This is the third in a series on the Christian prayers for the end of Advent. Each of these prayers begins in “O”:  O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at whom kings shall shut their mouths, to whom the Gentiles shall seek: Come and deliver us, and tarry not.

It wasn’t fashionable to admit need until very recently. In these times, many powerful people are being forced to admit that their own power is not enough. We cannot solve our own problems.

There is a reason for this weakness: we are weak.