Advent Prayer Week 2 (Year B)

Overview

This page contains prayers for the second week of Advent and would be suitable for school community prayer, for example staff prayer.

The prayers are suitable for 2020 (year B in the three-year lectionary cycle) as they include Sunday readings for the second week of Advent.

The prayers are also available in PDF format and also as a presentation on Adobe Spark.

Advent Prayer Week 2 (Year B)

Advent Week 2 Year B, PDF

Presentation on Adobe Spark

During the second week of Advent, we focus on John the Baptist’s challenge: Prepare the way of the Lord!

We Gather

Leader: We light the second candle to represent John the Baptist, who proclaims Jesus as the Messiah. This candle is the candle of peace, a sign that God's promises will be fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ - Prince of Peace.

(Lighting of the second purple candle of Advent Wreath – The Peace Candle)

Leader: Peace is a gift that we must be prepared for. God gives us the gift of peace, when we turn to him in faith.

All: Lord God, may the light of this wreath be a sign of peace and tolerance to all people, who prepare for your coming. Let the truth of your Word lead us all toward your kingdom, for which we long. We ask it in the name of the one born in Bethlehem, Jesus our Lord. Amen.

We Listen

Mark 1:1-8 The Proclamation of John the Baptist

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

We Respond

Since the coming of Christ goes on forever…there is always an Advent going on. (Jean Danielou)

Leader: Advent is a waiting time…

All: We await the celebration of the birth of Jesus; we await Christ’s second coming; but God waits for us too.

Leader: Prepare the way of the Lord…

All: God lives today, and so our first challenge is to bring Jesus to life in our own living, to become aware of his presence.

Leader: Make the Lord’s path straight…

All: We know the presence of the Spirit within us, prompting us, sustaining us, working through us, waiting for us.

Silence and stillness

Leader: Let us be silent and still for one minute, as we open our hearts to prepare the way for the Lord.

We Go

All: God of expectation, may we, your people, who prepare a way for the Lord, experience the joy of salvation and celebrate the feast of Christ with love and thanksgiving.

Song: ‘Ready the Way’ by Curtis Stephan

Lord Jesus, we await your coming.