Prayer for the Day

by Revd Canon David White

7th December 2025 - 2nd Sunday of Advent

May God, who is present in sunrise and nightfall,
and in the crossing of the sea,
guide your feet as you go.

May God, who is with you
when you sit and when you stand,
encompass you with love and lead you by the hand.

May God, who knows your path
and the places where you rest,
be with you in your waiting
be your good news for sharing,
and lead you in the way that is everlasting. Amen.

This prayer of blessing is from the Iona Community which is an ecumenical Christian community of people from different walks of life and different traditions in Christianity. It was founded by a Church of Scotland minister, George MacLeod when, in 1938, he formed a project in Glasgow to close the gap between the Church and working people. He took a group to the island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland to rebuild the medieval Iona Abbey. Iona is a gorgeous island with one of the oldest Christian religious centres in Western Europe. St Columba landed there with twelve companions in 563 A D, founded a monastery and evangelised the surrounding areas.

This prayer has an Advent spirit with its call to God to be present to us wherever we are and whatever we’re doing – even as we wait to hear the good news of Jesus’ coming amongst us. It affirms that there is no part of life that is beyond the reach of faith. The word of life is as much for our politics as for our prayers.