Prayer Tip--The World Turned Upside Down
Daily Scripture
Matthew 2:13-15, NRSV
Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Prayer
By Edward M. Hays
I thank you for these twelve days of Christmas.
And I ask the gift of an endless encore
of this feast of the birth of your Son.
beyond the age of childhood toys,
gift me with the playful tool
of how to treat each day
as a Christmas gifting day.
the bottomless gift
of the heart of a child:
enthusiastic with the excitement of expectation,
unashamed to play and dance with delight.
shoes of lead
that I may be slow to put away
the electric stars that have hung
like clusters and constellations
upon my Christmas tree.
They have nightly spoken to me
of what a child’s eyes
can see in every tree.
that I may continue to greet
hassled clerks in crowded stores
and nameless strangers on the street
with blessings and joyful wishes.
in the quality of Christmastide
your Word may endlessly become flesh
in me, your Christmas child.
GPS Insights
Jennifer Creagar
This week's Prayer Tip is by Jennifer Creagar who serves as the Community Assistance Coordination Director in Resurrection's Congregational Care Ministry. She is married and loves spending time with her family, and she enjoys writing and photography.
© 2024 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* From Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim by Edward Hays (copyright ©1989 by Edward M. Hays).
