Immanuel – a prayer for Christmas 8



“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Matthew 1:23 (NIV)

be with us in the laughing chaotic unwrapping of gifts
be with us as we struggle to make ends meet

be with us in the joyous smiles on children’s faces
be with us in the longing for a child that has not yet come

be with us as we gather around the table
be with us in the grief for those missing at our feast

be with us in the exuberance of backyard cricket
be with us in the intense pain of continual illness

be with us as we snuggle exhausted little bundles into beds
be with us when we are all out of parenting ideas

be with us as we celebrate with the ones we love
be with us when those we love no longer love us

be with us as we rest from our busy year of work
be with us in the uncertainty of unemployment

be with us as we dream and plan for next year
be with us when we have no hope for the future

be with us when we know where we are going
be with us when we no longer know the answers

be with us as we embark on a new adventure
be with us as we chose to rest and recover

be with us when you feel so close that we can almost touch you
be with us when we’re not even sure if you care anymore

be with us when we know exactly what words to say
be with us when ‘be with us’ is all we can say

Amen

This prayer is from Jodie’s new book Grace and Space. Merry Christmas to all our kin readers and peace be with you.


About Jodie McCarthy

Jodie is a writer, speaker, poet and mother. An unashamed words girl who writes to process the myriad of experiences of life. In her writing and on her blog she investigates the journey of life: the beautiful; the painful; the everyday; and the mundane. She has a heart for encouraging women on their life journey, particularly when that journey traverses the harder places of grief and pain. On the days when she is not writing you will find her in her kitchen, usually licking the beaters from a chocolate cake. You can find her books and follow her journey at jodiemccarthy.com

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