A Prayer in Advent: for Those Having Marital Difficulty

This Advent, join me in praying for The Church and for the people who are the churches. These prayers come from the Book of Common Prayer: Daily Prayer, published by our Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) sisters and brothers. It’s been on my shelf, recently re-discovered, and offers a wealth of riches. For example —

Lord God, you set us in families,

where we learn to live together in charity and truth.

Strengthen weak bonds of love.

Where separation threatens,

move in with forgiving power.

Melt hard hearts,

free fixed minds, break the hold of stubborn pride.

Lay claim on us,

so that our separate claims may be set aside in love;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.