Daily Prayer for the Second Friday in Advent

​“Born Thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a King…”        
                                                       —-Charles Wesley, 1744

Preparation for worship
Sit in a relaxed position. Take a slow, deep breath (or 2 or 3 or as many as needed) until you feel your body, mind, and soul begin to relax and rest in the Spirit.  Take time to reflect as you move through this time of worship…

Opening Sentences                                                                      Psalm 95:1
Come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

Prayer                                                                          Blair Gilmer Meeks, 2005
God of peace, when your Son Jesus was born of Mary,
tyrants ruled, and the people were afraid.
But you love justice;
you bring your peace in the midst of great trouble and strife.
Free us from fear; bring us to your joy.
Hear our prayers and accept our thanksgiving.
Make us ready for the coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord,
in whose name we pray.

Hymn of the Day                            
Silent Night/7 O’ Clock News, by Simon and Garfunkel.  Listen and pray. 

Reading of the Day                                                             Matthew 1: 1-17
1 An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, 4 and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

Prayers for self and others
Please pray today for those who are being affected by COVID-19 and by its side effects in our world.  Pray for the thousands who are still being diagnosed positive in the U.S. each day, for Becky’s sister’s coworker Denie and her husband; for Cindy and Eddye Stelchek; for Susan Smith’s brother-in-law John, who is still hospitalized with the virus after four weeks, and for Susan’s sister, who can’t visit him; for Delphine Zarsky’s niece’s family; for the Meyers family, six of whom are positive and one of whom is hospitalzed; for a colleague in the Presbytery.  As we hear of more friends who are directly affected, or who are working in high risk places, we will list them here. Pray today for doctors treating COVID patients here in Houston, as the numbers surge again.  Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God.

Benediction
May starlight guide your steps towards this place of wonder
May angels sing their news as you travel to the manger
May promise fill these days as we watch at the edge of birth
and may faith tell you, Emmanuel will be with us soon, in human skin.  Amen.