Last evening my church, St. George’s Episcopal Church in Nashville, held their annual SILENT NIGHT: Service of Remembrance, Hope, and Healing. This service is a sacred space for acknowledging losses and difficult experiences in the past year while also recognizing the hope and healing that we have in Christ. It is a time to light a candle in remembrance of a loved one or as a sign of hope during difficult times. We also offer healing prayer and anointing with oil for those who desire it.
Below I’ve listed the Prayers that we said last night for you and everyone. These prayers are so that we might grieve together but also so that together we remember the promises in Jesus Christ that light will overcome the darkness. Would you forward this to everyone who may be having a difficult time during the holidays this year? Let them know that we are praying for them.
Prayers of the People
“In the spirit of this time of year, let us now ask our God for what we need for ourselves and for others. We participate in the Christmas season as people coping with loss, pain, suffering, loneliness, grief, and sadness.
Merciful God, we come to you with hurt and sadness inside. As the nights grow longer, so has the darkness wrapped itself around our hearts. In this season of our longest nights, we offer to you the pain in our hearts, the traumas that some of us cannot put into words. Loving God, hear our prayer,
And in your merciful love, answer us.
Compassionate God, there are those among us who are grieving. A death, separation, divorce or loss has changed our experience of Christmas. Once it was a special day for us too, but someone has died or moved away. Or we have lost a job or experienced other kinds of loss or sadness. We find ourselves adrift, alone and lost. Lord help us to find our way. Loving God, hear our prayer,
And in your merciful love, answer us.
Blessed God, sometimes the Christmas season reminds us of all that used to be but is not anymore. All around us we hear the sounds of celebration and yet our pain is real. Please be near us this night. Loving God, hear our prayer,
And in your merciful love, answer us.
Holy God, as we approach the Christmas season, we are reminded of the hope we have in Christ our Lord. We offer our hopes and dreams to you this night. Help us, guide us, encourage and protect us, we pray. Loving God, hear our prayer,
And in your merciful love, answer us.”
Amen.
To all my readers: I’m keeping all of you in my prayers during this Advent season as we wait for the joyous coming of our Lord.
Blessings, my friend,
Agatha