Prayer Offered for January 3, 2024

Gracious and merciful Creator, as we begin this new year, we recall the words of Howard Thurman:

When the song of the angels is stilled,

when the star in the sky is gone,

when the kings and princes are home,

when the shepherds are back with their flocks,

then the work of Christmas begins:

to find the lost,

to heal the broken,

to feed the hungry,

to release the prisoner,

to rebuild the nations,

to bring peace among the people,

to make music in the heart.

Loving God, we ask Your presence with us as we ponder the deepest needs of our people and dedicate all that we have to the work of justice and peace.—AMEN.

 _{(When the Song of the Angels is Stilled by Howard Thurman)}