A Prayer for World AIDS Day at the advent of Advent

This time of year,
despite all of the presents we give,
it is sometimes too easy
to get caught up in ourselves.
In the ‘joy‘ of shopping,
the ‘love‘ of all the seasons’ festivities,
the ‘peace‘ of settling in by a fire
while the Christmas Tree
helps light the room,
the ‘hope‘ of what we might receive.

Change our hearts O God.
Not in a way that devalues those things,
but in a way that puts them into proper perspective.

This first day of December,
remind us that there are more important things in this sometimes broken world
with which to concern ourselves.

Today, on World AIDS day,
Remind us of the half a million children that were born with HIV\AIDS last year alone.
Remind us of the more that 2,000,000 children living with AIDS and
the 33,000,000 million people living with it.

This time of year,
despite all the presents we give,
it is sometimes too easy to get caught up in our selves.
Let us revision the joy, love, peace and hope of Advent.

May we find the joy you intend for us
in doing something that makes someone else’s life better.

May we share the love you extend to us
with those whom society continues to ostracize due to fear and ignorance.

May we offer the peace you give to us
to the entire world by living in ways that confront dominance and marginalization
by living in ways that do not accept that some people are not given
what they need to live healthy lives
by speaking out and speaking up
against systems that continue to ignore those in need.

May we share the hope of Advent
with those who must at times find it particularly difficult to hold on to hope.

Teach us that we can achieve all these things,
not just in the presents we give,
but with our presence as well.
Let us stand with all of our brothers and sisters
over and against the powerful governments and businesses
that treat them as if they were pawns in a game,
ready to sacrifice them for the good of Kings and Queens.

On this World Aids day,
we ask that the joy, love, peace and hope
that waits in the wings of Advent
may break forth upon this sometimes broken world
and that we may be part of the spark
that brings that fiery Spirit
to realization here on Earth.

Amen.