Perhaps one the more difficult aspect of our moment in history is the paradox of repetitive days amid the uncertainties of what tomorrow brings. These mixed realities can make our every day existence feel aimless. Since we all share in this oddity, let us pray these words adapted from Earnest Campbell for one another with intimate empathy.
As we look to the world within and without, we are prompted to lay our many needs before you Father. Enlightened by our Savior’s birth, death, and resurrection, we ask for power to overcome whatever in us runs counter to his love, and for courage to be loyal to the light he came to share.
May his lowliness and sacrifice curb our self-seeking focus,
his humility melt away our pride,
his purity condemn our lust,
his love for people shame the love we waste on things,
his sense of mission challenge our aimlessness.
Give us feeling for those whose lot in life—always or even just today—is harder than our own, and a particular concern for those who live and as though Christ has not come, who do not know that at the heart of things love reigns, and heaven cares.
All of this we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.