For the Sake of This Child

O thou Ruler of the universe, Maker of suns and stars, Creator of the myriad forms of life that dwell upon the earth and throng the sea: we, humbled by the majesty of thy creation, come seeking thee. We are deeply conscious of our need of thee—thy wisdom, thy patience, and thy understanding love. For we, too, O God, are creators. We are parents.

We have dared to cause a child to live. Upon the road of life we have placed its feet; into its tiny body we have put our physical weakness and our strength; even into its mind and soul have gone the tendencies that mark our own; the language we speak, our race, our color, even the creed that we profess, we have bequeathed to our child. Standing in the presence of thy creation thou hast no fear, for thou art God. But as we look upon this our child whom we have made to live, our hearts are often fearful.

What if we fail him? What if we prove false guides, and following us he misses the way? Guide us, O our God. For this child’s sake, take from our hearts all selfish- ness and false ambition; give us courage to follow high ideals of truth and honor; help us daily to surround him with sympathy and security that he may know the joys of happy childhood and enter upon the pathway of youth with enthusiasm and confidence.

O God, for the sake of this child whom we have created, help us to make a world in which he can find justice, freedom and peace. Give us unflinching 293 courage as we battle against man’s greed for goods and gold, and his passion for power. Help us, we pray, to face bravely the truth that only as all childhood is happy and free in a world of good will, can life at its best be the certain possession of this our child. In the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ who has revealed to us thy loving con- cern for all they creation, we come to thee, our Creator and our God.

Amen.