Sunday Prayers for New Year’s Day: Luke 2:22–40, Isaiah 61:10–62:3
Call to Worship
One: Holy Spirit, our counsellor, lead us steadfastly into this new year.
All: Guide us to recognize your will for us each day.
One: God, the father of glory, shine in our hearts and strengthen our faithfulness.
All: Awaken in us praise and worship for all that you give to us.
One: Jesus our saviour, accept us, forgive us, and free us from pain.
All: Let us know the comfort of your love and the joy that comes from trusting in you.
One: Reach out to us in worship and bring us peace.
Opening Prayer
Everlasting God,
Your love stretches across the ages, a constant beacon of hope and promise to all those who proclaim your name. Your love burrows down inside us to the gulf of our anxiety, providing us with your unchanging acceptance and peace. Your love untangles the messy, knotty dramas of our lives, guiding us with the certainty of your forgiveness and faithfulness. When we are overwhelmed with uncertainty, remind us that all things are possible for you and reassure us with your abiding presence in our hearts. Amen.
Introduction to our Offering
We have been given the gift of another year. A gift of renewal and hope, a gift of fresh starts and possibilities. And the opportunity to share those gifts with others. As we contemplate all that lies ahead, may our service bring about renewal and hope for those in need, and let our giving provide for others the fresh start they long for and the possibilities of a brighter life.
Offering Prayer
Abundant and renewing God,
Guide us in the endeavours of this new year ahead, that we might serve you to bring about the redemption of your world and the healing of your children. That we might enrich the outreach and ministry of the Walton community with our resources. And that we might praise you with our lives, so that all may know that we are your disciples. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
Healing God, as we leave behind another year, we grieve all that we have lost.
We weep for the loved ones departed in these times, with mourning constrained and sorrow stifled.
We hurt for the opportunities and security undermined or put on hold, as doors closed, economies shrank, and travel stuttered.
We acknowledge the milestones passed by unexpressed, with gatherings prevented or discouraged, and celebrating so often out of place.
We lament the fading of purpose in our lives, as our former routines and patterns of meaning pass into memory.
We name our losses before you now, in search of your consolation and peace.
Rescuing God, as we tentatively venture into this new year, we crave the reassurance of your everlasting love.
Comfort us when suffer loss, and remind us of the promise of your salvation, both on earth now and in the life hereafter.
Strengthen us throughout this uncertainty to move forward with hope and to renew our dreams and ambitions despite our unpredictable world.
Nurture us and our communities to create fresh connections and expressions of togetherness; to reinvent rituals through which we can grow.
Nourish us to discover and affirm your will for us, and guide us as we create faithful paths to our fulfilment and the flourishing of your word.
Help us to see the blessings in our world, the possibilities in each day, and your constant presence in our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Benediction
Go forward into this new year, blessed by your witness of God in your life, and inspired by the presence of God in the world. Let your love shine forth like the dawn, bringing hope to all around you, and may your faith glow steadily like a burning torch, guiding you each day. Amen.
