{"id":5308,"date":"2010-11-29T12:05:50","date_gmt":"2010-11-29T12:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/deaconsbench\/2010\/11\/lest-we-forget-happy-new-year.html"},"modified":"2010-11-29T12:05:50","modified_gmt":"2010-11-29T12:05:50","slug":"lest-we-forget-happy-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2010\/11\/lest-we-forget-happy-new-year.html","title":{"rendered":"Lest we forget: happy new year!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"dawn.jpg\"<\/a><\/span>
\nFrom the poetic pen of the Concord Pastor<\/a> comes this beautiful prayer for this first Monday of Advent. I can’t think of a better way to begin a new year, and a new week:
 <\/p>\n

With Advent begins a new year of grace, Lord,
\n
the grace that is yours to share and give…<\/p>\n

In this new year I want to offer you
\nan open door to my heart, Lord,
\nfor you to enter and make your home there…<\/p>\n

I offer you the corners of my heart’s garden
\nwhere I let the weeds grow wild:
\nLord, help me weed out
\nwhatever does not nourish my life and soul…<\/p>\n

I offer you the closets of my heart,
\nstuffed with old grudges and resentments:
\nLord, help me discard anything
\nthat fails to help me heal and grow…<\/p>\n

I offer you my heart’s cartons of wasted time,
\nboxes of foolishness
\nand bags of misspent effort:
\nLord, help me clear out the trash of my mistakes
\nand give me a new beginning…<\/p>\n

I offer you the cellar of my heart, Lord,
\nwhere a locked trunk of hurt and anger
\naches to be opened with the key of your healing grace:
\nunlock what keeps me prisoner
\nto my memories and disappointments…<\/p>\n

I offer you my heart’s hopes and dreams, Lord,
\nfor this new year of grace:
\nmy pledge to pray more regularly;
\nmy desire to grow in your love;
\nmy need to rely on your wisdom and word;
\nmy promise to ask for your help each day;
\nmy hope to be more forgiving of those who offend me,
\nmore faithful in serving others’ needs,
\nmore welcoming of those who are alone…<\/p>\n

I offer you this new year of grace, Lord,
\nand ask for the strength and resolve I need
\nto live it as one worthy of the name Christian,
\nready for the work of a disciple,
\nconfident of your presence in everything I do
\nand in all I meet and know…<\/p>\n

I offer you the new year ahead, Lord
\n– one day at a time –
\nand I pray for the serenity, the grace
\nto accept the things I cannot change,
\nthe courage to change the things I can
\nand the wisdom to know the difference…<\/p>\n

Amen.<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From the poetic pen of the Concord Pastor comes this beautiful prayer for this first Monday of Advent. I can’t think of a better way to begin a new year, and a new week:  With Advent begins a new year of grace, Lord, the grace that is yours to share and give… In this new…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,19,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration","category-links-r-us","category-prayer"],"yoast_head":"\nLest we forget: happy new year! - The Deacon's Bench<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2010\/11\/lest-we-forget-happy-new-year.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lest we forget: happy new year! - The Deacon's Bench\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From the poetic pen of the Concord Pastor comes this beautiful prayer for this first Monday of Advent. 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