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 “Be thou my vision”
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 78
The sons of Ephraim were archers equipped with bows,
Yet they turned back on the day of battle.
10 They did not keep the covenant of God
And refused to walk in His Law;
11 They forgot His deeds
And His miracles that He had shown them.
12 He performed wonders before their fathers
In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea and caused them to pass through,
And He made the waters stand up like a heap.
14 Then He led them with the cloud by day
And all the night with a light of fire.
15 He split the rocks in the wilderness
And gave them plenty to drink like the ocean depths.
16 He brought forth streams from the rock
And made waters run down like rivers.
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 Myanmar, for people in lockdown, the roll out of the vaccine programme, Hong Kong, Belarus, Russia, for the war torn in Syria, for people in Nigeria and Ethiopia, for the Uighurs and Rohingas, 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
