Dear Father God, how we rejoice when we call to our minds the glorious truth that the eternal Light of the world came to earth as a baby to become the Redeemer of mankind, to give His life for a lost world and to pour peace and hope into the hearts of a people who were estranged from their Creator God.
Father, may our lives reflect Jesus' love as we look back in time to the first Advent of our Lord and Saviour, but let us never forget that there is a future Advent, a second coming when the earth will be filled with the glory of God once again, as the waters cover the sea.
Lord, we know that You are returning, not as a tiny baby lying in a humble manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes, but as a conquering King Who is to come to rescue His people Israel. And Lord, we know that first You are to come in the clouds to take Your church back to Your heavenly home, when the dead in Christ will rise first and we will all be changed in a moment to become like You, Lord Jesus.
Lord I pray that Your Church will prepare herself for Your soon return. May Your Body be ready for that glorious day when You come to take us home to be with Yourself. Lord, I beseech You that Your Bride, who is the Church, will be pure and holy without spot and wrinkle or any such thing. In Jesus' name,
Amen.