Take me to Bethlehem
House of bread
Where the empty are filled
The poor find riches
And the rich recognise their poverty
Where all kneel and worship
And all are fed.
Song “He will hold me fast”
A candle is lit.
I light a candle for light, sending
prayers high into the inky heavens and
dreams deep into our human soul.
We light a candle for light. May it light our way.
Psalm 76
You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;
The earth feared and was still
9 When God arose to judgment,
To save all the humble of the earth.
10 For the wrath of mankind shall praise You;
You will encircle Yourself with a remnant of wrath.
11 Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them;
All who are around Him are to bring gifts to Him who is to be feared.
12 He will cut off the spirit of princes;
He is feared by the kings of the earth.
The Lord’s Prayer in our own language
Our Prayers
I pray for people and situations that are on my heart today ...
We pray for the US, for the UK with lockdown and vaccine programme, Hong Kong, Belarus and Russia, for the war torn in Syria, for people in Nigeria and Ethiopia, for the Uighurs and Rohingas, for people in lockdown, for people sick with Covid, for people who are lonely, for people who are hungry, for people working in hospitals and care homes, for people suffering from war particularly the children, for people imprisoned for protesting about the abuse of human rights, for people suffering from climate change, for the vulnerable and those sick and dying, for the homeless, for over 60 million asylum seekers and refugees, for our governments to make the right decisions, and for our children and grandchildren who we must give a better future.
May we not fail you though we face great dangers.
Give us your peace, your wisdom and your strength. Amen
Closing Responses
When the star in the sky has gone
And the wise men have gone back to their homes
The real work of Christmas begins
To find the lost,
heal the broken,
feed the hungry
and release the prisoner. Amen
Pat Nimmo with thanks to © Janet Morley adapted
