Luke 1:67-79
His father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited us and prepared redemption for his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, just as he said long ago through the mouth of his holy prophets. He raised up salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, in order to show mercy to our fathers by remembering his holy covenant, the oath which he swore to Abraham, our father, to grant deliverance to us from the hand of our enemies, so that we are able to serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, because you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of God’s tender mercies, by which the Rising Sun from on high will visit us, to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Before Jesus began his ministry, you sent John as a herald to prepare the way for Jesus; he preached a message of repentance and forgiveness for all the people’s sins. Lord, our sins are great and deadly; without your forgiveness, we are already condemned; we need Jesus’ forgiveness. He went to the cross and suffered the punishment for our sins; then he gave up his life to defeat death for us; this is how Jesus redeemed us, and we are forgiven. Your gift came to the earth as a baby, and he now comes to each of us through faith.
We pray for deliverance. You have established the way of salvation for us, and it came through your Son; Jesus has redeemed us from our sins. We admit we have sinned against you and others with our thoughts, words, and actions and are entirely undeserving of your love. Through faith and for Jesus’ sake, we ask you to forgive us for all our sins according to your grace and mercy. Send your Holy Spirit to unbelievers and begin a new faith in them; for those who already trust in Jesus restore and strengthen their faith.
Prepare our hearts this Christmas, remembering the gift of life you gave to us all. Let us share the good news of forgiveness, eternal life, and salvation with those who still do not know or trust in Jesus so that they will receive the gift of life this year. Amen.
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
God’s plan of salvation was to send his Son, and Jesus willingly came so that your sins would be forgiven, be redeemed, and have salvation; these gifts come to you by faith alone. So get ready; we get to celebrate that gift of life once again.