Keep Praying


'Keep Praying' is a thread of prayer to weave through all we do in our churches and local communities throughout 2021 and to help us stay connected in prayer across our diocese. There will be a different theme for each liturgical season, and 3 simple ways to pray that theme in our personal prayers, our gathered worship and our reaching out to those around us.

Join Bishop Rose as she introduces Keep Praying Advent – Receive the gift

Keep Praying Advent – Receive the gift

“For God so loved the world that he gave …” (John 3:16)

Ways to pray the theme:

A picture to reflect on

A prayer to say

A prayer practice to try

A picture to reflect on

Image: Primrose Northrop, 2021

  • Reflect on the image. What do you see? What catches your attention?
  • When you reflect on the gifts God has given you, what are you most grateful for today?
  • What does it mean to you to receive the gift of Jesus? How might you make room for that receiving this Advent?
  • How might we help those around us to receive God’s good gifts in this Advent, whether that be family and friends or the local community?
  • Draw your own picture in response to our Advent image.
  • Use the picture as a focus for prayer in gathered worship or at the start of a meeting. Invite people to look at it and notice what God is drawing their attention to. If time allows, invite them to share their reflections.
  • Use the picture on your website or social media pages, accompanied by a few sentences about Advent.
    (Please include Primrose Northrop’s artist credit if you reproduce the picture anywhere.) 

A prayer to say

Jesus Christ, love incarnate,
Teach us to slow our pace and steady our gaze 
To wait for you in the unresolved 
To see you in the unexpected,
To receive you, most precious gift of all. 

Amen

Download a copy of our Advent Prayer Card to find more prayer points.

 prayer practice to try

A prayer practice to try – give the gift of prayer by committing to pray daily for a person/situation you’re concerned about.
“Just as we all love to open our Advent calendars each day, so we can develop a practice of daily, generous praying. Can I suggest that, separate from our regular times of prayer, that we choose a point in each day where we identify a particular situation or person and make this our special keep praying advent moment, and that will be like opening our calendar each day.” Bishop Rose