Creator God,
Who dreamed and spoke,
Who created all,
we come humbly before You now
and pray:

The cycle has begun again.
What was old has become new.
We lay our lives before You
in this new year of 2020.

All we have:
our resources, our time,
our family members,
our vision for the year,
ourselves.
All of it we lay at Your feet.
An offering to You.
Do with us as You will.

Lord, in Your mercy
Hear our prayer.

Enlighten the eyes of our hearts
so that we may know Your hope;
Sharpen the ears of our hearts
so that we may hear Your calling.

As You spoke to the wise men through stars,
using a language they could understand,
speak to us in a way we can hear You
and regard all You’ve done for the world.

Make us instruments of Your peace.
Let us see Your world through holy eyes,
so that we interact with it
in a way that honors You
and enacts Your will.

Lord, in Your mercy
Hear our prayer.

For all who are in torment today, we pray.
Gird them where they are weak,
Calm them where they are distressed,
Soothe them where they are in pain.

For all those affected by the ongoing bush fires
in New South Wales, Australia,
we ask for Your mercy and compassion.
Give us courage and a will to care for Your creation,
for all living things.

We pray for all those affected
by renewed military action in the Middle East.
For service members on all sides
and for the millions of innocents in between.
We yearn alongside You for the flourishing of all life.

We now lift up our own voices,
to offer our prayers to You,
whether silently or aloud.

[PAUSE]

Give us vision for the day
when all wars cease and all contentions are resolved,
when You gather Your creation,
Your Great Family,
for Your great, joyful feast.

All this we ask through Christ, our Lord. Amen.