God of seekers:
Thank you for all who are on a journey this year:
a journey to give birth to a child,
a journey to lay a loved one to rest,
a journey to complete a school program,
a journey to pay big bills,
a journey to find a job,
a journey to find themselves.
Thank you that you are the Sender,
sending us to places we would rather not go
to meet people we would rather not meet.
Forgive us when we are too comfortable to get up,
too fearful to open the door,
and too lazy to take the first steps.
We pray today for all who are in hard places on the journey.
For those who are sick, especially….
For those who are grieving, especially….
We want to be compassionate, companioning the weary,
and offering help to those who are struggling.
We want to do this in community;
bless our church, and help it to be a place we can be honest
both with where we are at, and where we want to be.
Hear our prayers for people who are on a mission
to provide good government; our councillors,
our members of provincial and national parliament.
Give them wisdom and insight to govern not for their own interests,
but for the interests of this good earth,
for the interests of the least fortunate,
and for the interests of generations yet unborn.
Give us joy as we journey, revelling in the beauty around us;
the bare trees whose skeletons are silhouetted in the winter sky,
the grace and ease of squirrels as they climb,
the smoothness of ice on a puddle,
the silence of snow falling at night.
You meet us not just at the end of our journey,
but all along the way, in this beauty,
and in the companions you provide.
You are there even when we are filled with questions,
and we wonder what life is all about.
Give us signs to follow, and courage to be faithful.
We want to be walking towards you,
every day of this year.
Amen.
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I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.