Lord of New Things,
On this New Year’s Day,
we celebrate all of the new things
you have already done,
and all of the new things
you will one day do
when Jesus returns.
We thank you for the very new thing
you did at Christmas over 2000 years ago—
You sent your Son as a weak and weeping infant-king.
We praise you for the redeeming work
he has already done in our lives.
We look forward to the new things
you have planned to do in us this year.
How will we fulfill our created and re-created purpose
to enjoy and glorify you this year?
May we not scribble shallow “resolutions” today
that we will break by next week;
may we write prayers of purpose,
seeking your creative power
to radically transform our lives,
to make us people
who love our families, our friends,
our neighbors, and our enemies.
May our resolutions be far less
about what we will do in 2022
and far more about who we will become.
In Jesus’ transforming name. Amen.
Read Isaiah 43:1-4, 19-21.
