Prayer for the New Year
O God of new beginnings and wonderful surprises, thank you for the gift of a new year.  May it be a time of grace for me, a time to grow in faith and love, a time to renew my commitment to following Your Son, Jesus.  May it be a year of blessing for me, a time to cherish my family and friends, a time to renew my efforts at work, a time to embrace my faith more fully.  Walk with me, please, in every day and every hour of this new year, that the light of Christ might shine through me, in spite of my weaknesses and failings.  Above all, may I remember this year that I am a pilgrim on the sacred path to You.   Amen.

An Epiphany Prayer:

Copyright © The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England, 2000-2006,  published by Church House Publishing.

Taize Verse for Sunday 2nd January:
When they saw the star, the wise men were filled with a great joy. As they entered, they saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they knelt down and worshipped him.

A Prayer of Daybreak by Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466  -1536)
(His work greatly influenced Martin Luther. He saw the need for reform in the Catholic Church but did not agree with the split which led to the reformation.)
Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the sun which always rises but never sets;
You are the source of all life, creating and sustaining every living thing.
You are the source of all food, nourishing us in body and soul.
You are the light that dispels error and the clouds of doubt
And goes before me every hour of the day, guiding my thoughts and actions.

May I walk in your light,
Be nourished by your food
Be sustained by your mercy
And be warmed by your love.

A Prayer from Mongolia
O God,
That we may receive your blessing
Touch our brows, touch our heads
And do not look upon us in anger.
In a hard year be our mercy near to us.
In a year of affliction be our kindness.
Dark spirits banish from us,
Bright spirits bring close to us,
Grey spirits put away from us,
Good spirits draw near to us.
When I am afraid be my courage,
When I am ashamed be my true face.
Be thou over me like a blanket,
Be thou under me like a bed of furs.

From a morning prayer by Philaret Metropolitan of Moscow.

Lord, let me accept calmly all
That this day might bring,
Let me devote myself completely to your sacred will.
Direct and help me each hour of this day.
When unpredictable circumstances arise
Do not let me forget that everything comes from you.
Lord Jesus, Son of God, it is better not to live than to live without you.
Holy Spirit, help me to dedicate this day to you.

Daily Verse from Taize: Sunday, 24th January.
Jesus read out these words of Isaiah the prophet: The Spirit of the Lord is on me. God has sent me to announce good news to the afflicted, sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed.
Luke 4:14-21

Daily Meditation from Taize:
One day in Taizé, a child said, “My father left us. I never see him, but I still love him and at night I pray for him.” Without realizing it, that child was living the miracle of kind-heartedness.
Brother Roger of Taize from “Peace of Heart in All Things.”

An ancient hymn from the Chaldean liturgy:
You, Lord of all, we confess.
You, Lord Jesus, we glorify.
For You are the life of our bodies
And You are the Saviour of our souls.

A Prayer for Haiti:
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, deal graciously with the people of Haiti in their suffering. May they trust you and feel the comfort of your presence. And give us all courage and wisdom to help, not only now but into the future so lives and the country can be fully rebuilt.
Grant eternal life to those who have died, healing to the injured, strength to the survivors and hope to all for the future. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.
                                      adapted from a prayer by  Venerable Dr Fritz Bazin (Haitian born)

Prayer from TOGO
O God most mighty among the heavens forgive our sins Amen;
For private and secret sins, O God forgive us;
For not walking up rightly, O God forgive us;
Forgive our young people
Forgive our adults
Forgive our men
Forgive our women.
Visit not the sins of our fathers on us.
If You should visit their iniquities on those who worship you we shall be hurt
Therefore blot out all their sins this day O Lord
Forgive us individually
Forgive us corporately
Grant forgiveness to all who worship you and do your will on earth.

Taize Verse and Meditation :
John the Baptist came as is written in the book of Isaiah: A voice of one who cries in the desert, “Prepare a way for the Lord, make straight his paths!”
Luke 3:1-6

There are people who, by giving themselves, attest that human beings are not doomed to hopelessness. Are we among them? However powerless we may be, are we not called to communicate a mystery of hope to those around us by the lives we lead?

Advent Prayers:

Lord Jesus, Light of the world,
the prophets said you would bring peace
and save your people in trouble.
Give peace in our hearts at Christmas
and show all the world God’s love.  Amen.

People of God: be glad!
Your God delights in you.
giving you joy for sadness
and turn the dark to light.
Be strong in hope therefore;
for your God comes to save.
You are God’s children.

“As prayers go up, blessings come down”  - Yiddish proverb.

A Prayer for Mauritania
  (which could apply to the whole world!)

Your land O Lord is divided
And suffers from fighting between your children.
Injustices of all kinds, hatred and bitterness
Are part of the daily life of the people:
Families seek reconciliation;
Tribes and ethnic groups need reconciliation and peace;
The country needs to be restored and reconciled with itself
In order to deal with its past;
The downtrodden still struggle to live a decent life;
The powerful continue to exploit the powerless and the voiceless.
Send your Holy Spirit to reveal your presence and might to all.
May your name be feared and judgement brought upon those
Who continue to oppress the little ones.
Enter into their hearts and lives and change them to become havens of love.

Words from Mother Theresa of Calcutta to encourage us:

Do not pursue spectacular deeds.  

What matters is the gift of yourself,

The degree of love that you put in each of your actions.

A Prayer from Congo-Brazzaville

Lord, if you want that we should love you with our whole heart,
Without distraction or detour,
Teach us to become constant in your love.
When those without faith or law insult us
Help us to forgive, O resurrected One,
Jesus the friend of the people of the Congo.

Your father is not a God of the dead but of the living;
Therefore guide us in your love
So that we may live in your presence forever.

A Prayer for Remembrance Sunday:

A prayer from Congo
(Please pray for the 3 countries who have all suffered horrific civil wars. Pray particularly for the women of Congo who have suffered from rape and torture.)

Lord, You call us to pray for our enemies.
Have mercy on those disposed to do us evil, who divide your church.
Deliver us lord from every temptation.
Have mercy on our lack of belief and wavering faith.
You are our God.
We always want to be your people, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

God to enfold me,
God to surround me,
God in my speaking,
God in my thinking.
God in my sleeping,
God in my waking,
God in my watching,
God in my hoping.
God in my life,
God in my lips,
God in my soul,
God in my heart.
God in my sufficing,
God in my slumber,
God in mine ever-living soul,
God in mine eternity.

Ancient Celtic oral tradition - Carmina Gadelica

Thoughts from Madagascar:
Lord Jesus
The storm is life and life is the storm
And there is no escaping it.
But what matters is that
You are in the storm with us, a beacon and a presence that is sure.

Be thou my vision,
O Lord of my heart,
Be all else but naught to me,
Save that thou art;
Be thou my best thought
In the day and the night,
Both waking and steeping,
Thy presence my light.

Ancient Irish Hymn, 8th Century.

WCC Prayer from Czech Republic (adapted)
God, you are our father and our mother.
You have given us the earth which is the theatre of your glory;
Hear the groaning of creation
Look at our wounds and the wounds of our earth.
Make us sensitive and attentive to the needs of all creation;
Strengthen our faith, multiply our love
Hold us in hope.
We adore and we praise you Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

O compassionate Lord,
I would prefer power over the storm,
A secure home,
A life protected from winds.
But help me to live with the storms,
Shelter with friends,
See my plans broken, but not my life.
Rebuild me again and again from the earth.
from Bangladesh Dear Life (Christian Aid)

A recent prayer from MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship;)
We are not very wise Lord, but we are in awe of you and that is the beginning of wisdom. 
Lord, use our foolishness to make known your love far and wide.

A prayer from the Latin American Council of Churches
To be more patient, Give us strength, God.
To become peacemakers, Equip us, Lord.
To be right, Give us your light, Lord.
To accept our faults, Give us humility, Lord.
To be in solidarity with those who suffer Make us sympathetic, Lord.
That our actions will be guided by your love,
Give us your Spirit, Lord. Amen.

A prayer by Ernesto Barros Cardoso of Brazil (a Methodist working ecumenically in South America.)

God of Life
Prepare our hands for a touch,
Anew and different touch;
Prepare our hands for a touch
A touch of encounter
A touch of awakening
A touch of hope
A touch of feeling.
Many are the worn out gestures
Many are the movements frozen in time
Many are the useless excuses to repeat attitudes.

Give us daring
To create new titles of community
New kinds of affection,
Breaking away from
Old ways of relating,
Encouraging true meaningful ways to more closeness.

Part of a prayer by Bishop Aldo Etcheggo of the Evangelical Methodist Church of Argentina

Take care of your church Lord;
Put in it a sincere love for those who suffer
A clear vision of your will,
Pastoral words of healing for the needy,
A valiant prophetic proclamation against those who create violence and pain;.
O God Lord of wind and sea
May your strong mercy calm the whole earth.

N.B.

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