Service for New Year's Eve

Service for New Year's Eve

 

This liturgy, drawn from The Book of Occasional Services, invites us into a sacred pause between the closing of one year and the opening of the next.

 

This service is structured as a vigil — a watchful, prayerful time to reflect on the past, seek renewal, and consecrate the year to come. Through Scripture, song, silence, and prayer, we seek God’s presence and guidance.

 

All are welcome. We hope this time deepens your trust in the One who is Alpha and Omega — the beginning and the end.

 

*****


A Walk Through the Liturgy

 

Service of Light

The service begins in a darkened church with the Service of Light (from An Order for Worship in the Evening, BCP p. 109). We light candles, symbolizing Christ as the Light in the darkness of time and history. We sing the ancient hymn Phos Hilaron (“O Gracious Light”).

 

Readings and Psalms

A series of readings — drawn from Scripture — reflect on the themes of time, seasons, God’s providence, and the promise of renewal. Each reading is followed by a psalm and a prayer. The selections include:

• The Hebrew calendar and God’s provision (Exodus 23, Psalm 111)

• The Promised Land and divine blessing (Deuteronomy 11, Psalm 36)

• The seasons of life (Ecclesiastes 3, Psalm 90)

• Wisdom and mortality (Ecclesiastes 12, Psalm 130)

• Creation and cosmic praise (Ecclesiasticus 43, Psalm 148)

• New creation and reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5, Canticle 17)

• The urgency of faith today (Hebrews 3, Psalm 95)

• The vision of a new heaven and earth (Revelation 21, Canticle 19)

 

The Great Litany

After the readings, we pray the Great Litany, a rich and solemn series of petitions that span the needs of the Church, the world, and our own hearts.

 

The Lord’s Prayer and Collects

We close the liturgy with the Lord’s Prayer and concluding collects, asking God to hear our prayers and bless us in the year ahead.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Despair is, at its core, an act of presumption

  At a time of deep despair, when John Claypool felt the darkness closing in, an elderly rabbi offered him a piece of wisdom that reframed his struggle: “Despair is the only unforgivable sin for a Jew.” The rabbi explained that despair is, at its core, an act of presumption. It declares with certainty that no hope is left and that the future holds nothing but the weight of our present sorrow. And yet, the rabbi pointed out, this is a future we have not seen and cannot predict. In presuming to know the outcome, despair claims authority over time and God’s possibilities, which none of us possess. This wisdom is a reminder of humility. None of us can see beyond the present moment, yet our faith invites us to trust what we cannot see—that God’s grace may break through in ways we cannot imagine. Even in the darkest moments, this stance of humility keeps the door to hope open. Claypool’s encounter with the rabbi challenges us to resist despair, not by pretending we do not hurt, but by h...
Read more

Homily for Proper 15 Year C

  Homily for Proper 15 Year C Luke 12:49-56   If, in the first century, you walked down a dusty road in Galilee you would know who is in charge —not because someone told you,  but because you could feel it. [1] The soldiers at the crossroads.  The eagle of Rome stamped into every coin. [2] The shadow of the Antonia Fortress  [3] leaning over the Temple.  Even the taxes—layer upon layer —remind you who holds the power …Caesar, far away, yet so very near.   And in that same air—  Pharisees debating purity codes in the marketplace. [4] Sadducees in their fine robes,  managing the temple and political alliances.  Essenes disappearing into the wilderness,  withdrawing from it all.  Zealots whispering about revolt.  Everywhere talk of revolt. And, people, without a label,  just keeping Sabbath,  raising children,  and praying for deliverance. [5] A people of faith, rich in hope, but also fractious,  noisy wit...
Read more

Reflection on “Where Sea Meets Sky”

Mary Louise Porter at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art Was on View: December 21, 2024 – May 18, 2025 There is a sacred hush in the space where sea meets sky—a liminal line both constant and always changing. This exhibition, curated in partnership between the Walter Anderson Museum of Art and painter Mary Louise Porter, honors that threshold, inviting viewers not merely to look, but to pause, to breathe, and to be drawn into wonder. Porter’s work is a meditation on the Gulf Coast’s quiet majesty. A Louisiana native now rooted in Mississippi, she brings with her the eyes of a newcomer and the heart of one who has stayed. Her canvases reflect a reverent attention to the elemental drama unfolding along the coast: water and light, color and movement, impermanence and return. In Where Sea Meets Sky, we encounter not only static images but a dynamic relationship. Porter’s Horizon Blocks—modular painted boxes she will rearrange over the course of the exhibition—are more than aesthetic devices...
Read more