The Children's Advent Prayer

Although I wrote this prayer specifically for the Fourth Sunday of Advent in 2014, it can easily be prayed during other seasons with little adjustment.

In our service, a different child prayed each paragraph. The prayer is suitable for most ages, but it's quite moving in elementary and middle school children's voices. Our readers ranged in age from 6 to 17.

Take care to teach children words that may be new to them, like "abiding" and "incarnate," but don't hesitate to have even your youngest readers tackle such phrases, especially if they like to read. It's a wonderful chance for them to feel accomplished and expand their vocabulary at the same time.

You may use this prayer freely in your own worship and nonprofit materials. If you print it or repost online, please cite it to Kimberley Fais (2014).

Source

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Let us pray.  God, even in this season of Advent, waiting for Jesus to be born, we remember that You were a child once.  You know what it is to hunger and thirst. You know what it is to have joy and sorrow.  You know what it’s like to be held in loving arms, to grow up in a community of faith.  So today we pray for the children.

We pray for the children whose voices are not heard.  God of Truth and Patience, sometimes we need Your help to speak up, and sometimes we need Your help to listen.

We pray for the children who are hurt because of the color of their skin.  God of All People, give us the courage to recognize injustice.  Help us to be a community where we don’t hurt each other for the ways that You created us.

We pray for the children who experience violence and fear.  Abiding God, grant us Your peace.  Make us instruments of Your peace to everyone we meet.

We pray for the children who don’t know what tomorrow holds.  Companion God, journey with us.  Guide us when the future seems uncertain and we can’t find our way.

We pray for the children who are waiting.  Waiting for news, for a diagnosis, for a change, for a reason to move forward.  God of Anticipation, prepare us for then, but wait with us for now.

We pray for the children who are sick in body, mind, or spirit.  God of Life, bring healing and strength, hope and relief.

We pray for the children who must grow up too soon.  Playful God, rekindle our wonder and awe.  Even in the face of a troubled world, let us witness Your creativity.

We pray for the children who lead their communities and the world to new horizons.  God of Wisdom, give us the courage to lead and the humility to follow.

We pray for the children who seek forgiveness.  Gracious God, wrap us in Your unconditional love, and empower us to love just as fiercely as You love us.

We pray for the children who hunger and thirst.  Incarnate God, help us to nourish each other’s bodies.

And we pray for the grownups, who are still Your children.  Eternal God, remind us who we are, and whose we are, so that wherever we may go, we can always find ourselves in You.

Now let us pray together the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray…

(Continue with the Lord's Prayer as your denomination knows it.)

Amen.