Christmas Eve Prayer of the Church

Dr. Susan M. (Elli) Elliott. Source: http://ellielliott.webs.com

Fragile God, born in the night –

We listen in the clarity of the cold night air.

We hear the hoofs clopping in the dust,

a man's soft voice reassuring a tired woman.

We hear his voice inquiring,

"Is there room?"

"Is there room for us?"

Fragile God, born in the night –

We know the story.

We know that you are coming.

"Is there room?"

"Is there room for you?"

Fragile God, born in the night –

We see the shadowy figures finding the stable.

"There is no room."

We see the man preparing a place in the hay.

He makes room.

We see the woman moving heavily,

The hours of labor, the sweat, the tears, the cries,

the moans, the crushing grip of the hands.

We hear the insistent cry of the child wail out, born at last!

"Make room!"

"Make room for me!"

Fragile God, born in the night –

We hear your cry.

We hear from the hills and the pastures,

your cry as a newborn child ringing out in the still air,

your cry echoed

in the thunderous announcement from the skies.

We see you in the manger.

We travel across the miles to see,

your glory as a newborn child lying in a manger,

your glory reflected in the star we follow.

Fragile God, born in the night –

We have room for you.

We are poor scruffy shepherds and elegant educated kings.

We are servers in restaurants and CEO's of giant corporations.

We are villagers hauling water for our families from distant wells.

We are neurosurgeons holding life in our well-trained hands.

We are survivors of immense disasters struggling to rebuild lost lives.

If you use this material, please credit Dr. Susan M. (Elli) Elliott. Source: http://ellielliott.webs.com

We are young children entranced with the glitter and mystery

in the candle light of this night.

We are old grown-ups filled with the emotion

of accumulated Christmas nights.

We are members of big families joyfully reunited tonight,

harried with preparations and seating arrangements for dinner,

but glad to be catching up.

We are individuals alone,

especially aware of the absence of family members,

family living far away,

family taken by death,

family from whom we are estranged,

family we never had,

-- children we never had.

We are all these and more,

all of us aware tonight of the fullness of time,

of year following year,

another Christmas full of all the Christmases of the years,

of hearts filled with hearts,

Christmases full of all the people we love and who love us.

This time is very, very full for each of us –

yet we have room for you.

We come to your manger, each of us, in the stillness of this night,

Here we know our profound powerlessness,

and here you are –

a fragile powerless newborn,

yet the newborn child in whom we recognize the ruler of the universe.

We hear your newborn cry, the cry we have been waiting for –

"Make room! Make room for me!"

Fragile God, born in the night –

Meet us here at your manger.

Meet us as a newborn child meets new parents,

come to change our lives forever.

Meet us as the newborn

who insists that we make room for you,

who requires that we reorder our lives to pay attention to you,

who demands that we be re-centered on the very center of life.

If you use this material, please credit Dr. Susan M. (Elli) Elliott. Source: http://ellielliott.webs.com

Fragile God, born in the night –

You come as a tiny light in a vast darkness

yet that fragile and flickering light

changes the darkness completely.

Fragile God,

meet us here in the lighting of our small lights,

that we may know your awesome power making room among us

as the light that shines in the darkness,

the fragile light that the darkness cannot overpower.

Fragile God, there is room in our inn.

Be born in our night.

Amen.

Dr. Susan M. (Elli) Elliott