Heavenly Father,
As I live these days of gratitude and grace,
celebrating the birth of your son,
guide my heart that I may mark this season as a time of joy
and a time of remembrance.
Help me to remember those who are too often forgotten
after the great feast of Christmas comes and goes.
Help me remember the poor, who are still with us,
those who are sick, especially those without family or friends
to visit and care for them.
Help me remember those who are lonely or brokenhearted,
and those who are often left out.
Help me remember the men, women, and children
living in the cold.
Lord, help me help all of these your children;
help me find ways to uplift them, console them, love them.
May I fight for justice for them in whatever ways I can.
When the music stops playing
and the carolers stop singing
and the world returns to what it was before,
may I continue to be a herald of Emmanuel,
and sing of your glory, strong and clear,
reminding everyone I meet
of your greatest gift to our weary world—
your son, Jesus the Christ.
Amen.
