Gracious God,
we hear the promise of the coming of Jesus into a manger
and into our hearts and homes.
Bless our Advent waiting;
fill our worship with anticipation of Your love;
dedicate us to prepare Your way by lifting up the valleys in our lives
and making smooth the rough places of others.
We pray in the name of Emmanuel – God with us.
Maren C. Tirabassi, American poet and Congregational minister
The Westminster Collection of Christian Prayers
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A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
prayer & verse 