WWJD if you were asked to lead a Christmas prayer?

(May Tatlongharing nagsi-blog-an Christmas blog series)

I was at a barkada dinner last night with my high school friends and I found it funny that even after all these years, everyone is still shy to be the prayer leader.

We had to pass on the job three times and finally it was assigned to me - the last one to arrive. (For the record, I was late because I had band rehearsals for our New Year's countdown concert. See you at the Makati Shangri-la on December 31. Plug! Plug!)

I have heard some pretty awesome prayers in my life. My favorite ones come from Tito Gary who unconventionally incorporates movement as he prays in a circle with a big group of artists-singers, dancers and musicians right before a concert.

I asked relatives, friends and Twitter friends to share their Christmas prayers that we can impart with our own families on the day of the biggest birthday party of year.
@angeliPV Angeli Pangilinan-Valenciano

Lord Jesus, amidst the busy buzz going around me, may I stop now to offer a prayer of gratitude 4 2010, 4 Your unconditional love, for coming to earth as a man to take my sins & pay the price so that I could live in abundance & grace. Your birth is the reason 4 the season & may I always remember that with You the best is always yet 2 come. I ask 4 Your Holy Spirit to guide & protect me & my loved ones throughout the season. We leave the past behind, forgive those who have hurt us & pray for inner peace & wisdom 4 2011.We offer a prayer
4 the Philippines & its leaders, that You would grant us mercy & favor that we emerge a stronger nation in the coming years! In Your name we pray!

Maribi Mapa-Garcia, Bethesda Healing Ministry, Author of Presence Prayers for Busy People

We thank you dear Lord for the gift of Christmas and for family togetherness and sharing. Most of all the celebration of your birth.
We wish each other present here your love.joy and peace this Christmas season and always. Let your will be done and your loving presence always remain with us. May we livethe rest of our lives ahead with your guidance and protection. We pray all these in Jesus' name. Amen.

Maria Theresa Briones-Ortigas

O God,
bless our family
and all its members and friends;
bind us together by Your love.
Give us kindness and patience
...to support each other;
and wisdom in all we do.
Let the gift of Your peace
come into our hearts
and remain with us.
May we rejoice in Your blessings
for all our days.
Amen.

@itsme_nix Nikko Bacason

Heavenly Father, we thank you wholeheartedly for bringing us together again. As we are gathered in this family reunion, may we remember with thankful hearts the love that comes with each present we open. We also thank You for the amazing love You have for each of us, and we thank You for the many blessings that you gave us. Amen.

Ana Misa

Dear God, hindi po ako madalas mag dasal or tumawag sayo pero ngayon kinakausap po kita just to say thank you sa lahat ng blessings..thanks sa good health ng bawat isa samin, thanks sa peace of mind...thanks dahil nakapag patawad na ang bawat isa samin. thanks din dahil parati kang nandyan kahit minsan nakakalimutan ka namin. Sa lahat lahat lord salamat sana patuloy mo kaming gabayan sa darating na 2011.

Kate Guzman-Enriquez

Happy Birthday, Jesus! We are happy because today is Your special day.
We thank You that You came from heaven to earth just for us. Thank You for all you did for us .You taught us how to love each other, help us to remember to be more loving. You taught us how to do the right thing, remind us that You are with us, even when we think no one is looking. Everlasting Father, I ask You to come to those whose hearts ache on Your Son's birthday. They are hurting and lonely. Father, let them know it's okay to give You the pain and loneliness and frustration that rests in their hearts. Enable them through Your grace to know You are listening -- and that You care. Come to those who grief as the Father of all comfort. I also pray for parents who watch helplessly as their children deal with life-threatening illnesses.

Come as the the great Physican, Come as deliverer and set free those who are bound by the chains of addiction and self-distructive behavior.

Thank You for this food and for all our family and friends.

Thank You for everyone who helped make this a great day. In Jesus'
name, Amen.

@riasapno Ria Dimatulac Sapno

Dear Jesus, I don't want much for christmas. I just want all my loved ones remain in my life forever.

@ItsMeJudel Judel Evangelista

Gusto kong magpasalamat sa Inyo, sa chance na ibinigay na makasama ko ang mga tao sa paligid

@hersheysjams Mace

I think the most important message to share amongst the family during Christmas time would be: "to live a life full of love, joy and happiness for HE has sacrificed himself for us to enjoy the journey of the precious gift of life He has given us." :)

I also asked priest friends of mine to share their prayers for the special day :)
Here's a prayer from a friend of mine who's a priest. He would like to remain anonymous

Loving God, thank you for coming into our life. Thank you for becoming one like us. Thank you for keeping your promise of staying with us despite our unworthiness.

Loving God, bless each one of us to be grateful of our humanity. Bless our family to be steadfast in our love for one another. Bless our country to be in peace and in harmony with each other.

Loving God, for our failures, enlighten us. For our sins, grantus humility of heart. For our doubts, strengthen us. For our heart´s desire, bless us.

In your sweetest name. Amen.

Father Nemy Que, my college teacher in Philo 104

Lord, disturb my uncaring heart today with the love you brought when you were born, that I may see and feel the world's plight. Teach me to reach out to those who need you, so Xmas can be theirs too.

Father Carlo Magno Marcelo

MY PRAYER FOR CHRISTMAS

Lord, I heard the carolers sang:
"What can I give to the King?
What can I give to the One who has everything?
What can I give? What gift could I bring?
What can I give to the King?
What can I give to the King?"

Yes, what can I really give to You that is truly mine?
What can I bring that You will make you smile?

In my desperate search, Lord, I found these treasures in my heart:

Instead of gold, I give you my Thanksgiving for gratitude can only come from someone other than your self.

Thank you for leaving heaven for me so you can walk with me.

Thank you for being a child so I can always treasure simplicity, innocence and purity

Thank you for reminding me that to children the Kingdom of heaven belongs (Mt. 19:14).

Instead of myrrh, I give you my Confession for my sins are truly and uniquely mine and mine alone.

You, who are sinless but who became sin for us when You died on the cross, will carry my and humanity's confession not to the grave but to heaven where it will all be transformed to mercy and grace.

Instead of frankincense, I give you my Heart for it is where I meet you in prayer.

It is our shared sacred space.

It will also be the empty box where I will place my Thanksgiving and Confession Let it be your manger this Christmas.

What can I give to the King?
What can I give to the One who has everything?
At last, I found the perfect gifts!
My Thanksgiving! My Confession! My Heart!
And these make Christmas truly a moment of grace! Amen.
@anakarylle Karylle

dear Lord,

We come before you filled with love, joy and gratitude. We thank you for every trial and triumph for they have brought us closer to each other and to You. We pray for courage to dream bigger and better dreams in the coming year that would be good for us and for others.

Please guide our way.

Thank you for showing us that miracles happen every day. You're amazing that way and in all ways.

We pray for peace in our family, our barkada, our workplace, our country and in the world. please bless my mom, my dad, my sisters, and everyone in the whole world especially those who are sick.

We pray that everyone will open their hearts to experience the magic of Christmas brought about by Your perfect love. Amen.

+++
Editor's Note:Yahoo! Philippines Entertainment was created in late 2010 as part of the lead up to the launch of Yahoo! Philippines OMG. The site included a number of blog posts, and many of these posts received comments from our readers. As part of the upgrade to Yahoo! Philippines OMG, we were able to migrate all blog posts from Yahoo! Philippines Entertainment to the new site. Unfortunately, for technical reasons we were not able to migrate the comments attached to those blog posts. This is because Yahoo! Philippines Entertainment and Yahoo! Philippines OMG use different technologies for supporting blog comments.

Yahoo! Philippines sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience caused by the loss of comments from blog posts on Yahoo! Philippines Entertainment. Your participation on our sites creates a richer experience for all of our readers, and we greatly appreciate it. We hope you will continue to participate actively on Yahoo! Philippines OMG and all of our sites.