Prayer for Christmas Eve

Here is a prayer for Christmas Eve from Dr. Susan M. (Elli) Elliott. It is just a small excerpt of a longer prayer meditation (see link below for the entire prayer). It was posted on her website, Sermons and Prayers.

Prayer for Christmas Eve

We come to your manger, each of us, in the stillness of this night,
   Here we know our profound powerlessness,
   and here you are –
   a fragile powerless newborn,
   yet the newborn child in whom we recognize the ruler of the universe.  

We hear your newborn cry, the cry we have been waiting for – 
   "Make room! Make room for me!" 

Fragile God, born in the night – 
   Meet us here at your manger.
   Meet us as a newborn child meets new parents,
      come to change our lives forever.
   Meet us as the newborn
      who insists that we make room for you,
      who requires that we reorder our lives to pay attention to you,
      who demands that we be re-centered on the very center of life.

Fragile God, born in the night –
   You come as a tiny light in a vast darkness
      yet that fragile and flickering light
      changes the darkness completely.

Fragile God,
   meet us here in the lighting of our small lights,
   that we may know your awesome power making room among us
   as the light that shines in the darkness,
   the fragile light that the darkness cannot overpower.

Fragile God, there is room in our inn.
   Be born in our night.
   Amen.

~ written by Dr. Susan M. (Elli) Elliott December 24, 2004, 2005. If you use this material, please credit Dr. Susan M. (Elli) Elliott. Source: http://ellielliott.webs.com/sermonsprayers.htm