Precious Lord, we pray that in this new year, the
dignity of human nature will be restored to all peoples, especially
those fleeing violence and oppression. Our hearts are heavy with
their sorrow as we pray for a future of safety, shelter, and dignity.
In Christ we pray.

Precious Lord, happy are they who dwell in your house, whose
strength is in you, and whose hearts are set on the pilgrims’ way.
Be with our priests, Berto and Hugh, our staff, and the members
of our parish, that we might love you with all our hearts and
minds and souls and love our neighbors as ourselves.
In Christ we pray.
Precious Lord, your promise to Israel was that even the blind and
the lame would be welcomed into your kingdom. As the leaders
of our nation consider the way forward, help them remember
your generous and inclusive vision.
In Christ we pray.
Precious Lord, in the first days of Jesus’s life, his parents were
migrants fleeing Herod’s wrath. At his holy birth, they were
homeless. Help us to remember His humble origins as we
consider the lives of those who seek safety and shelter, especially
during the cold-weather season.
In Christ we pray.
Precious Lord, the sparrow has found her house and the swallow
a nest where she might lay her young. Help us to care for the
natural world so that all species might find a welcome home on
earth.
In Christ we pray.

Precious Lord, we trust that you will turn our mourning into joy and our sorrow into gladness. We ask your comfort for those suffering illness and injury and heaviness of spirit. We ask you to
be with the recently departed and the families and friends who
mourn them. We ask you to be especially with those we now
name, silently and aloud (pause), including those on our parish
prayer list… (please read slowly) … those for whom no one prays; may they
be comforted by your Holy Spirit.

Let us pray for those celebrating Birthdays this week:
O God, our times are in your hand: Look with favor, we
pray, on your servants Rose Beckwith (1/2), Stephie Mac
(1/3), and Majean Palmer (1/7) as they begin another year.
Grant that they may grow in wisdom and grace, and
strengthen their trust in your goodness all the days of their
lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.