If you are a pastor or liturgist at your church and you don't own the book: Prayers and Litanies for the Christian Seasons by Sharlande Sledge, you are really missing out. This is a wonderful book of thoughtful and thought provoking worship tools.
On Sunday morning, I shared this prayer, with the congregation as the pastoral blessing. I share it again here for those who might have missed it or want a copy of it. It's a great way to to start off the New Year.
Blessing
Go into this new year to be a beginning for others--
to be a singer to the songless, a storyteller to the wanderer;
to become a beginning of hope for the dispairing, of healing for the hurting,
of assurance for the doubting, of reconcilation for the divided.
Go forth believing in beginnings, making beginnings, being beginnings so that you may not just grow old but grow each day of this amazing life God calls us to live with each other.
In the name of God of ages past, who makes all things new, so that we can remember yesterday,
dream into tomorrow, and live in God's love today.
Go in the peace of Christ.
