Prayer for Strength

Every day I need you Lord

But this day especially,

I need some extra strength

To face whatever is to be

This day more than any day

I need to feel you near,

To fortify my courage

And to overcome my fear.

By myself, I cannot meet

The challenge of the hour,

There are times when humans help,

But we need a higher power

To assist us bear what must be borne,

and so dear Lord, I pray,

Hold on to my trembling hand

And be near me today.

Amen

Closing Hymn

Closing Prayer:

Our Father

Closing Words of Thanks...

Our Father...

The Promise of the Almighty

Exodus 3:14

In the darkest of your past

And in the uncertainty of your future,

In the frustration of your helplessness

And in the blessing of your care:

I promise you...I will be there.

In the torment of your feelings

And in the integrity of your thought,

In the richness of your silence

And in the poverty of your speech:

I give you my promise...I will be there.

In the weight of your responsibilities

And in the emptiness of your busyness,

In the pain of your failure

And in the joy of your success:

I promise you...I Will be there.

In the coldness of your rejection

And in the warmth of you affection,

In the wound of your longing

And in the healing of your prayer:

I give you my promise...I will be there.

Words of Welcome:

I welcome each of you to this time of prayer.

Your presence here tonight is a sign of the strength

and the support that we can give each other in times

of difficulty.

We gather on this advent night, in the darkest time

of the year, mindful of the many challenges and

concerns facing people in our parish, across our

diocese, and across the country.

On this night we carry these concerns with us and

lay them down before our Lady in prayer—They are

the struggles of our children, our parents, our

neighbours, our friends, our strangers, ourselves.

Yet in the midst of Winter - when even nature itself

seems to be declaring decay-we gather as a people

of hope.

We gather as people who know that in the very

darkest hour our lady is with us. And she is our lady

of hope, our lady whose light is stronger than any

darkness….

Together, as one family of faith united in prayer this

night, let us stand and welcome in song the Lady of

light among us….

Opening Hymn and Procession:

Opening Monologues: We now take a few moments to acknowledge the reality facing many people in our community. These words, though scripted for tonight, might begin to put before us what many of us are experiencing in these days …

Young Person I was always told that if I worked hard, and got my exams all would

be well –but it’s not well, not well at all. I keep sending out CVs, I

want to work - I hate signing on – but I can’t get a job anywhere –

there are so many people out there all job hunting, they’re much

more experienced than me and some of them have lost their homes.

Our Lady, it’s very difficult to keep going and believe that all will be

well, that I will be ok – I, and many like me, need your help your guid-

ance – we desperately need to experience your Hope during these

difficult times.

Mother Our Lady, I can’t believe the test results are positive. The family

are still at school – they need two parents, even the thoughts of all

that’s ahead – more tests, treatment, it’s all unknown territory, it’s

so frightening – at the moment I beg of you to help me. Our Lady,

hear my prayer, help me to cope, show me the way forward. Please

give me the courage to Hope.

Father When my son took his own life, my world fell apart. I’ll never know

why, he was the light of our lives – sport, music, friends. It’s been

nine years, I think of him every day, I miss him all the time – and the

days I don’t think of him is because I numb the pain through the

bottle – then I’m no help to anyone. Our Lady, help me, help my

family – show us how we can have Hope in these dark days and help

us to move on with our lives.

Invite all present to come forward to place their Candles and

Personal Prayers at the foot of our Lady

Reflective Hymn

The Magnificat (All Together)

My soul magnifies the Lord,

And my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

For he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed:

For the mighty one has done great things for me,

And holy his is name.

His mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;

He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

And lifted up the lowly:

He has filled the hungry with good things,

And sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

According to the promise he made to our ancestors,

to Abraham and to his descendents forever.

Short Reflection:

Hymn:

INTERCESSIONS

Response (Sung)

For those who have lost their jobs and for those who face the threat of losing their jobs, That the love of our Lady will fill their hearts with hope…(R)

For families and people living on their own who are struggling to make ends meet, That the love of Our Lady will fill their hearts with courage…(R) For the people in our midst who feel vulnerable and alone That the love of our Lady will fill their hearts with a sense of friendship and connection with those around them...(R) For those in our communities making choices in their lives about alcohol and drug, That the love of our Lady will fill their hearts with the desire to turn away from destructive choices and to-wards ways of life...(R) For the sick and the dying and those who care for them That the love of our Lady will fill their hearts with her healing and accepting presence...(R) Nothing can come between us and the love of our Lady. Let us take a moment of quiet now and in this time may each of us bring our own cares and concerns before our Lady who loves us…(R)

Gospel Reading: Luke 1:26-31

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in

Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was

Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came

to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she

was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this

might be. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have

found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear

a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the

Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his

ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his

kingdom there will be no end.

" Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel

said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the

Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be

holy; he will be called Son of God.

And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son;

and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing

will be impossible with God." Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of

the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel

departed from her.