Our service on the Second Sunday of Advent was all about comfort. Our reading was from Isaiah 40, which begins: “Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.” We heard that passage from Handel’s Messiah. We sang some comforting carols, ate some cinnamon buns, drank nice warm coffee and tea, hugged our stuffed animals, and shared stories about all the things we remember that have brought us comfort. And we prayed together in many ways, including this evening prayer, which is from the New Zealand Prayer Book:

Lord, it is night.

The night is for stillness. Let us be still in the presence of God.

It is night after a long day. What has been done has been done; what has not been done has not been done; let it be.

The night is dark. Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you.

The night is quiet. Let the quietness of your peace enfold us, all dear to us, and all who have no peace.

The night heralds the dawn. Let us look expectantly to a new day, new joys, new possibilities.

In your name we pray. Amen.