Prayers and Hymns, December 28, 2025: Holy Innocents, Martyrs
ALL: Jeremiah 31:15-17 (The voice of Rachel weeping for her children)
SOLA/LSB: Psalm 54 (Strangers have risen up against me; but God is my helper)
RCL/ELW: Psalm 124 (Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers)
SOLA/LSB: Revelation 14:1-5 (The song of the 144,000, first fruits of the Lamb’s victory)
RCL/ELW: 1 Peter 4:12-19 (Rejoice as you partake of Christ’s sufferings; great joy comes)
ALL: Matthew 2:13-18 (Herod has Bethlehem children slain)
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Opening Hymn: O Little Town of Bethlehem: LBW #41, ELW #279, LSB #361
Hymn of Praise: Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven: LBW #549, ELW #865, LSB #793
Gradual Hymn: Children of the Heavenly Father: LBW #474, ELW #781, LSB #725
Hymn of the Day: What Child is This: LBW #40, ELW #296, LSB #370
OR I Wonder As I Wander: WOV #642
Offertory Hymn: In the Bleak Midwinter: ELW #294
Communion Hymn #1: When Peace, Like a River: LBW #346, ELW #785, LSB #763
Communion Hymn #2: Thy Holy Wings: WOV #741, ELW #613
Closing Hymn: Good Christian Friends, Rejoice: LBW #55, ELW #288,
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With gratitude for the gift of Christ the Savior, let us draw near to our heavenly Father in prayer, asking his mercy for the Church, the world, and all who need his loving-kindness.
A brief silence
Protect your Church, dear Lord, from the malice of its enemies, and from every temptation to forsake, ignore or distort your holy Word. Make it a light shining in the world’s darkness, and a safe haven in our earthly pilgrimage. Use it to draw many hearts to love and trust Jesus, the Redeemer of the world.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Shield and strengthen Christians who face nakedness, famine, peril and sword on account of Christ. Strengthen our witness to their plight and to their faith. Soften the hearts of those who hate them. We pray also on behalf of our sister congregations, companion dioceses, and for your missionaries throughout the world.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Make this congregation into a company of the upright, who delight in, study, and proclaim your mighty works of salvation. 2Clothe us with love, binding us together in perfect harmony. Grant that by our words and our lives, our neighbors may see the power and majesty of your redemption, and come to faith in your dear Son.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We plead on behalf of children who are abused, abandoned, and aborted here and throughout the world. Keep them in your merciful care. Form us all into a people that cherishes these little ones. Conform them to the image of their infant Savior, your well-beloved Son Jesus.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Give to the rulers of the world that holy fear that is the beginning of wisdom, so that they study your works and perform your precepts. Let uprightness, justice, and mercy guide those who take counsel for the nations. Bestow the blessings of food and shelter, health and employment, justice and peace, upon all the people of the earth.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Though angels proclaimed peace and good will at the birth of Jesus, violence, injustice, and evil still trouble the world. Shield and guide all who risk their lives on behalf of others. Prosper all they do that conforms to your will. Support their loved ones with hope and patience. Heal and comfort those who are wounded, and redeem those who have fallen. Establish your peace in the world and in every heart, so that the arts of war need no longer be practiced among us.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Be gracious and merciful to all whose lives are shadowed by suffering in this season of light, including: {List}. Grant that they may behold your salvation,31 dwell in the light of your love, revealed in Christ, and glorify you in the company of all who love them.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
You have let your face shine upon our beloved dead, O God, and have bestowed on them the fullness of your salvation. With gratitude and affection we commend them into your care. Give to us the fortitude of your saints and martyrs, for though now we see Jesus through the eyes of faith, we long to see him face to face. Until that day, grant that he may dwell in us richly, filling us with peace, love, forgiveness, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience – the enduring gifts of Christmas that shall last forever.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Into your hands, merciful Father, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
