Opening Prayer
Adapted from A Prayer for Walking into the New Year, by Rev. Karen Rohrer
God of all new years,
As we look out on the horizon,
we admit our weariness —
the memories we carry in our bodies,
the patterns of anxiety we’ve practiced,
and the weight of fears, old fables,
and generational wounds.
And yet, God,
You come to us as more than likelihood or probability,
plausible outcomes or logical conclusions.
Your story is the deeper magic
from before the drums of history,
before our forming stories and earthen bodies
set us here to walk this particular, human road.
Somehow, You walk with us,
even here in this in-between space.
Spirit of new life,
give us eyes to see the implausible.
Grant us the hope and the diligence to follow
the seeds of revolution and revelation already planted.
Grant us the presence and good sense
to look up and to look out
to the surprise and delight
of nature and neighbor.
Remind us that the past,
no matter how burdensome or permanent it feels,
does not govern Your future.
Help us to dream with You —
broader and wider
and newer and brighter
than all we have ever known.
As we look out on the horizon of a new year,
give us the courage and trust
to see You even there.
Join us as we walk into Your new morning.
Amen.
Shining Star
Shining Star
Shining Star
Come and guide our hearts
The angels watched in mystery
As You took off Your glory
Instead You put on human skin
To reconcile all things again
You stepped into the darkest night
To blaze the skies with heaven’s sign
That we all matter, we are loved
That Your heartbeat’s strong for us
What a picture of love!
You are magnificent
You are magnificent
You are my Rescuer
You light the darkest night
You light the darkest night
You are the Shining Star
The angels watched in mystery
As You bore all our misery
The hands that crafted worlds and stars
Chose the pain of human scars
You came to die the lowest death
To show the human soul its worth
And as You burst through the darkness
You raised the dead in all of us
What a portrait of grace!
Passing of the Peace
Take a moment to send greetings of peace to the people around you — perhaps a word of gratitude for the past year or a word of blessing for the year ahead. You can also send a text message to someone either from our Anchor & Hope community or someone else who needs God’s peace this day!
Kids Worship Song
Shine
Shine from the inside out
That the world will see
You live in me
You know me
and You love me
You fill me, so send me to…
Know me, love me, fill me, send me
Know me, love me, fill me, send me
Know me, love me, fill me, send me
Kids Reflection
This story comes from Matthew 2:13-18.
When the Wise Men had left, Joseph had a dream. In the dream an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph. “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you to come back. Herod is going to search for the child. He wants to kill him.”
So Joseph got up. During the night, he left for Egypt with the child and his mother Mary. They stayed there until King Herod died. So the words the Lord had spoken through the prophet came true. He had said, “I brought my son out of Egypt.” (Hosea 11:1)
Herod realized that the Wise Men had tricked him. So he became very angry. He gave orders about Bethlehem and the area around it. He ordered all the boys two years old and under to be killed. This agreed with the time when the Wise Men had seen the star. In this way, the words Jeremiah the prophet spoke came true. He had said,
“A voice is heard in Ramah.
It’s the sound of crying and deep sadness.
Rachel is crying over her children.
She refuses to be comforted,
because they are gone.” (Jeremiah 31:15)
Watch the video for this story here:
Have a conversation with your kids about the following “I wonder” questions:
- I wonder what made you smile? I wonder what you found surprising? I wonder if anything didn’t seem to make sense?
- I wonder how close the danger came before Joseph and Mary finally had to make a run for it?
- I wonder how hard it must have been for Mary and Joseph to leave their home country?
- I wonder which part of this story made the biggest impression on you?
- If you were forced to run away from your home, I wonder which five things would you take with you? What if you could take only one item?
- In the Bible it says that both the wise men and later Joseph were guided by God through a dream. I wonder if you think dreams can be special like this?
- I wonder how many different “feelings” or emotions you can list that people experienced in this story?
Prayer for Illumination
God who makes all things new,
Prepare our hearts
to listen to, engage with,
and be transformed by Your Word.
And be with everyone from
our church family this day,
that they may hear from You too.
In Jesus name, Amen.
Scripture Reflection
Read Psalm 80:1-3 out loud:
Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who sit enthroned
between the cherubim,
shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken your might;
come and save us.
Restore us, O God;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.
Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.
Together: Thanks be to God.
Did you know that the “Twelve Days of Christmas” is more than just a song with difficult-to-remember lyrics? As Pastor Jeya reminded us recently, the twelve days of Christmas actually begins on Christmas Day and continues until we celebrate Epiphany!
“Epiphany” comes from the Greek word epiphaneia, meaning “appearance” or manifestation. On Epiphany (which is celebrated on the sixth day of January), we celebrate God’s self-revelation to us and to the world in Jesus Christ. Light is a powerful image of this season — just as the star guided the Magi to Jesus and overwhelmed them with joy, we continue to be led by the Light of the World, whose light breaks forth into our darkness with healing in its wings.
Take a moment to reflect on the past year. Consider the following questions about God’s light in your life:
- Did light shine from unexpected places? Were you ever surprised by how you experienced God’s light?
- How did you experience the light of Jesus this year? Guidance, warmth, hope, inspiration, revealing?
The start of a new year often makes us think about new beginnings. For example, it’s a natural and good practice to make some new year’s resolutions (and to give yourself a healthy dose of grace in doing your best to follow through!). As we begin to transition into a new year, take a few moments to talk about the light of Jesus leading you this year:
- Continue to think about the question, “What then will I become?” throughout 2025
- Take some time to prayerfully consider a star word to guide you throughout the year — the focus of this is not on our efforts or determination but, rather, on how God’s face will shine upon us and the ways in which we’ll be changed by Jesus’ light
- One way to think about this is to fill in the blank: “When Jesus’ light shines on me, I will experience ___________” or “I will be _____________” • The word in the blank could be your star word for the year!
- Share your star word with someone else. If you’d like, you can also explain a little bit more about why it’s meaningful for you!
New Year
My heart beats like a drum
Flying up with the sun
I grab Your hand again
Renovated with life
My eyes again bright
And You are radiant
Where hope can hold the hand of sorrow
and we can walk into tomorrow
Where peace is found in troubled days
And the joy of Jesus carries pain
This is a new year
This is new day
To rise shine, lift up your eyes
This is a new year
This is a new day to rise shine
And point the way to God’s great life
I’m held in a place
A beautiful space
where heaven meets the earth
My heart opens wide
And the Father pours life
Deep inside my soul
Closing Prayer
Based on Isaiah 60 & 2 Corinthians 4
Arise, shine,
for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord
has risen upon you.
Lift up your eyes and look around;
For God, who said,
“Let light shine out of darkness”
makes light shine in your hearts.
Amen.
Anchor & Hope Church 