| During the high seasons of the liturgical year (Advent and Lent), I like to read traditional prayers. The prayers that have been passed down through the ages carry with them a connection to all the saints who have prayed them. Okay, maybe not a literal connection, but a figurative one for sure. Often when I pray them, I envision the saints of old praying the same words at the same time. In one voice we lift our prayers before God. Give it a try. Below are some Advent prayers. As you read these prayers aloud, imagine saints all over the globe at different times in history praying the same words as you do. Together, in unison, voices are lifted to God Almighty. O God, you so loved the world as to give your only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Grant to us the precious gift of faith, that we may know that the Son of God is come and may have the power to overcome the world and gain blessed immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Ever-present God, you taught us that the night is far spent, and the day is at hand. Grant that we may ever be found watching for the coming of your Son. Save us from undue love of the world, that we may wait with patient hope for the day of the Lord, and so abide in him, that when he shall appear, we may not be ashamed; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and forever. Amen.  This Week’s Readings: *Monday – 2 Peter 1 | 2 Peter 2 | 2 Peter 3 | John 1 *Tuesday – John 2 | John 3 | John 4 *Wednesday- John 5 | John 6 *Thursday – John 7 | John 8 *Friday- John 9 | John 10 | John 11 Please Pray for: • An end to the Covid Crisis. • Our children as they cope with world issues. • All ministry events inside and outside the walls of St. Paul. • Families in crisis. • Loved ones battling illness. • Those seeking to find their way. • The St. Paul Church family. • The United Methodist Church family. • Our leaders, our country, and our world. |
| “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6 |