I spent some Saturday evenings in a church where the final worship service of every year is an “open mic” event.

Where did you see God moving in the past year?

Where do you want to see more of Him in the New Year?

Gratitude and hope. Who wants to share?

People shared life-shaping events, and they shared the quiet moments. I always left the building encouraged and purposed and more keenly aware of the ways God touches our lives.

In recent years, I stood at the door step of the New Year, looking back and then looking ahead, and asked God to show me ministries beyond the children’s hour on Sunday mornings. I felt like I had time and energy to contribute in new ways, but couldn’t see opportunities. His Light led me to some extraordinary people and places.

In the process, I began to see the New Year as a wonderfully enriching prayer season. We pour a lot of spiritual energy into Advent and Christmas, and we don’t often look at the New Year as a faith holiday. But we can make it a faith holiday. We can make it a time of renewal. Nothing refreshes like gratitude and hope.

This week, on any or every evening between Dec. 31 and Jan. 7, as the sun sets around 4:54 p.m. in western Pennsylvania, from wherever you are, with whoever wants to join you, let’s step into the New Year with prayers of gratitude and hope. Let’s give thanks for all he has provided and revealed, and let’s ask for new Light.

Lord, we are immensely grateful for everything you shared with us as individuals, as families and as a church family in the past year. We thank you for weddings and baptisms and new members. We thank you for our pastor, our music and worship teams, our children’s ministries, our growth groups, and our ministries to our communities, nation, and world. We thank you for unyielding accessibility on the brightest days and the darkest days.

And, Lord, as we look toward 2024, we ask for more of your Light so we can see new opportunities to share your love and your hope and your peace. Show us where we can find you. Show us where we can serve you. Show us how we can love in bigger, brighter ways.

In Jesus’s name, always and Amen.

Photo by David Lawson