As we begin a new year’s work,
we turn to the God of newness, the God of creation and imagination,
the God who’s Spirit renews the face of the earth.

May the coming days of Christmas,
days which remind us of Jesus’ first appearance on earth,
be more than ever days of great inner and outer joy,
an echo of the angels’ song and of the shepherd’s gladness!
May we live them so that Jesus,

In the stillness of this morning.
In the day that is newly dawning.
O Lord, your kingdom come.

You who created us,
who sustain us,
who call us to live in peace,
hear our prayer this day.