Good and Gracious God, Unless the builder builds the house, then its laborers build in vain. So we come to you today asking that you would, again, promise to be the one who builds our lives. For this world has both brought us joy and broken our hearts. It has brought us both grief and gratitude. Lord Jesus, help us put the pieces together.

Today, we think about those in our lives who celebrate the new possibilities of life: for new children, new jobs, for the in-breaking of a new year. You are the author and perfecter of all good gifts, and we can’t help but thank you.

Yet, life can feel so disparate. Sometimes it can feel like we are only just getting by – like we are traversing one moment after another. Today, we pray for the wobegone, the afraid, the rejects, the outcast. We pray for those for whom grief has numbed life’s abundance. God, the darkness covers us in so many ways: in loss and disappointment. O Light that Has Always Been There and Yet is Ever New, brighten our lives again. Release us from patterns of apathy and disregard. Disquiet us with your very self, so that we might remember what it means to fully live.

Today we pray for all of those who steward power. For our Mayor Eric, for our Governor Kathy, and for our President Joseph. Might they always lead for the sake of others. Make their paths straight. And might the house that they build be called justice, peace, and compassion.

For there are so many in this world that we hold up to your care. We ask that in the mystery of your providence that you might shield the afflicted and care for all those who are vulnerable to the violence of the world. Today, we pray for the grieving in New Orleans, for those who have lost everything in California, for families (for children) in places like Gaza and Ukraine. O Holy Spirit, kindle hope where none seems possible. Build this world anew, a world where animosity is no more.

Build this world anew. Build me anew. Build us anew. Send me out. Send us out.

Commission us for your work in this world as we pray the words of your Son…