Epiphany Prayers of Thanksgiving and Concern

3T001
In the darkness of time,
you created all that lives and breathes.
In the darkness of Mary’s womb,
you nurtured the Christ-child, bringer of light.
In the darkness of our world, O God, your spirit sustains us.
O God, we know you are with us in darkness and light.

Under the cover of darkness,
Magi followed the star to the Christ-child.
O God, we know you are with us in darkness and light.

In blessed desert darkness,
Mary and Joseph fled to safety in Egypt with the infant Jesus.
O God, we know you are with us in darkness and light.

In quiet darkness,
dreams emerge, guiding the Holy Family home to Galilee.
O God, we know you are with us in darkness and light.

In the stillness of the dark,
we pray for all who need God’s presence in a special way—
all who are sick, unemployed,
bereaved, persecuted, or homeless;
all who are demoralized and discouraged,
all whose fear has turned to cynicism,
all whose vulnerability has become bitterness.
O God, we know you are with us in darkness and light.

In the embrace of darkness,
we pray for those who are near to our hearts—
colleagues, partners, parents, children, neighbours, friends.
We thank you God for their presence,
and ask you to bless and protect them in all that they do—
at home, at school, as they travel, as they work, as they play.
O God, we know you are with us in darkness and light.

In the serenity of darkness, we bring to you, O God,
our fears and concerns, our hopes and our visions.
In your presence, we come face to face with ourselves,
and with the road that lies ahead of us.
In the solitude of darkness
we find expectant hope for the journey.
O God, we know you are with us in darkness and light.

[Celebrate God’s Presence: A Book of Services for the United Church of Canada Etobecoke, Ontario: The United Church Publishing House, 2000.]