Christmas Eve 2024 Prayer for the Pastor, Deacon, Chaplain

December 24, 2024 – Christmas Eve

O holy One,  holy moley – the day is here. And it’s just like any other day in the reality of your love and faithfulness to me. And yet, it feels like there is a lot on the line. So help me put the line down, help me step over it, erase it, forget about it. Your story is the greatest love story ever told and I get to help point to that amidst people’s every day lives. This day is about a transformational love and it changes everything. And this day is about the kind of love that meets me quietly, stubbornly. In the dark and quiet places. And you meet me in the chaos of family gatherings that strain under the weight of unrealistic expectations. Calm my nerves, stir up my heart, God, and remind me just what this all about in the first place. Meet me in my own messy life. Meet me in my own failings and successes and whisper your love to me. Or shout it, depending on what’s going on and if I’m being stubborn or fancying myself too busy with all the things that surround Christmas. Oh, it is so hard. And it is so good. Help me go with the flow of today, whatever that means. And remind people that they don’t have to save themselves. And remind me that I don’t have to, either.

Help me to believe the angel. Heck, send one if you must. I am yours, God. You are mine. I won’t be afraid. Your Good News is what saves. Thank you, thank you, thank you, God! Amen.