Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. [Matthew 6:9-13]
Holy Spirit, as this year winds down and we draw close to starting a new year, please help me with my perspective of life right now and the life I seek. Help me to remember why Christ came, the way He came, and why that is so vital to the core of my faith. Let me remember that God gave pieces of the mystery to come through the prophets like Isaiah. There are prophecies yet to be fulfilled; help me to be aware and watchful. Most of all, help me to breathe, slow down, and find the hope, joy, and peace that should be part of my life right now. I know we are rushed with parties, purchasing presents, doing different year end projects, but do we have time to see the wonder of a baby of virgin birth foretold of hundreds if not a thousand years before, who would come into the world not as a rich king but as a lowly son of a carpenter and his wife to offer us freedom of the sin that Adam and Eve allowed into our world that creates the decay, evil and sin of the world around us. The very hope of eternity starts at that manger and ends with the stone being rolled away to show God is greater than death.
Help me and my brothers and sisters of Christ to take time to be unified in telling and living the truth of hope that comes from the salvation that started in the manger and still resonates and lives today. Thank You, Jesus, for coming and dwelling among us. Amen