the future. All this celebration we do while waiting, and it is focused in our divine worship of God. To remember these activities and promises of God is to be filled with joy.

      God promises to do for God's people everything that these persons cannot or will not do for themselves. These divine gifts provide human creatures with every reason for joy and rejoicing. We use worship to rejoice, celebrate, and thank God among other things. To be filled with the promises of God is to realize that joy is in us. As a preacher friend of ours fondly says: "Joy is not a thing; it is in us." In other words, we do not grab for joy, rather joy grabs us. It is for this reason that Paul can say—and mean it—"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). We, as Christians, rejoice because we know the source of our joy is not within us. Our joy comes from God.

      As you contemplate and use the prayers in this book for worship in the congregation-—and perhaps in your own devotional life—know that worship is a way to wait for the glory of the Lord. Worship is a way we express thanksgiving

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