Prayer: New Year 2013

By revjudegeiger

Spirit of Renewal, God of Many Names,

We rest at the close of another year,

One full of many stories,

Some troubled, and some joyous.

May we not turn away from facing the troubled moments of the year,

Teach us to honor the tragedies and the losses,

by seeking to mend what can be mended,

affect the changes we as a nation must affect,

to reduce the violence,

to care for broken,

to find peace in our world once more.

May we not use the New Year as an excuse to shirk from our duties,

Washing our hands of the work at hand.

So too help us to still find the joy in our living world,

To not lose sight of the good in our hearts,

The beauty of the land,

Or the possibilities of change in our lives.

We have been blessed with the gift of life,

And amidst all its challenges, struggles and small exhaustions,

It is full of moments of wonder,

Stories of hope,

And opportunities to love again and again.

May we honor this gift we have,

by holding the passion and the pain,

with grateful hearts,

as best we can.

 

At this hour, where our nation,

is on the brink of extreme measures of austerity,

we hold especially in our hearts,

all those who are living in fear of losing much needed financial support,

who rely on benefits who might not be there in a few days,

or who are still seeking employment.

Grant our leaders wisdom,

to heed the urgency of the mantle of their leadership,

And may they soon learn that political points,

are inferior to the work of building up the nation.