Our New Year Prayer and Communion Service is a favorite annual tradition. Here are the prayers from this year’s service.
OPENING PRAYER
LEADER:
As we come to the Lord at the start of this New Year,
let us seek his grace to number our days
that we may apply our hearts to wisdom
as we confess our sins in repentance and faith.
Lord Jesus, you are mighty God
and Prince of Peace: Lord, have mercy.
ALL:
Lord, have mercy.
LEADER:
Lord Jesus, you are Son of God
and Son of Mary: Christ, have mercy.
ALL:
Christ, have mercy.
LEADER:
Lord Jesus, you are Word made flesh and
splendor of the Father; Lord, have mercy.
ALL: Lord, have mercy.
LEADER:
Eternal Lord God,
we give you thanks for bringing us
through the changes of time
to the beginning of another year.
Forgive us the wrong we have done
in the year that is past,
and help us to spend the rest of our days
to your honor and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

A PRAYER FOR WORLD LEADERS
LEADER:
Almighty Father,
whose will is to restore all things
in your beloved Son, the King of all:
govern the hearts and minds of those in authority,
and bring peace to the families of the nations,
divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin,
to be subject to his just and gentle rule;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
ALL:
God, our refuge and strength,
bring near the day when wars shall cease
and poverty and pain shall end,
that earth may know the peace of heaven
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE POOR AND FOR PEACE
LEADER:
God of love, turn our hearts to your ways; and give us peace.
Make your ways known upon the earth, Lord God,
your saving power among all peoples.
Renew your Church in holiness and help us to serve
you with joy. Guide the leaders of this and every nation,
that justice may prevail throughout the world.
Let not the needy be forgotten, nor the hope of the
poor be taken away. Provide opportunities for your people
to be a blessing to those less fortunate.
Make us instruments of your peace
and let your glory be over all the earth.
ALL:
Lord God,
you hold both heaven and earth in a single peace.
Let the design of your great love
shine on the waste of our anger and sorrow,
and give peace to your Church,
peace among nations,
peace in our homes,
and peace in our hearts,
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE MARGINALIZED AND POOR IN SPIRIT
LEADER:
Almighty and merciful God,
whose Son became a refugee and
had no place to call his own;
look with mercy on those who today are
fleeing from danger, homeless and hungry.
Comfort the oppressed by the power of your Holy Spirit.
Lift up those who are poor in spirit and show yourself
as merciful to them in their time of desperation.
Bless those who work to bring them relief and
kindle generosity and compassion in all of our hearts.
Remind us that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made in Your image.
May we be a light of hope into the darkness
of oppression and prejudice.
ALL:
Guide the nations and peoples of the world towards that day
when all will rejoice in your Kingdom of justice
and of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

PRAYER FOR FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP
LEADER:
Lord God, we are an abundantly blessed people. By your grace, enable us to be faithful stewards
of our time, our talents, and our money.
May our hearts and minds be refreshed to know
that our treasure is in heaven
and that our giving honors God.
May we be reminded of those who have no hope
and be willing to sacrifice our wants
in order to serve their need.
May our words of grace be displayed as actions of love
as we steward that which you have given us.
ALL:
Loving God, meet us in our fear and grant us trust:
be a tower of strength amidst our doubts
and a light in the darkness;
help us receive your gift of peace,
and fix our hearts where true joys are to be found,
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A PRAYER OF CONFESSION
LEADER:
We meet in the presence of God
who knows our needs, hears our cries, feels our pain,
and heals our wounds. Let us confess to God the sins and
shortcomings of the world; its greed; its evil divisions and
hatreds.
Let us confess our share in what is wrong,
and our failure to seek and establish that peace
which God wills for his children.
ALL:
Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed.
We have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
In your mercy forgive what we have been,
help us to amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be;
that we may do justly, love mercy,
and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.
LEADER:
May the God of love and power
forgive you and free you from your sins,
heal and strengthen you by his Spirit,
and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord.
Amen.

PRAYER OF THANKS FOR SALVATION
LEADER:
Almighty God,
We thank you for the salvation that you have secured for us through your Son Jesus
You have called us to be your people by your righteousness alone.
By your grace you have given us new life in Jesus Christ, and by your Spirit you
have you have called us to proclaim his name throughout the Nations.
ALL:
Awaken in us such a love for you and a gratitude for your salvation that we may
so boldly proclaim Jesus Christ by word and deed that all people may
come to know him as Savior and follow him as Lord; to the glory of
your Name.

A PRAYER FOR RELATIONSHIPS
LEADER:
Righteous Father,
By your Holy Spirit develop and strengthen our relationships
with those around us.
May we display the faithfulness of your friendship.
The devotion of your love.
And the discipline of your infinite wisdom.
Saturate our marriages with your presence. Continue to give us
the strength and sustenance that we owe to our vows.
Open our hearts to You and to each other.
Help husbands and wives to humbly serve
one another in the love of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Help parents live a life that is worthy of the gospel, so that their children
will be encouraged to have faith and revel in the beautiful gospel
that has been passed on to them.
Enable us all to be a friend who is there in a time of trouble.
Prompt us to encourage quickly and admonish gently.
May we bear one another’s burdens through the toil and trials of life.
ALL:
God, show us your way, your will,
your love, and your dedication, and help us
live these things in our relationships
with our families, friends, neighbors, and coworkers.
Amen.

PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO ARE SICK
LEADER:
O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, Who by Your word healed all
diseases; Who in Your pity and goodness bears all our
infirmities: Come now to help Your servants. Heal them of
every sickness which afflicts them. Raise them from this
malady and send down upon them Your great mercy and, if it
is Your will, grant them health and a complete recovery.
ALL:
For You are the Physician of our souls and bodies, and unto You we
ascribe glory, Who is from everlasting, and Your all-holy,
and good and life-creating Spirit.
Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE GOSPEL
LEADER:
God of the ages,
we praise you for all of your servants
who have done justice, loved mercy,
and walked humbly with you.
We praise you for all who,
by their steadfast faith and bold declaration
have led others to Christ Jesus.
We pray now for the Church around the world
to carry on this legacy of abundant grace.
Be with those that are enduring hardship and persecution for the sake of Christ.
Comfort them by your Spirit and instill in them peace in the strife.
May our church be the light to our city
that you have called us to be.
We pray that you would give us grace to
help people take their next steps toward Christ.
ALL:
Almighty God,
you have called together your people
from all times and places
in one communion and fellowship
in the body of your Son, Christ, our Lord.
Give us grace to steward your church
for this present age through Jesus Christ,
by the Holy Spirit, and for our God who lives and reigns.
Amen.