“God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.” (Psalm 46:1-3)
In this Advent season, we cry out, Come, Come, Immanuel.
We pray for our siblings in Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee,
who face the devastation of tornado damage.
We pray for those who have lost loved ones,
for those who are waiting for help,
for those who have lost everything.
We pray for those who need food,
for those who need shelter and clothing
and protection from the cold weather.
May they find the hope, peace, joy, and love
in disaster response teams,
in neighbors,
in government and community leaders,
and in leaders rising up in the crisis.
May they be comfort for your people, O God.
We trust “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth;
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God'” (Luke 3:4-6).
We pray in the name of the one who comes,
Wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in in a manger,
born in Bethlehem.
Amen
