A Christmas Prayer

Our town has an annual “Olde Fashioned Christmas” celebration each year at the beginning of December. Local clergy rotate offering a prayer, leading Christmas carols, and “blessing” the tree. This year I had the blessing. I think it’s silly to bless a tree and so, when it’s my turn for the blessing, I fudge a little and usually pray for God’s blessing on the community, and offer a reminder of the Gospel, with some thoughts about how a tree might draw our minds in that direction. Anyhow, I did that in the form of a responsive reading this year, which I’ll share here for your Christmas Eve reading. May it be edifying to you, and may you experience the Lord’s blessing on you this Christmas season.Bless us the ChristmasWe are gathered tonight around our community Christmas tree. Trees play a pivotal role in the biblical story, from the opening chapters of Genesis, all the way through to the final chapter of the final book, Revelation.So in this responsive reading we will rehearse some of that history, and consider how our minds can be drawn to Christ and his work when we look at this tree. After each statement or petition I read, please respond together, “Bless us this Christmas.”Father God, who created the world out of nothing,Bless us this ChristmasCreator God, who caused the earth to bring forth life,Bless us this ChristmasLoving God, who made mankind in your own image,Bless us this ChristmasProviding God, who blessed our first parents with the fruit of every tree—save one,Bless us this ChristmasMerciful God, who judged our parents for their sin, but also promised a Redeemer,Bless us this ChristmasJealous God, who hates our sin, and desires our pure worship,Bless us this ChristmasSpeaking God, who sent your prophets with messages of judgement and salvation,Bless us this ChristmasSaving God, who sent your eternal Son into the world,Bless us this ChristmasGlad God, who sent an angelic choir to herald the Incarnation,Bless us this ChristmasHoly God, whose Son made atonement for our sin upon the Tree,Bless us this ChristmasJust God, who accepts Jesus’ work, and gave him resurrection,Bless us this ChristmasAdopting God, who gives those who trust in Jesus the status of your children,Bless us this ChristmasGracious God, who sends his Spirit and grants salvation,Bless us this ChristmasRedeeming God, who gives eternal life to those who trust your promises,Bless us this ChristmasWe ask, oh God, that as we see this tree, that we would remember the coming of Jesus, and his for us upon that tree on Calvary, where he purchased our salvation. Grant each one here the faith to trust in his finished work, and the assurance that they will one day be gathered with him around the Tree of Life. Together we pray,Bless us this Christmas.Amen.Stopping to Think is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit willdole.substack.com/subscribe