Almighty God, who, having created
all worlds and mankind,
has profoundly pitied us;
who has come to us that we
might be saved, not of our merit,
but of your unquenchable love;
look on us who worship in comfort,
in light and warmth, in health
and prosperity, in pride
and in presumption:
For, having all glory, you became incarnate in the dishonor
of a defeated line of kings;
having all riches,
you became incarnate
in the poverty of the working class;
having all illumination,
you became incarnate
in the darkness of night and obscurity;
having all wisdom,
you became incarnate
in the confounding simplicity of a child;
having all life,
you became incarnate in the emptiness of a virgin's womb;
having all power
you became incarnate
in the weakest form of human life
- a male infant.
Help us to recognize our shame,
our poverty, our darkness,
our foolishness, our emptiness,
our weakness, that we may
know our need of you.
And then...become incarnate in us.
Let your servants (live) in peace,
O Lord, full of the vision of your salvation,
ready to make it plain
before all the faces of earth.
We pray through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen
