7 Prayers for Your Church and Pastor This Christmas

God, we praise you for the outreach opportunity that Christmas is for so many. We ask that you would stir in the hearts of unbelievers or those who have not connected with Christian community to come to the services or gatherings of believers. May they encounter Your love and your salvation message this December. Help those in leadership like pastors, elders, deacons, and volunteers to be filled with your Spirit. We pray for current members to have open hearts of sacrifice to provide spaces and opportunities for new people to be welcomed. God, You say in Proverbs 16:9, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” We pray that Your will be done in these times and that our leaders will look to You for every step. As rehearsals wrap up, as dates approach, and as meals are being made, may all that our communities of Christ followers be done in love. We pray for anyone who is front and center stage to be humbled and glorify Your name alone. We pray for those serving behind the scenes to know that You see their work and that they are very valuable to You. Amen.

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Father, please be with our pastors. Help them stay true to Your Scriptures. We pray 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that our pastors and speakers would remember as they prepare that all Scripture is God-breathed by You and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Help our leaders to convey the gospel clearly and be faithful to Your Word. Help them to ponder the culture today and be able to speak into this generation while maintaining the integrity of Your Scriptures. Give them creative ideas on how to teach a message that they share year after year. Provide them with a new joy over Your arrival story. Amen.

4. A Prayer for Forgiveness

God, we know that there is a lot of bitterness and hardships among the local churches and church at large. We pray for forgiveness to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds. With a season of higher stress and more activities, we ask that You would lead our pastors and churches into a time of heart reflection to forgive where needed and to let go of any grudges. We pray against anything that would hinder us from loving well and witnessing to others in this time. Thank You for Your forgiveness on the cross. Help Christ-followers everywhere to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave us. (Ephesians 4:32) Help freedom to reign in our hearts and our communities. Provide us with a spirit of unity and love. Amen.

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Lord, even though this is a time when a lot of pastors and churches push hard for outreach and celebrate the birth of Jesus, we know You call us to healthy boundaries. Lord Jesus, please bless us with wisdom on what to say yes and no to. Provide clarity of what is the most important and what needs to go. We pray for discernment for those in charge to know what is best. Help them to be aware of loving their own families well and not neglecting their four walls in the midst of ministering to others. Empower them to Shepherd their flocks effectively, while maintaining healthy boundaries. Lead them as they lead others. Help them to be sensitive to Your Spirit in every yes and every no. We pray that they would let their 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and their 'No,' 'No. ‘ (Matthew 5:37) Amen.

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Jesus, thank You that You came to die for the sins of all who believe in You. Thank You that You have given the message of hope, peace, and love through Your birth, life, death, and resurrection. We ask now that You would empower the church to be evangelistic. Help us not to be so consumed with our own wants that we miss the great opportunities to share the gospel with those around us. We pray boldly that You would awaken dead hearts to life in Christ. Please move greatly through our conversations with relatives, friends, co-workers, and our neighbors. Enable our services, events, and special programs to be platforms for the truth of your good news. Give our pastors words that communicate the hope of salvation clearly in their messages. Help creativity flow in our leadership to provide spaces for people to have conversations about Jesus. Bless the church as a whole around the world with a fervor more than ever to share the hope in which we have as we remember Your coming to earth to rescue us. Thank You for saving us. Please help many confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in their hearts that You raised him from the dead so that they will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

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Lastly, God we ask that You would help the church’s heart to be tuned to what is important. This is a time when we can get so distracted by materialism and cultural expectations that we miss the main event. Would You please help our hearts and minds be focused on Your life this Christmas? Remind our own souls of our great salvation that came from You alone. Help us to celebrate what is eternal over what is temporal. Give us the desire to search Your Scriptures for more understanding of Your life and miracle birth. Bless the church with a focused heart and mind on the message of the birth of Jesus. When we celebrate in ways that are common to our culture and traditions, may they just be reminders of the greater gift and relationship that we have in You. We praise You that you were born a child, that a son was given, and the government has been on Your shoulders. Thank You that You are called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. We celebrate that victory that Your government and peace will never end. Our hope is fully in You (Isaiah 9:6). We give you the glory and honor and majesty forever. Amen.

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