Each new year begins during the cold, dark days of winter. Perhaps that’s why people often celebrate
with fireworks and sparkling decorations, lighting up the midnight sky with festive radiant colors. I’m usually
asleep before the ball drops in Times Square, but I do appreciate the thought of spreading light into the darkness
as we celebrate the dawn of a new year.
Perhaps we can make 2025 a year of light. Light that overcomes darkness. Light that fills people with
hope. Light that reveals truth and goodness.
Jesus calls us to “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your
Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
Let me invite you to pray in the coming days – maybe all year long – for God’s light to shine brightly
in our world. Here are some ways to pray that 2025 will be a year of light:
Ask God to keep our church focused on the mission of sharing Jesus’ love and message with the
world. Jesus tells us to put our light on stand and let it shine for all to see. We reflect God’s glorious light as
we fellowship together, love our neighbors and share the good news of our Savior.
Pray that we will remain a welcoming church, with door and hearts open to everyone God sends our
way. God’s light shines with compassion and warms with kindness. May we be ready to welcome and love
people who need Jesus.
Seek God’s blessing and peace for people around the world, especially those who have suffered
through violence in recent days. Pray for an end to the war in Ukraine. Pray for peace to be restored in Israel
and the Middle East. Pray that the light of Christ would shine from churches throughout the world, offering
peace to people everywhere.
Lift up the Church, here at home and throughout the world. Ask God to bless, protect and
strengthen His people so they can spread His light into every corner of creation. Pray for missionaries who carry
Jesus’ message, for churches in faraway places and for our sister churches throughout the Covenant.
Pray for yourself and your family, that God’s peace would flow in place of anxiety and fear. Ask
God to fill you with the light of His truth, His hope and His grace. May our homes be places of light where we
feel safe and cared for. May our families receive the assurance of God’s blessing even as we seek to be a blessing
to our neighbors.
Ask God for wisdom. Seek His ways instead of the world’s. Fill your heart with the light of God’s
word so you can walk in His truth under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Through it all, pray that the light Jesus placed in our hearts will “shine before others.” What we
do, the words we say, even the values by which we lead our lives should allow God’s grace and goodness to
radiate from us. Don’t hide the light away or put it under a bowl. Instead, put Jesus’ light on a stand so everyone
will see the glory of our Savior.
I pray that 2025 will be a joyful and blessed year for each of you and our church family
