Use this prayer to help your church invite others to your Christmas Eve services and to prepare the hearts of those they are inviting.
Quick Prayer
Please pray aloud:
Lord, make my church an inviting church this Christmas season!
Grieve our hearts with the thought of those around us who are still perishing, Lord. And as you show us who you want us to invite, give us the words to say and the actions to make that will compel them to come with me to church. In the same way, God, prepare the hearts of those we invite to receive our invitation, that we may worship your Son together!
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Full Prayer
Please pray aloud:
Heavenly Father, this is a season of invitation—The star invited the magi to worship your Son. The heavenly host invited the shepherds to see the newborn Savior. The shepherds, in turn, invited one another.
Lord, make my church an inviting church this Christmas season!
Grieve our hearts with the thought of those around us who are still perishing, Lord. Open our eyes to see beyond the appearance of nice homes, nice cars, or nice smiles and see the bondage to sin and death. Burden each heart in my church by your Spirit until we invite someone who has yet to worship Christ as Lord to join us this Christmas Eve—our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends, our family, our waitress, our mechanic, our barber. Who is it, God? Who do you want me to reach?
Lord, make my church an inviting church this Christmas season!
Just as you show us who you want us to invite, God, give us the words to say and the actions to make that will compel them to come to my church. Is it a simple question? Is it a longer conversation? What will be most–effective, God? Give us boldness and gentleness in our speech. Give us clarity and simplicity in our words. Give us a conversational tone, a winsome and disarming posture.
Lord, make my church an inviting church this Christmas season!
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In the same way, God, prepare the hearts of those we invite to receive our invitation. Make their hearts ache for something greater than the usual trappings of the season. Awaken a hunger in them for something divine. Like wise men crossing the desert, move in them until they seek you.
Lord, make my church an inviting church this Christmas season!
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
