New Year's Eve
Written for Worship at Decatur First UMC, Decatur, GA
December 31, 2023
Based on Psalm 148
We praise you, beloved Lord,
In the stillness of our hearts,
In the air that moves in and out of our lungs,
In the quiet that we seek for our busy minds.
We join the song of all creation - Hallelujah. Praise to the Blessed One.
On this seventh day of Christmas, the last of day of our year,
We join the chorus giving thanks and praise for your life among us.
In the enchanted world you have entrusted to us,
in the earthly life of our brother, Jesus,
in the eternal flow of your Holy Spirit.
You are never far from us. Hallelujah.
We remember with gratitude the gifts of the past year,
We remember too the rough places, where you remained steadfast,
Whether we had eyes to see or not, you never left us.
Hallelujah.
We await the coming year,
some of us with anticipation and excitement,
Others with fear and dread.
And for most of us, it’s complicated.
Whether on the first day of the year, or the last,
You are a never-ending provider of new beginnings and fresh starts. Hallelujah.
We recognize that this season is colder and more difficult for some of us.
There are days when we can hardly mutter, “thank you,”
much less a full throated “Hallelujah.”
Beloved Lord, bring the warmth and light of your love to all who need it -
Those who don’t know where they will sleep tonight, or whether they will eat today.
Those struggling to bring love and compassion to difficult relationships.
Those who need a job, or a better job, to make ends meet.
Those grieving the loss of a life, or the loss of what they thought life would be like.
Those who are not safe at home but have nowhere else to go.
Those navigating life with mental illness or addiction.
You are not afraid of dark nights or cold mangers,
You don’t avoid our pain and suffering,
You love the real us, all of it. Hallelujah.
We bring our praise and our petitions to you, Beloved God, in the name of Jesus, and we pray as he taught us, saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
