Disciples of Jesus – Praising God – Caring for Its Community

Prayer Booklet 88

Booklet 36   Monday, 20th December, 2021

Dear Reader, I am continuing our reflections and prayers for advent.  I hope you are all well and finding new joy in turning your eyes and hearts to the true meaning of Christmas – in spite of the trials of life.  For this week I am going to ask you to reflect on the words of well-known Christmas Carols.  Pray before you read them (or sing them as you read) and ask God to bless you with a new sense of his grace, love and presence:

Make way, make way, for Christ the King in splendour arrives;
fling wide the gates and welcome him into your lives.

Make way! Make way! For the King of kings.
Make way! Make way! And let His kingdom in.

He comes the broken hearts to heal, the prisoners to free;
the deaf shall hear, the lame shall dance, the blind shall see.

And those who mourn with heavy hearts, who weep and sigh,
with laughter, joy and royal crown he’ll beautify.

We call you now to worship Him as Lord of all.
to have no gods before him, their thrones must fall!

Now, pray again…

I wish you all to know the blessings of God over this Christmas time, even as we still have issues to deal with.  He is Sovereign Lord.  Please contact me with requests if you wish prayer. I can still send them out to the group: christistewart@btinternet.com

Tuesday 21st December, 2021

Remember: Pray before reflecting, and pray after…

When out of poverty is born
a dream that will not die,
and landless, weary folk find strength
to stand with heads held high,
it’s then we learn from those who wait
to greet the promised day,
‘The Lord is coming; don’t lose heart.
Be blest; prepare the way!’

When people wander far from God,
forget to share their bread,
they find their wealth an empty thing,
their spirits are not fed.
For only just and tender love
the hungry soul will stay.
And so God’s prophets echo still
‘Be blest; prepare the way!’

When God took flesh and came to earth,
the world turned upside down,
and in the strength of woman’s faith
the Word of Life was born.
She knew that God would raise the low,
it pleased her to obey.
Rejoice with Mary in the call,
‘Be blest; prepare the way!’

Wednesday, 22nd December, 2021

Remember: Pray before reflecting, and pray after…

Child in the manger,
infant of Mary;
outcast  and stranger,
Lord of all!
Child who inherits
all our transgressions,
all our demerits
on Him fall.

Once the most holy
child of salvation
gently and lowly
lived below;
now as our glorious
mighty Redeemer,
see Him victorious
o’er each foe.

Prophets foretold Him,
infant of wonder;
angels behold Him
on His throne;
worthy our Saviour
of all their praises;
happy for ever are His own.

Thursday 23rd December, 2021

Remember: Pray before reflecting, and pray after…

Hark! the herald angels sing,
‘Glory to the new-born King,
peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!’
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies,
with the angelic hosts proclaim,
‘Christ is born in Bethlehem’.
Hark!  the herald angels sing,
‘Glory to the new-born King’.

Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold Him come,
offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail, the Incarnate Deity,
pleased as Man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel!

Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
born that man no more may die,
born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give them second birth:

Friday 24th December, 2021

Remember: Pray before reflecting, and pray after…

Once in royal David’s city
stood a lowly cattle shed,
where a mother laid her Baby
in a manger for His bed.
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.

He came down to earth from heaven
who is God and Lord of all,
and His shelter was a stable,
and His cradle was a stall.
With the poor and meek and lowly
lived on earth our Saviour holy.

And our eyes at last shall see Him,
through His own redeeming love;
for that Child so dear and helpless
is our Lord in heaven above;
and He leads His children on
to the place where He is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable,
with the oxen standing by,
we shall see Him;  but in heaven,
set at God’s right hand on high,
where His children gather round,
bright like stars, with glory crowned.

Saturday 25th December, 2021

Remember: Pray before reflecting, and pray after…

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see you lie!
Above your deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by;
yet in your streets is shining the everlasting Light;
the hopes and fears of all the years are met in you tonight.

O morning stars, together proclaim the holy birth,
and praises sing to God the King, and peace to all on earth.
For Christ is born of Mary; and, gathered all above,
while mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wondering love.

How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming; but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive Him still the dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
cast out our sin, and enter in; be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel.

 Sunday 26th December, 2020

Remember: Pray before reflecting, and pray after…

Angels from the realms of glory,
wing your flight o’er all the earth;
ye who sang creation’s story
now proclaim Messiah’s birth:

Come and worship,
Christ the new-born King.
Come and worship,
worship Christ the new-born King.

Shepherds in the fields abiding,
watching o’er your flocks by night,
God with us is now residing,
yonder shines the infant Light:

Wise men, leave your contemplations;
brighter visions beam afar;
seek the great Desire of nations;
ye have seen His natal star:

Though an infant now we view Him,
He will share His Father’s throne,
gather all the nations to Him;
every knee shall then bow down:

All creation, join in praising
God the Father, Spirit, Son,
evermore your voices raising
to the eternal Three in One:

And because it is Sunday, here is another to reflect on all that we have been remembering…

Remember: Pray before reflecting, and pray after…

See! in yonder manger low,
born for us on earth below.
See! the tender Lamb appears,
promised from eternal years.

Hail, thou ever-blessed morn!
Hail redemption’s happy dawn!
Sing through all Jerusalem,
‘Christ is born in Bethlehem!’

Lo! within a manger lies
He who built the starry skies,
He who, throned in height sublime,
sits amid the cherubim.

Say, ye holy shepherds, say,
what your joyful news today;
wherefore have ye left your sheep
on the lonely mountain steep?

‘As we watched at dead of night,
lo! we saw a wondrous light:
angels, singing peace on earth,
told us of the Saviour’s birth.’

Sacred Infant, all Divine,
what a tender love was thine,
thus to come from highest bliss
down to such a world as this!