Glorious God,

You are the giver of hope:
when we are in need of rescue, you are our deliverer,
when we are in deep pain, you are our comforter,
when we are in despair, you are our delight.

Hope is not lost, for in the most desperate of times,
you came in the flesh to bring us salvation.

When all seemed lost, you were born to gain the world.
When the world was covered in darkness, you became a great light,
and you shine so bright that no evil can overcome your glory.

Praise be to God.

Amen

-Thom Turner at Everyday Liturgy

Jesus,
It’s a good thing you were born at night.
This world sure seems dark.
I have a good eye for silver linings.
But they seem dimmer lately.

These killings, Lord.
These children, Lord.
Innocence violated.
Raw evil demonstrated.
The whole world seems on edge.
Trigger-happy.
Ticked off.
We hear threats of chemical weapons and nuclear bombs.
Are we one button-push away from annihilation?
Your world seems a bit darker this Christmas.

But you were born in the dark, right?
You came at night.
The shepherds were nightshift workers.
The Wise Men followed a star.
Your first cries were heard in the shadows.
To see your face, Mary and Joseph needed a candle flame.

It was dark.

Dark with Herod’s jealousy.
Dark with Roman oppression.
Dark with poverty.
Dark with violence.
Herod went on a rampage, killing babies.
Joseph took you and your mom into Egypt.
You were an immigrant before you were a Nazarene.
Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your day.
Won’t you enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed.
We, like the wise men, are looking for a star.
We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger.

This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us. 

Amen.

-Max Lucado