By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:78-79
God, at the end of the year that we have named 2025, we stand on another threshold of Your time – the opening, the passageway, the entrance to the future, where we have another chance to recognize Your image in every face we see.
We are among the more than eight billion people living on this earth at the beginning of this new year. It takes us a moment to absorb those words.
We look to Christ for the ways in which we can help bring His intention for peace to life in this world, acting as His hands and feet to be peacemakers in the lives we encounter. We are each but one-billionth of the world community, but what a one billionth! We are a loving part of God’s humanity, with the opportunity to bring peace through our prayers to someone we may have yet to meet.
In this doorway to the new year, 2026, we pray for people living in prolonged uncertainty and insecurity – for they know too well the day-by-day dichotomy of facing the reality of trauma alongside glimpses of hope. They have known great sadness and struggle. We remember these people now as we pray.
As we cross the threshold into the new year, we take a moment to consider those with existing needs. The millions who are heart-broken, those carrying deep sorrow and loss. We pray for Your peace to enfold all those who long for calm, for a deep breath, for vision and for enough energy for just the next few days. . . and then the next . . . and then the next . . .
We pray for the people of Ukraine and for the country’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, as he attempts to navigate conversations between the Presidents of the United States and of Russia. May the leaders of these countries respect him as he speaks truth to power and tries to protect territory precious to his country, including the city of Kiev. May the Ukrainian children be returned from Russia to their parents. May Your peace descend on this land.
We pray for the people in Gaza, whose physical world has been completely overturned, a world that is now covered in rubble; rubble covering the bodies of children, rubble that leaves food supplies inedible, rubble of destroyed classrooms, hospitals and medical supplies. Rubble that blocks the road to peace. Oh, Prince of Peace, may Israel realize and restore the meaning of the ceasefire. Remind its leaders that we are all made in Your image and have the right to safe housing, medical care, a sufficient and healthy diet, clean water to drink, and life itself! Bind up the severe wounds that afflict Palestine. Let the people taste the true meaning of ‘peace’.
We pray for people in Central Africa, especially in the countries of Sudan and South Sudan – where horrific mass killings are occurring – but also for the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, and Burkina Faso who know too well the things that lead to war and not to peace. In Your economy, it is possible for all the people of these countries to receive the medical attention they need, including nutritious food and necessary vaccinations – and for agricultural practices that lead to healthy crops. We pray for the people to thrive in these regions.
We pray for the new mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, who was sworn in as the youngest mayor in the history of New York City at a private ceremony on December 31, 2025. His public swearing in is January 1, 2026. For the first time, New Yorkers have elected a South Asian, a millennial, a democratic socialist, and a Muslim. Mamdani’s inauguration marks a civic turning point in New York City. We pray Your protection over this leader and that his years in mayoral leadership represent a time of peace in the city.
And as we look toward the next twelve months, we pray that the world does not experience disasters as numerous and as dangerous as those witnessed in 2025. We pray for those who experienced these disasters, and especially for those who are displaced, who are refugees and who are migrants. We bring to You:
- those affected by the Southern California wildfires
- those caught in Pakistan’s monsoon floods
- those lost in the Myanmar earthquake
- those who experienced the intense heatwave in Europe, and the resulting wildfires
- those affected by the destruction caused by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica
- those terrified by severe floods in Nigeria and South Korea
- those affected by the Haiti humanitarian crisis
- the Rohingya people, who had to flee from Myanmar to Bangladesh to escape persecution
- those in the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam affected by Typhoon Kalmaegi
- those suffering the sudden grief caused by flooding along the Guadalupe River in Texas, USA
- those experiencing Venezuela’s deepening humanitarian crises, causing citizens to flee to other countries.
By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:78-79
O God, in Your mercy,
O Jesus, in whom we know Your kindness, Your love, Your peace,
may we serve You well every time we see Your image in the face of one of Your children. Amen.
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