Happy New Year!
Today’s Verses:
2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
We slam the door shut on 2024 this evening, reflecting upon the “things that were” these past 12 months. All of us had joys and sorrows, failures and missed opportunities this year that comes to a close at midnight. As we reflect today on that past, our hearts direct us to look forward to a new tomorrow. If we have a paper calendar, we’ll put a new one on the wall, staring at empty date boxes as we wonder what is next for our lives.
Yet we have one cornerstone through our days past and those to come: Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. The old has truly passed away, and the new has come. While in the coming 365 days, we’ll face a combination of good and bad things, we can confidently approach those empty boxes on our calendars, knowing that God forgives and loves us.
This New Year’s Eve, let us thank God for all the blessings He’s given us. Let us confess our sins and shortcomings daily before our Father in heaven and resolve each morning to live our days by God’s will, serving Him and our neighbor with joy and happiness. Happy New Year!
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Heavenly Father, as this year ends, we thank You for all the blessings You have bestowed upon us. We confess our sins and shortcomings, and we ask for Your forgiveness. Please give us the strength and courage to face the new year with hope and confidence, knowing You are always with us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
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 trespasses 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 and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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