These petitions are offered as guides to prayer for the global, social and outreach ministries of the ELCA, as well as for the needs and circumstances of our neighbors, communities and world.

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Prayer Ventures for December 2020

12/1 World AIDS Day  Pray for compassion, understanding and healing for individuals, families and communities worldwide that are living with or affected by HIV and AIDS. Give thanks for the dedicated service and skill of doctors, pastors, public officials, health care educators, care providers and researchers who treat the infected, bring hope to the discouraged and weary, and respond to the disease’s spiritual, physical, emotional and social impacts.

12/2 The Spirit is at work in times of anticipation and yearning, reminding us of God’s promises and activity, helping us stay calm and patient, and redirecting our attention from ourselves to our neighbors in need ― nearby and around the world.

12/3 Give thanks for the new ELCA social message “Government and Civic Engagement in the United States: Discipleship in a Democracy.” Pray that it will help us understand how government is a gift from God but can also be abused and misused. Ask the Spirit to guide us as we prayerfully reflect on how we can view civic engagement as Lutherans.

12/4 What do you anticipate and watch for during this season of Advent? Pray for what you yearn and hope for, and give thanks that God is faithful to God’s promises, especially through the gift of life to the world through Jesus Christ.

12/5 As we are immersed in the joy, festivities and busyness of Advent and Christmas, pause to pray for our global neighbors who have suffered through devastating natural disasters and need our support, generosity and assistance. Pray particularly for the many nations that have experienced drought and for those impacted by the earthquake in Turkey and Greece, Typhoon Goni hitting the Philippines and multiple hurricanes impacting Mexico, the Caribbean region and the United States.

12/6 Pray that the Spirit will give us a measure of John the Baptist’s boldness, commitment, humility and resolve as we share the good news of Jesus Christ and the promise of God’s love and mercy with everyone we encounter or approach throughout our baptismal journey.

12/7 Give thanks for caregivers, staff and nurses in senior communities, nursing homes, rehabilitation hospitals, and memory-care and assisted-living facilities. Ask God to grant them strength, wisdom, skill and a spirit of hope and joy as they go about their difficult and often tiring work.

12/8 Pray for patience, caution and concern for our neighbor during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic; pray that the Spirit and our siblings in Christ will help us cope with and adjust to the implications of the pandemic for this season in which we are accustomed to gathering in person for meals, celebrations, worship, family gatherings and community events.

12/9 Pray that God will help us lead lives of holiness, godliness, peace and active engagement with the world as disciples of Christ who wait patiently for the day of the Lord.

12/10 This has been, and continues to be, a very difficult year of coping with and recovering from natural disasters across our country and around the world. Pray that the presence and hope of God will be evident where there is despair, grief and uncertainty over how to begin rebuilding and healing. Pray that neighbors, communities and nations will work together to provide assistance, resources and relief workers where the needs are most critical. 

12/11 Ask for God’s forgiveness and take to heart God’s word of love, peace, healing and guidance that restores our faith and spirit as children of God. 

12/12 Give thanks for the church traditions that remind us of God’s actions throughout history and inspire our faith, generosity and commitment to serve our neighbors in need. Pray that we will carry these meaningful traditions forward and create new rites and traditions that inspire and strengthen all generations in today’s changing contexts.

12/13 Pray that we might passionately witness to the light of Jesus Christ and boldly invite others to believe and to be baptized into the body of Christ and the community of all believers.

12/14 ELCA Good Gifts provide an opportunity for you to support the ministries and programs —domestic and global — that mean the most to you and the people you love. Give thanks that our church believes God is calling us into the world together and that, through our generosity and love, we can make a difference. 

12/15 What do our gifts mean, and what impact do they have? Pray for thoughtfulness when we buy gifts, for awareness of who we include and exclude, and for mindfulness of how the money we spend during this time of thanksgiving might fulfill God’s loving, merciful and generous promises.

12/16 Los Posadas  This traditional celebration, popular in Mexico and observed by some ELCA congregations, uses lighted paths and processions to follow Mary and Joseph’s journey through Bethlehem in search of lodging. Pray that our recollection of Mary and Joseph’s experience might prompt us to welcome strangers, immigrants and neighbors in need.

12/17 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Pray that we will support and encourage each other in these good works and disciplines that keep our spirits, minds and bodies healthy and whole.

12/18 Pray that, in anticipation of Christmas, we will invite others into the joy of our meals, celebrations, community events and faith. Pray that the Spirit will move us to reach out with acts of love, hope, inclusion and good news to people who are alone, incarcerated or homeless.

12/19 “The Lord has done great things for us.” Rejoice, laugh and shout with joy!

12/20 Pray that we will be receptive to angels and divine beings sent by God to guide us and bring us good news, as the angel Gabriel did to Mary and Elizabeth. Pray that we will hear God’s assurance that “nothing will be impossible with God” and that our response will echo Mary’s: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

12/21 Winter solstice  On this day with the least amount of daylight, observed as the beginning of winter, pray that we will be drawn to the eternal light of Christ born into the world — a gift for all people and all generations that illuminates God’s redemptive love for us and God’s desire and intent for how we might live together.

12/22 Remember in prayer the approximately 26 million refugees, immigrants and asylum-seekers around the world and at our borders, awaiting entry into safe, welcoming countries and communities so that they can rebuild their lives without threats of conflict, persecution, violence or economic crisis. Pray for their safety, that their spiritual, physical and emotional needs will be met, that they will find caring advocates, and that their faith and hope will be strengthened and sustained by siblings in Christ and our faith communities.

12/23 With prayerful sighs of relief and expressions of gratitude, give thanks for God’s covenant to grant humankind love, forgiveness, new life and redemption through the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ.

12/24 Remember and give thanks for the people in your life who taught you the nativity story and recounted the promise God made to us and fulfilled through Jesus Christ.

12/25 Christmas Day  Give praise and thanks for God’s boundless love, mercy and grace, revealed to the world and all humanity through the light of Jesus Christ ― son of God, son of humanity; our source of truth, salvation, new life and wholeness.

12/26 Beginning of Kwanzaa  Kwanzaa is a weeklong celebration of African culture and traditions that stresses family, community and shared principles. Give thanks for the rich and meaningful traditions, celebrations and practices of our African American siblings and the global African community. 

12/27 Pray for the Spirit to help us understand and have faith in Jesus as the son of God, born to walk among us, live through our daily struggles and needs, teach us God’s ways and word, and restore our relationships with God, one another and creation.

12/28 Pray that we will carry forward the story and significance of Jesus and their implications for our daily actions, relationships and decisions as loved and reclaimed children of God. Ask the Spirit to guide us in responding to God’s call to proclaim the gospel, make peace, work for justice, propagate hope and serve our neighbors in need — without partiality, foot-dragging, embarrassment or expectation of reward or credit.

12/29 Let our prayers, creation and all living things give glory and honor to God, our creator, sustainer, guiding light and redeemer.

12/30 Pray that the light, celebration and blessings of community we experience as followers of Christ will continue far beyond the Christmas holidays and permeate our daily lives as we participate in God’s life-giving work and witness in the world.

12/31 New Year’s Eve  A new year can offer hope and enthusiasm for starting anew, or it can bring fear and despair stirred by our human weaknesses and failures. Ask God to help us achieve our new endeavors and resolutions and reground ourselves in God’s grace, forgiveness and newness when we fall short of our expectations and goals. Ask the Spirit to help us encourage, assist and surround with grace people who stumble or whose confidence is unsteady.