Here’s a beautiful prayer for the New Year from Christian Aid. It’s based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-13, one of the suggested scripture readings for that day.
Prayer for the New Year
(based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-13)
'He has made everything suitable for its time;
moreover, he has put a sense of past and future into their minds,
yet they cannot find out what God has done
from the beginning to the end.' (Eccl. 3:11)
Ageless one, who created time
And is sovereign over its every passing moment –
Be near to us at this turning of the year.
Help us to look back and celebrate all you have done
And all you have accomplished through us
To build your kingdom of justice and peace.
Empower us to also face the disappointment
And holy frustration of the change we have yet to see
And the injustice that continues to rob so many of their future.
And above all, fill us with your Spirit
That we might look to the year ahead with hope, determination and love
For we need your perspective as we continue to work with you
For an end to poverty, and a future for all.
Amen.
And is sovereign over its every passing moment –
Be near to us at this turning of the year.
Help us to look back and celebrate all you have done
And all you have accomplished through us
To build your kingdom of justice and peace.
Empower us to also face the disappointment
And holy frustration of the change we have yet to see
And the injustice that continues to rob so many of their future.
And above all, fill us with your Spirit
That we might look to the year ahead with hope, determination and love
For we need your perspective as we continue to work with you
For an end to poverty, and a future for all.
Amen.
— from the Christian Aid website.
For more worship resources for New Year’s worship, see the Index at the upper right side of the page.
