Evening Prayer for Advent

Lord, how boundless is Thy love to men! My soul is filled with wonder and rapture at its contemplation. Thou hast not only bestowed innumerable temporal benefits upon me and all mankind, but hast delivered up Thine only-begotten Son for all the lost children of Adam, and consequently for me also. What an unexampled proof of Thy love Thou hast given! For my sake, Thou hast sent Thine only Son to become man; that, being found in fashion as a man, He might suffer torture, scourging, stripes, and even death itself, and thus, by rendering satisfaction to Thy offended justice, might redeem, justify, and save me!

If an earthly personage of exalted rank should give his choicest ring, his most valuable jewels, his most precious treasure, in order to rescue some wretched man from misery, his action would be lauded as a remarkable manifestation of love for a fellow-man. If a king should deliver one of his sons into captivity in order thereby to release one of lesser rank from chains and fetters, the love of the monarch for his subject could not be sufficiently extolled. And yet all this would be as nothing, compared with the love which Thou hast displayed toward the children of men in sending Thy beloved Son in the fulness of time, to take upon Himself flesh and blood, and to appear as man in the world.

A man who has been freed from misery may be able afterwards to do many favors for his benefactor, and in this way, to some extent at least, recompense him for his kindness. A subject who, through the goodness of his king, has been delivered from galling fetters, may afterwards be useful to his monarch, and thus in some measure assuage the king’s grief for the loss of his son. But I and my brethren according to the flesh can never recompense Thee for what Thou hast done for us. We possess nothing which we can give Thee.. We are unable to repay Thee in any way for our rescue through Christ from the destruction in which we languished by nature, and from the bondage of death in which we were held. Thy love is beyond measure; it transcends all human comprehension. Nothing remains for us but humble gratitude; nothing but the heartfelt thanks and praise which we bring as the tribute of our hearts, touched by Thy grace.

Therefore, blessed be Thy name for the boundless love which Thou hast revealed toward me in sending Thine only Son into the world. O let Thy love inspire me to love Thee in return with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my strength. Give me grace to live in obedience to Thy will, and to cling to Thee. Turn my heart away from the world, from vanity and sin; and kindle in me the flame of divine love, that I may always enjoy Thy favor, and be able to stand in Thy sight. Let me grow in Thy love and knowledge, remain steadfast in the faith, and so serve Thee in the Spirit, that I may taste in my heart the sweetness of Thy grace, and always thirst after Thee. Amen.