Feather: Creator God, in whom all have their beginning and end, we your children of creation lift our praise and thanksgiving for this season of renewal and beginning, as we look to the new year before us. Open our eyes to the new vision of your will and design, open our mouths to speak truth and peace, open our hearts to your love and guidance and open our hands to renewal and new strength. Almighty, guide us in the path of humility to truly listen and go forth in your peace, take from us our pride and greed and fill us with renewal and hope that in the year before us all might be one with you. This we pray in the name of the peace bringer, your Son our Lord and Saviour, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Sage: Revelation Chapter 21 has a few key words: “Behold, I make all things new.” (Rev. 21:5 NKJV) As we look to the sunrise of a new year in 2026 we look forward to a new hope in all steps of life, one that can only be brought forth through faith in Christ.
In the image of the baby traditionally used to symbolize the new year, we see new life, hope and potential, acknowledging that there is a lot of work and patience needed to raise up this child, and that every step of the way is going to call us to give only our best through love and prayers. And as the year struggles on we see, as in another image of old, Father Time, old and weary. We’re miserable and we complain that we have so little in our control and that we work so hard only to get frustrated and diminished, hardly hearing when wisdom and peace whisper our Lord’s words. Matthew 11: 25-30 reminds us that only in Christ and the cross can we see and find the hope of renewal and true life. “Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mt. 11:28 NKJV)
With the new year before us, a new beginning, a new hope, we together pray. May faith in Christ abound to new levels, may all our labours lift high the cross for the world to see, may truth be in our hearts and upon our lips, and peace walk with us all as we step with new boldness in Christ, in whom all things are made anew.
